Minecraft capes explained: what they are and why some are so rare

Capes are the rarest cosmetic in Minecraft. Unlike skins, which anyone can change freely, capes have only ever been distributed by Mojang in limited ways — which is exactly why they are so sought after.

Where do capes come from? Historically, capes were given out for attending Minecon events, for special contributions to the game, for migrating a Mojang account to a Microsoft account, and through occasional promotions or charity events. Each cape design is tied to a specific event or moment.

Why are some capes so rare? Most cape distributions are closed forever. If a cape was handed out at an event that has ended, no new codes for it are being created. The only supply that exists is the pool of unredeemed codes left over from that event — and that pool only shrinks as codes get redeemed.

What is a cape code? For some distributions, Mojang issued redemption codes instead of applying capes directly. An unredeemed code can still be entered on minecraft.net/redeem to add the cape to any Microsoft account. That is what makes cape codes tradeable — and what stores like ours deal in.

Java and Bedrock: a single code works for both editions on the same Microsoft account. Once redeemed, you equip the cape in your profile skin settings and it appears in both versions of the game.

A word of caution: because capes are valuable, scams are common. Never give anyone your Microsoft or Minecraft login to \"receive\" a cape — a real code never requires your password. Only enter codes on the official minecraft.net/redeem page, and buy from sellers who check codes before listing them and stand behind failed redemptions.

CapeCodes is an independent store and is not affiliated with Mojang, Minecraft or Microsoft.