The best Minecraft skins

Minecraft skins are a great way to keep your avatar in the game looking fresh. Lots of us have sank thousands of hours into the game, and staring at the same square butt gets boring after a while. With these skins, you can wrap that square butt up in something new.

New Minecraft skins get made all the time, and the list of all the skins available is pretty endless. Here, we've curated some of the best, all with download links, curated into different categories.

In our list below, you'll find we've covered recognizable characters from video games, movies, anime, memes and more. Live your best life by soaring around creative mode as Iron Man or creeping out your pals on their server by showing up in your Slenderman suit.

Videogame skins

Master Chief

We've all got Halo on the brain with the Master Chief Collection coming to PC and the eventual release of Halo Infinite. While you wait, keep the Chief close to your heart by squeezing into his iconic suit while you play Minecraft.

Link: Master Chief

Solid Snake

With the unfortunate absence of official Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 on PC, here's your chance to play the best version of the gruff (slightly blocky) special operations soldier.  

Link: Solid Snake

Geralt of Rivia

With CD Projekt Red busy with Cyberpunk 2077, it'll be a while before we see Geralt exploring a new fantastical land, but what about the world of Minecraft? There are plenty of blocky landscapes for the Witcher to check out, and what better way than with the perfect Minecraft skin.

Link: Geralt of Rivia

Gordon Freeman

Half-Life's silent protagonist suites Minecraft's silent avatar very well. He's a dude that gets down to business without a hint of a sigh, now if only there were headcrabs in Minecraft...

Link: Gordon Freeman

Solaire of Astora

Praise the sun. You can finally become the most grossly incandescent being in existence; it's time to become the one true Sun Bro. Not only will this give you the form of Solaire of Astora, but if you slowly descend into madness and get taken over by a parasite, then at least it'll be in keeping with the character. 

Link: Solaire

Yoshi

That's right, it's finally time for Yoshi's time in the spotlight. Remember how Mario used to let Yoshi fall to his death just to grab the final flagpole a little bit higher? Well, Mario's not here to push him around anymore, so it's Yoshi's time to shine! Despite Yoshi being quite differently shaped to your avatar, this look seems to translate pretty well.

Link: Yoshi

Superhero skins

Deadpool

Quick, somebody play some DMX! Everybody’s favourite, foul-mouthed obliterator of the fourth-wall scrubs up a treat in cuboid Lycra. Now that dual-wielding’s in the game, you could even have him dual-wielding twin swords.

Link: Deadpool

Batman

Apparently, the caped crusader is the most used skin after good ol’ Steve. Bat-eared mask? Check. Iconic black Speedos? Check. Cold, dead, white eyes? Erm, check. It’s little wonder this one’s so popular—Batman versus Enderman is quite the sight to behold. Unlike that other “Batman versus” movie, but let's not get into that.

Link: Batman

Superman

Well, speak of the devil: here’s Supes in all his elegantly-coiffed glory. Along with his classic red and blue attire, the Minecraft version of the comic book icon models a flowing red cape so resplendent, it appears to have bled into his legs a little bit. All the best accessories do.

Link: Superman

Wonder Woman

Completing DC's holy trinity is Wonder Woman. There's actually a whole bunch of Wonder Woman skins available, depending on whether you want the classic Lynda Carter look, more modern Gal Gadot style, or something in between from the comics. Lasso of Truth not included.

Link: Wonder Woman

Iron Man

Got richer tastes? Then rep Team Iron in the Minecraft world’s most expensive and well-armed suit. It could inspire you to become a better business owner (take good care of your pig farms), brush up on your engineering skills (dust off those redstone repeaters) or reprise your career as an international playboy (nope, this is Minecraft. I got nothing).

Link: Iron Man

Captain America

With shields a part of Minecraft’s combat since the latest update, you might be tempted to slip into this rather patriotic little number to cosplay as this helicopter-curlin’ hero. The leader of the Avengers is a great choice—although I can’t promise that this skin will make your shields indestructible.

Link: Captain America

Anime skins

Goku

If anyone can punch trees and rocks forever without stopping to craft a pickaxe it would be Goku. He may only be able to fly in creative mode, but this Saiyan still makes for a great Minecraft persona. This one's a simple and straight forward Goku skin. All the better to recognize that orange jumpsuit.

Link: Goku

Saitama 

Speaking of punching, Saitama from One Punch Man is another fun skin choice for Minecraft. No Saitama Minecraft skin is complete without a shiny bald head and iconic blank expression, if only we had his single punch skills in multiplayer servers.

Link: Saitama

Sailor Moon

Sailor Moon is another classic choice for caped anime heroes. Her pigtails may be a bit flatter that in the show but hey, that's Minecraft for you. The same creator has also made skins for Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars.

Link: Sailor Moon

Team Rocket

We're using Jessie and this particular skin as an example, but there are tons of Team Rocket Minecraft skins available. There's James, a whole variety of grunts, and even a few of Pokemon themselves wearing the Team Rocket uniform, but they probably belong in the 'scary skins' section. Speaking of...

Link: Team Rocket

Scary skins

Slenderman

Even in Minecraft, you can’t escape the internet’s most iconic apparation. Blank-faced, suited and booted, this skin rivals the Enderman for the game’s creepiest lanky terror. Put it on and lurk outside all your friend’s virtual hangouts if you’re feeling super-evil.

Link: Slenderman

Cthulhu

Who wouldn't want a Minecraft skin of H.P. Lovecraft's most iconic cosmic beings? This skin looks particularly slimy and the detail on Cthulhu's tentacles makes me squirm. Definitely a skin worth downloading if you're playing on a water map.

Link: Cthulhu

Creeper

Due to the shape of the character avatar, this Minecraft skin doesn't quite look like a Creeper, but it's pretty close to the real thing. Perfect for giving your friends a quick jump scare, just make sure they don't bludgeon you to death.

Link: Creeper

Swamp Glob

Squelching his way onto our list of faves is Swamp Glob, who in comparison to all this nightmare fuel is actually oddly sweet. Nice, wide toothy torso of a smile—probably a delight on picture day. Wear it to have your whole head morph into a heavily-veined eyeball. Fun.

Link: Swamp Glob

Zombie Girl

Movie monsters are a little bit of a boys club, so this skin is here to address the balance a little bit. She's Zombie Girl; a zombie that's a girl. What else do you need to know? There are loads of zombie style skins available, but this one with her ragged skinny jeans and flower crown is a little bit more interesting than most.

Link: Zombie Girl

Herobrine

Herobrine is an iconic Minecraft character, despite having never been in the game. He originates from a creepypasta, where it was claimed he would invade games and create havoc. Nicely bookending this section, Herobrine was based on the Slenderman myth.

Link: Herobrine

Funny skins

Bob Ross

Bob Ross is famous for his incredibly chilled painting show, and the phrase 'happy little trees'. He's one of the most wholesome people to have ever existed, and if you've never watched his shows, you should do so now. Well, after you've done some mining as him. 

Link: Bob Ross

Shrek

Angry swamp ogre turned internet meme, Shrek is a perfect Minecraft skin for funny shenanigans. Drop your Shrek avatar into a swampy world, bang on some Smash Mouth, and you've got yourself a party.

Link: Shrek

Alex Raising Steve Above Her Head

Yes, I know it's a silly name, but then it's a pretty silly skin. This one features a torso which has been edited to look like Alex's head, complete with an actual head which looks like a mini Steve. Therefore, it's Alex Raising Steve Above Her Head and no other name will fit. It's official name is 'skin funny minecraft', which seems amazingly unimaginative considering how creative the actual skin is.

Link: Alex Raising Steve Above Her Head

Doge

The iconic pupper prince of the internet can now make his appearance in Minecraft. The details are what really make this a great Minecraft skin, the avatar's arms have little claws on the end and he even has a curl in his tail. Wow. Much dog. Very good.

Link: Doge

Kermit the Frog

Kermit could have easily gone into the horror section, honestly. Those dead eyes and gaping mouth appear more sinister than cute for this frog. I would rather face-off against an Enderman than this dude.

Link: Kermit

Best sites for Minecraft skins

Minecraft Skins

The site’s clean, bright look and picture-gallery style make scrolling through skins super-easy. Categories at the top of the page provide simple shortcuts to, say, movie-related or gaming-inspired fare; the sidebar features the newest and most popular skins with lovely little floating-head previews of each. The no-hassle option if you just fancy a change.

Link: Minecraft Skins

Planet Minecraft

Planet Minecraft is undoubtedly the most comprehensive site. Plug in any search term you can dream up and you’ll most likely find a suitable skin in the huge database. With plenty of handy categories to browse, and a monthly skin creation contest producing tons of excellent new user-created content, this one’s essential.

Link: Planet Minecraft

The Skindex

Winner of all the awards I can possibly gather into my blocky little arms for “Most Inspired and Puntastic Minecraft Skin Site Name” (a somewhat esoteric accolade, admittedly) is The Skindex. You can search by skin, or even by author, if you’ve found an artist whose style you particularly enjoy. It even boasts its own rather brilliant skin editor. Come for the pun, stay for the skins.

Link: The Skindex

Minecraft Skin Search

Sometimes, however, you just want to fit in. Enter Minecraft Skin Search: it’ll let you search Minecrafter usernames and bring up the skin that your best pal or fave YouTuber is currently rockin’. Whether it’s to show your super-fan status or to go undercover to fulfill your own dastardly Minecrafting plans, you can become their doppelganger by downloading it for yourself.

Link: Minecraft skin search

Miners Need Cool Shoes

There are a good handful of custom Minecraft skin creators out there in Internetland, but this one’s our go-to. Never made your own skin before? No problem—this editor is easy to use, with a huge variety of tools to take advantage of. Beginning with someone else’s skin as a base is a simple way to start out, as is the ability to search for and use pre-made parts (hairstyles, hoodies etc.) on your custom creation.

Link: Miners Need Cool Shoes