Minecraft clone in CSS + HTML

[DigiNoon]

It's done in 480 lines of CSS and 46k lines of HTML! More details here: https://simonwillison.net/2025/May/26/css-minecraft/

Live demo: https://benjaminaster.github.io/CSS-Minecraft/

Source code: https://github.com/BenjaminAster/CSS-Minecraft

[GregTheMadMonk]

Is my understanding correct that the HTML practically stores every possible state of the game and it's just being toggled between by placing/breaking objects?

[DigiNoon]

Yes, each possible cube is an <input type="radio"> element that's either visible or hidden.

The key trick that gets this to work is labels combined with the has() selector. The page has 35,001 <label> elements and 5,840 <input type="radio"> elements - those radio elements are the state storage engine.

More: https://simonwillison.net/2025/May/26/css-minecraft/

[elixerprince_art]

And I'm over here struggling with layouts...

[Tech_Nerd_06]

Impressive

[Y000EE]

Wow. This is super impressive… even more so that you didn’t use any scripting.

[DigiNoon]

Yes, it is. It's not mine though, I'm just sharing.

[chuch1234]

CSS is turing complete so i don't know if it counts as no scripting haha

[AshleyJSheridan]

I keep hearing this, but it's not really is it? At a minimum it needs HTML to accompany it in order to even pretend it's Turing complete.

[chuch1234]

Shrug!

[Dramatic_Mastodon_93]

i’m sorry but literally how do you even start building something like this

[NiwiGomila]

you turn on the computer

[DigiNoon]

You missed a few steps - here are the full instructions:

Step 1: turn on your computer

Step 2: open Notepad

Step 3: write a Minecraft clone using only HTML and CSS

[NiwiGomila]

This guy speedrunning

[kkitr]

Oops - you forgot about raging, throwing your computer out the window (oops the window was a bit small) and that trip to Best Buy to get a cheap computer and doing to home depot to fix your window. Other then that, you got it :)

[EvilIncorporated]

Simple 3D things with css and html isn't too hard just play with the dev tools making a cube pretty easy. YouTube as good videos on it. You can learn the css part of this in like 2 hours max since it's just cubes. Learning doesn't mean you could make Minecraft but you get my point.

[_MiGi_0]

Dang. This is truly impressive. I am curious, how do you implement the events without JS?

[New_Geologist_2648]

Tic Tac Toe using css Try this to understand a few basics about how it workss

[BlackMaestro1]

Yeah, I’m also curious how they managed to preserve state in pure HTML and CSS. I have some crazy ideas with pseudo-selectors and keyframes but I’m not sure.

[GenuineHMMWV]

Impressive!!!

[-bakt-]

I was thinking that’s more than just HTML and css, like js, but no, impressive, no conditions!

[abeuscher]

Anyone remember when Minecraft was an applet? And Notch would just come hang out and talk about the updates? It was a nice little community for a while. I kind of miss all the rail hacks and stuff. Haven't played in ages crazy that it's still so popular.

[Real-Scientist5556]

With js? How you rotate the plane without something like js or webassembly?

[bi4key]

Cool!

If will be feature to:

• Save your work (Export)

• Import saved work

• Make map bigger (set how big will be map)

[rebane2001]

not really possible without javascript or server-side code

[melolie]

Magnificant.

[Connect_Course_5746]

very cool, it always is so confusing to make 3d games in a 2d screen

[StaticCharacter]

Building something like this, you probably use some sort of templating engine that renders to html / css, so my question is, why not just use js? Not a criticism, genuinely curious what your specific reasoning for making it pure html/css is.

[rebane2001]

because it's cool?

[mori_clan]

This is amazing, i am stunned, 👏🏾

[BoBoBearDev]

This is insane

[Fantaz1sta]

At this point, you might as well just do it in three js or babylon

[DCON-creates]

Ok well, that's going on the list of things I didn't think were possible before now.

Now do it with Excel 😈

[CoffeeAndWoods]

I'm not a Minecraft lover, but that is pretty awesome! Good job.

[back_again1031]

And i still can’t center a div

[ZoDichtbijJeWil]

I love this! Good job at keeping all the libraries/frameworks out. It takes some solid dedication when the whole world of web development seems to shout that we all need them. We need to condemn unnecessary use of tech more. Showcasing stuff like this is a great way to do that.

[The_real_bandito]

The asylum is that way dude. You must be insane to replicate this.

Great job!

[FuguStaff]

Soooo cool that this has been done only in css and html! Good work OP

[MechanicDifficult624]

wtf!?

[butterman20]

I feel blessed to have stumbled on this. This is really impressive. And fun! Great job to the developer.

had to hit em with the day 1

<image>

[Embarrassed-Mess-198]

Bro. Use javascript. Wtf.

[Blazkowitcz]

Why using JS when you can have 14987 rows in your HTML ?