Knowing how to breed villagers in Minecraft is almost as important as doing everything else in the game, like building impressive structures or digging huge mines. More hands mean more is done, from farming to trading, and mostly anything else you can think of.
Breeding your villagers is fairly simple but it helps to know what to do. For the most part, core needs to be met and that means keeping your villagers happy, fed, and with a bed by their side to snooze in.
If you want to go the lazy way, you can use cheats but that's hardly the point of the game. Instead, below you'll find each step for how to breed villagers in Minecraft and gain your own cute little offspring. While you're working on expanding your Minecraft plans, consider signing up for some of the best Minecraft server hosting so you're always in control of what happens.
Tools and requirements
- A copy of Minecraft - any edition will do
- The required device, PC, or game console to play Minecraft
- About an hour of free time
Steps for how to breed villagers in Minecraft
- Find some villagers
- Build at least three beds - one for each villager and one for the forthcoming child
- Feed up your villagers with a supply of bread, carrots, beetroot, and potatoes
- Encourage the villagers to stay near each other and wait for hearts to form above their heads, and wait until a small villager child appears!
Step by step guide
1. Find some villagers
To make more villagers, you need some to begin with. Find an established village that is monster-free ideally, and has some structures for them to live in. Living inside a structure isn't essential but it's a useful bonus as it will keep the villagers closer to each other and more likely to breed.
2. Build some beds
Reassuringly, you won't see any villagers doing 'anything' on their beds but they still need one each to breed. Also, you need an extra bed ready for the offspring to have somewhere to sleep. Beds can be crafted from three blocks of wool and three wooden plank blocks using a crafting table.
Place them inside your structure. You can place them outside like we have, but it's a little cruel on the villagers.
3. Throw some food around
Villagers aren't too keen on getting comfy together if they're hungry or unhappy. Just like all of us, right? Feed them by throwing some food around. You need three loaves of bread, 12 carrots, 12 beetroot, or 12 potatoes in each villager's inventory. In reality, more is more. It keeps them happy. That should be all you need but trading with the villagers can help them become even happier.
4. Wait for your villagers to breed
Now you've set the scene, you need to wait for your villagers to fall for each other. This can take a little while but it's improved if you keep them happy, they feel safe in their surroundings, or they have plenty of food available. When hearts float around them, you're in luck and a tiny villager will appear soon.
5. Say hi to the little villager
Hurrah, you now have a new tiny villager as part of your posse! The child villager will grow up in about half an hour and from there, you're all set to get them to work or breed them with someone else. Minecraft is super efficient like that and a lot more clinical than life.
FAQs
Do I need a house to breed villagers?
Your villagers don't need a home to breed in, but it helps. Any Minecraft house is sure to encourage them. By building one, your villagers will feel safer and more likely to want to breed. They also won't wander so far and proximity is everything here. Just make sure the home still has some room for the villagers to wander. It's not meant to be a prison.
Why won't my villagers breed in Minecraft?
If your villagers seemingly refuse to breed, it can be for one of a few reasons. Make sure they're happy. Keep them secure away from monsters, make sure there's plenty of food, and enough beds for everyone (including the future offspring), and maybe do some trading of items to boost their happiness. Finally, be patient. It can take a little while.
Final thoughts
Breeding villagers is a key way of developing your Minecraft world. It makes the place less lonely, more active, and opens up the potential for trading. It generally makes things feel more open and eventful. For the best experience, maybe try it alongside using one of the best Minecraft seeds to see how varied things can get.
