Wondering how long a day lasts in Minecraft for the sun to rise, set and nighttime to come and go? In this guide, we’ll run you through how long day and night lasts, the stints of sunrise and sunset in between, and how this all equates to time in the real world. We’ll also explain how to check the time of day in Minecraft with the use of a clock.

How Long Is a Day in Minecraft?

A day in Minecraft lasts for 20 minutes. There’s 10 minutes of ‘daytime’ followed by 8 minutes 20 seconds of nighttime, where you’ll find mobs spawn more often.

In between day and night, you have the sunset and sunrise, each period lasts 50 seconds. All of these totaled together makes the 20 minutes of a Minecraft day.

This equates to one minute of real-life time equating to around 1 hour and 12 minutes in Minecraft time.

From the beginning of a Minecraft day, at 6am, it’ll take 5 real-time minutes for it to reach ‘noon’ in your Minecraft world. This will be when the sun is at its peak.

After another 5 real-time minutes have passed, it’ll be 6pm in your Minecraft world and the sun will begin to set. At this point villagers will go to their beds and sleep.

Just 50 seconds of real-time after this, you get the beginning of the Minecraft night. You’ll then have just shy of eight minutes of nighttime before the sun will begin to appear again on the horizon. 35 seconds later, the Minecraft sunrise will begin.

How to Check Time of Day in Minecraft with a Clock

You can always check what the time is in your Minecraft world by crafting a clock.

This requires 4 Gold Ingots and one Redstone Dust. Place the 4 Gold Ingots in directly above and below, and to the left and right of the center of the 3×3 crafting grid, where you’ll place the Redstone Dust.

The clock will then show you how far through each phase you are. However, keep in mind that clocks do not work in the Nether or the End as there’s no day/ night cycle here.

That’s everything you need to know on how long a Minecraft day lasts. For more tips and tricks on the game, be sure to check out the handy links below.

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