Play lets you walk in first person inside the editor and test World logic rules. Without starting a server, entering a zone plays its sounds, titles and animations. Rules, walking physics and animations run at the same 20 TPS (20 ticks per second) as the server.
Play has two modes.
| Mode | Camera | Player |
|---|
| Play | First person — the player’s eyes | You walk yourself. |
| Simulate | The edit camera as-is (free) | A blue capsule is the player. Drag it to move it. |
Actions during Play do not change the world. When you stop, everything returns to its original state.
| What | Where |
|---|
| Start Play | The Play button (▶) in the middle of the main toolbar |
| Choose mode · start location | ▾ next to the Play button |
| Straight to Play | Alt+P |
| Straight to Simulate | Alt+S · Tools › Simulate (free camera · logic) |
| Straight from a rule | Play test in the World logic panel · Create and test in the zone trigger wizard |
| Play State panel | Opens when Play starts (Window menu Play State). |
The ▾ menu next to the Play button:
| Group | Items |
|---|
| Mode | Play — walk in the viewport (Alt+P) · Simulate — free camera, logic only (Alt+S) |
| Start location | From current camera position · From spawn point (Project Settings default spawn) |
| Display | Play stats overlay (tick · zone · flag) |
- Create a zone trigger rule — see Quick start in World logic
- Place the camera in front of the zone.
- Click the Play button (or press Alt+P).
- Walk into the zone with W A S D. The sound and title play.
- If a Fire (number keys) list appears at the bottom right, fire those rules with the number keys.
- Check what ran and what was skipped in the World logic panel’s history or the event log of the Play State panel.
- Press Esc to end.
| Key · action | Action |
|---|
| Mouse | Look around |
| W A S D | Walk |
| Space | Jump |
| Ctrl or Shift | Sprint |
| F · right-click | Interact with the actor you are looking at (trigger Right-click actor) |
| 1–9 | Run a rule from the Fire list |
| F8 | Eject — leave the body and switch to the free camera (Simulate) |
| Shift+F1 | Release the mouse. Click the viewport to capture it again. |
| Pause | Pause · resume |
| Esc | End Play |
Interaction targets are display and text actors within 15° of your view direction and within 6 blocks. The click box of an Interactable component is a target if your line of sight hits it within 6.5 blocks. If there is no target, “No actor to interact with” appears on the action bar.
| Action | Result |
|---|
| Edit camera controls | Fly around as usual. |
| Drag the capsule | Moves the player (blue capsule). |
| Ctrl+click | Teleports the body to the clicked spot. |
| F8 | Enter the body and switch to first-person Play |
| Esc | End |
Switching modes with F8 keeps the rule state (variables, waiting actions, etc.).
| Button | Action |
|---|
| Play (▶) | Start |
| Pause | Pause · resume during Play (Pause) |
| One tick | Advance only 1/20 second while paused |
| Eject | Leave · enter the body (F8) |
| Stop | End (Esc) |
Rules are copied and run when Play starts. Rule edits made during Play take effect from the next Play.
| Trigger | In Play |
|---|
| On zone enter · leave · while inside | Detected automatically from the feet position |
| Scene start · timer | Automatic |
| On signal · function · when a sequence ends | Automatic (follows the sender, caller or player) |
| On collide | Automatic when the walking body touches the actor box |
| Right-click actor | F · right-click |
| On block break · place · right-click · redstone signal · projectile hit · player death · damage | Not fired automatically — use Fire |
Fire runs a rule as if its trigger had happened. Filters and conditions are still checked. The triggering player is the Play body.
| Where | What |
|---|
| Fire (number keys) at the bottom right of the viewport | Enabled rules with manually fired triggers (up to 9). Number keys 1–9 |
| Fire on a rule row or header in the World logic panel | The same rules. If Play is not running, it starts Play and fires. |
| Rule firing in the Play State panel | All rules. Even automatic triggers run now without waiting. |
| Action | In Play |
|---|
| Sound | Heard as an audition (when the recipient is the Play body). |
| Screen title · Chat message · Action bar text | Shown as on-screen text. |
| Play animation · Show actor · Hide | Shown as a non-destructive preview. |
| Teleport | The walking body is moved. |
| Knockback | The walking body is pushed. |
| Cinematic camera | The viewport camera follows the path. Returns to the original view when done. |
| Fill blocks · Place one block | Orange box preview only. The world is not changed. |
| Deal damage · Heal · Potion effect · Give item · Kill | The fake player state changes and a line appears on the HUD. |
| Checkpoint · Particles · Server command · Cancel event | Only logged. |
Blocker boxes block the walking body. Both the barrier and push modes behave the same.
| Section | Contents |
|---|
| Header | Mode · running/paused · tick number · time · Pause · One tick · Eject · Stop buttons |
| Player | Health · Game mode · Main hand · Off hand · Effect · Received · Death · Feet position · zone · Reset state |
| Rule firing | A Fire button for each rule |
| Event log | Log with ticks. Check Skipped to also see rows skipped because of filters or conditions. |
Game mode, main hand and off hand are the values the Game mode and Holding conditions see. In Creative and Spectator modes you take no damage. Reset state refills health and clears effects and received items. Logic state and the clock are kept.
| Option | Location | Meaning |
|---|
| Mode | Play ▾ | Play · Simulate |
| Start location | Play ▾ | Current camera position · default spawn in Project Settings |
| Play stats overlay | Play ▾ | Overlays tick, zone and flag in the viewport. |
| Time of day · Weather · Has all permissions | World logic panel Simulation | Values the Time of day and Weather conditions and the permission filter see |
| Game mode · Main hand · Off hand | Play State panel | Values the Game mode and Holding conditions see |
| Key | Action |
|---|
| Alt+P | Start Play |
| Alt+S | Start Simulate |
| Esc | End |
| F8 | Eject · enter the body |
| Pause | Pause · resume |
| Shift+F1 | Release the mouse |
| F · right-click | Interact (Play) |
| 1–9 | Fire |
When you set a breakpoint (F9) on an action node in the Logic graph, Play pauses before that action. Resume (Pause) to continue from that action. Nodes executed during Play briefly light up in the logic graph.
Play runs by the same rules as the server, but there are differences.
| Editor Play | Real server |
|---|
| One player (the Play body) | Multiple players |
| Block, combat and death triggers only via Fire | Via real game events |
| Does not change the world | Actually changes blocks |
| Sequencer camera cuts are only logged | Changes the viewer’s view |
| Server commands, particles and checkpoints are only logged | Executed |
| Only sound events with files are audible | Resource pack and vanilla sounds |
| State (once records, variables) is fresh every Play | Kept in state.json |
- Walking and zone checks work even if there are no rules when Play starts.
- On damage and On player death are not fired automatically even by damage actions during Play (to prevent infinite loops). Test them with Fire.
- If you edit the world directly from a panel during Play, that change remains. You are notified in the Output Log when Play ends.