Launched in 2020, Minecraft's Uncensored Library held around 300 books; RSF continues adding censored journalism

What happens to a news story after authorities block or censor it? It can find another home inside a video game. In 2020, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), working with Minecraft design collective BlockWorks, launched the Uncensored Library, a vast digital archive built inside Minecraft. The project turns censored journalism into in-game books, allowing players to read reporting that may be restricted in the countries where it was originally published. The library has continued to grow. In its 2026 update, RSF added a new United States room and expanded sections dedicated to Egypt, Belarus, Russia and Iran, bringing journalism from 10 countries into the collection.What the Uncensored Library is and why Reporters Without Borders built it in MinecraftMinecraft calls the Uncensored Library a grand digital library meant to combat censorship. Created by the organisation Reporters Without Borders and the Minecraft design collective BlockWorks, it was first introduced in 2020. Its purpose was to give silenced authors a platform in their own respective countries, among those that seek to censor their citizens or prevent them from accessing certain information. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte's library guide, written by Erika Boardman and published in 2022, adds that the library gives access to journal articles that were deemed forbidden, and that Reporters Without Borders strives to fight global censorship.Why a video game? How Minecraft stays reachable when other platforms are blockedThe platform itself matters. As per Minecraft, social media and other platforms tend to be either blocked or controlled in the countries concerned, while Minecraft often remains accessible. That gave Reporters Without Borders a way to circumvent the censorship and make information accessible. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte's library calls Minecraft a popular open-world game and describes its use as a unique way to reach the younger population, while providing access to information that was condemned and hidden from the public. The finished project is a blocky book bastion, a playful phrase for a serious aim.How to visit the Uncensored Library, from the Minecraft server to the downloadable mapMinecraft's article says the library is accessed through a Minecraft server, and that it can also be downloaded locally from the website. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte's library guide confirms that the website explains how to access the library in Minecraft. Yet, it comes with a limitation, the library is available to Windows and Mac users, but console players are out of luck, as the guide apologises to them. Anyone planning a visit should therefore read the website's instructions before setting up.Around 300 books, twelve wings and a statue of a clenched hand holding a penAccording to Minecraft, the library holds around 300 books distributed between twelve wings, most of them represented by a country where information may be limited. Visitors can wander through and read banned articles presented as Minecraft books. The screenshots published in Minecraft's article offer glimpses of the setting that include a statue outside the library depicting a clenched hand with a pen, an exterior park, a book being read inside, and an Arabian floor design within the building. The imagery in the game world gives a real sense of scale, from the statue to the park.How the countries and articles were picked, from the Press Freedom Index to journalists' own submissionsMinecraft explains that the countries in the library were selected with the help of Google Analytics, by looking at countries with an active Minecraft community as well as the Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. Once a list had been drawn up, journalists from each of those countries then provided their articles, which were transformed into Minecraft books. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte's library says the books come from countries ranked poorly on a freedom index and include work by journalists who fought to uncover and share the truth and paid an unfortunate price for doing so. Minecraft also describes the collection as carefully curated.New rooms for Brazil, Belarus, Eritrea and Iran, how the library keeps growingThe Uncensored Library is regularly expanded by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), making it a collection that continues to evolve rather than a fixed archive. In its March 2026 update, RSF said the library had added a new room dedicated to the United States, while also expanding the Egypt, Belarus, Russia and Iran sections. The Belarus room received six new articles, the Russia section gained more than 20 articles from exiled media outlets, and the Egypt and Iran rooms also received new material. RSF said the library then featured journalism from Egypt, Belarus, Brazil, Eritrea, Iran, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and the United States.The project also goes beyond Minecraft's usual role as a space for building and creativity. RSF created the virtual library as a way for journalists to make censored articles accessible, using a platform that is freely available in many countries where independent news websites may be blocked. The articles appear as books inside Minecraft and are available in English as well as the authors' native languages. Since its opening in 2020, RSF said the library had been visited more than one million times, and its books had been read 10 million times.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.