Jake Harfield · May 31, 2024 (Updated) · 5 min read Minecraft capes are decorative items that can be worn over a player’s skin. Official capes can only be gained through very specific actions, such as migrating your account or attending an in-person MINECON event.
In this article, we’ll explain how to get capes in Minecraft, covering every type of official cape that’s been released to date.
How to Get a Minecraft Cape
Minecraft capes are rarely released cosmetic items that are worn on a player’s back in-game. Because they occupy the same location, these highly coveted items also change the appearance of Elytra.
Previously released capes for both Minecraft Java Edition and Minecraft Bedrock Edition include the Mojang capes (given to Mojang employees) and MINECON capes. The MINECON capes were given out to in-person attendees of MINECON events. The last of these events occurred in 2016, and it’s impossible to receive these capes in any other way.
There have also been several special capes given to specific Minecraft players by its developers for services they rendered to Minecraft’s development. For example, players could claim the Founder’s Cape in the Minecraft Marketplace when it was used as a promotion for the Character Creator tool.
However, since these are unattainable, we won’t cover them in this article. Just keep in mind that if you help add content to Minecraft, you might be rewarded with a cape!
Finally, more skins are available on Bedrock Edition because they’ve been added through various skin packs over the years.
Note: It’s possible to get access to custom capes via add-ons like the OptiFine mod that add new skins to Minecraft. However, since these aren’t official, they’re only visible to the player using the mod. Official capes are visible to all players on any Minecraft servers.
Available and Upcoming Minecraft Capes
There aren’t many capes that players can currently get their hands on. However, there’s at least one cape that any player can receive — all they need is a Minecraft account for the Bedrock Edition!
Pan Cape
The Pan cape is the easiest free cape for a Minecraft player to receive as it’s available to any Bedrock Edition player. To get it, simply head to the “Capes” tab of the dressing room in Bedrock Edition. It’ll be equipped over your current Minecraft skin.
Minecraft Marketplace Capes
If you’re a Bedrock player on Android, iOS, or desktop, some purchasable Minecraft skins come with capes. Two examples are the Adventure Time Mash-up and Star Wars Classic Pack.
Minecraft Festival Cape
There’s a rumored Minecraft Festival cape that’s to be given out to attendees of the Minecraft Festival convention held in Orlando. The date for this convention is to be determined, so keep your eyes on the news to find out how you can receive it.
Previously Released Capes
There are several previously released capes that are no longer available, but which might become available again in the future. Likewise, because capes are often given out at events, by knowing about previous capes, you can get an idea of what to expect in the future.
The Migrator Cape
The Migrator Cape was given to players who bought Minecraft before December 1, 2020 and migrated their Mojang or legacy account to a Microsoft account. Unfortunately, because Minecraft account migration has ended, this cape is no longer available to claim.
Vanilla Cape
In 2022, the Bedrock and Java Editions were merged into the same Minecraft Launcher. Players who owned both editions were given the Vanilla cape. Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible to receive this cape, even if you own both versions.
Event Capes
Several capes have been released as temporary event capes for all players, including:
- Christmas 2010 cape
- New Year 2011 cape
- Several April Fools capes
- MINECON capes
While it isn’t possible to retrieve these capes now, new capes might be released in the future on key events. Make sure you pay attention to Minecraft’s social media accounts to hear of any news, and also make sure to play on key dates like Christmas or New Year’s for a chance at playing with a cape.
Minecraft Mods
Several mods provide the ability to equip capes and even create your own custom cape designs from scratch. Two examples of mods that let you do this are:
Note: As mentioned above, any capes from mods will be invisible to other players online including your Minecraft friends.
Keep Your Eye Out
Getting your own cape in Minecraft can be difficult, but it’s definitely worth it. Having a cape that no one else has is a flex that shows you’ve done something most other players haven’t — you’ve either made an effort to go to a Minecraft event, helped the Minecraft developers produce something for the game, or you’ve done something else special to receive it.
