Updated 23 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
The Minecraft World Border: Size and Commands
By default the world border sits 29,999,984 blocks from the centre of the world in each direction, so the world is 59,999,968 blocks wide. Servers shrink it with the /worldborder command. Players outside it take damage once they are more than 5 blocks past the line.
How big is a Minecraft world?
The border's four walls are each 29,999,984 blocks from the world origin by default, giving a width of 59,999,968 blocks. Even if the border is edited, a hard world boundary remains at 30 million blocks on X and Z. The border shows as moving diagonal stripes, tinted by whether it is still, growing or shrinking. See coordinates.
How do you change the world border?
The /worldborder command sets the border's size and centre, the damage and safe buffer outside it, the warning distance and time, and can make it grow or shrink gradually. A shrinking border is what pulls players together in Battle Royale.
What happens outside the world border?
- Players (except Creative and Spectator) take damage once they are more than 5 blocks outside, more the further out they are.
- You cannot normally break or use blocks out there, and mobs do not spawn naturally outside it.
- Falling blocks drop as items and pistons and hoppers stop working, but most redstone and explosions still work.
- Water and lava can flow through it, and ender pearls or chorus fruit can carry you past it.
Does the world border work in the Nether?
Each dimension has its own border. A Nether portal used near the Nether border will not create its Overworld portal beyond the Overworld border, though part of the frame can stick out. See Nether portals.
How do you get started on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
How big is a Minecraft world?
59,999,968 blocks across: the border is 29,999,984 blocks from the centre each way.
Do you take damage outside the world border?
Yes, once you are more than 5 blocks past it, unless you are in Creative or Spectator.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.