KantoPayCan you sell ranks on a Minecraft server?
Yes, within limits. Mojang’s Minecraft Usage Guidelines let a server charge for access, perks, cosmetics and in-game currency, and run ads, as long as nothing you sell gives buyers a competitive edge or spoils the game for everyone else. This is what they say, as we read them on October 16, 2026, and how KantoPay’s own rules sit on top.
The guidelines are a page on minecraft.net from Mojang and Microsoft.1 They are extra permissions. The Minecraft EULA on its own says you may not make money from anything Mojang made unless Mojang agrees, and it points to the guidelines for what Mojang does allow. It also says Mojang can withdraw those permissions at any time without notice.2 The guidelines page shows no date or version number, so we give the day we read it.
They apply however you get paid. The conditions in the server section cover every way you choose to make money from your server,1 whether players pay through a store platform or send GCash by hand.
This is not legal advice. It is our plain reading of public pages, not legal or tax advice. Mojang says it can’t tell anyone whether a particular project follows the guidelines, and suggests a lawyer if you’re unsure. For anything the guidelines don’t cover, Mojang asks you not to go ahead without its written permission.1
What you may sell
The server section of the guidelines lists the ways a server may earn.1 Here they are, each with an example in pesos. The prices are made up to show the idea; they aren’t advice on what to charge.
| Way to earn | For example | Mojang’s condition |
|---|---|---|
| Ranks and perks | VIP for ₱149 a month: a coloured name, a chat tag, /nick and /hat | Perks that affect play are fine if they don’t ruin other players’ experience or give a competitive advantage |
| Cosmetics | A particle trail for ₱49, a pet for ₱79 | Anything but a cape, or something made to look like a player’s cape |
| In-game currency | 1,000 coins for ₱99 | No real-world value: never cashed out, used on another server or turned into money, and nothing that looks official or like Minecoins |
| Access | A whitelist pass for ₱150 | One price for everyone, every payer gets all the mods you’ve turned on, and you run the server for as long as you charge |
| Ads | A video ad between minigame rounds | It mustn’t hurt play or favour some players, and it follows the guidelines’ rules on promotions |
| Donations | A ₱5,000 goal that gives everyone a weekend XP boost | The donor gets nothing only they can use; rewards for the whole server when a goal is met are fine |
Where ranks fit. The guidelines never use the word “rank”. As we read them, a rank is a bundle of what they call entitlements and cosmetics, so each perk in it has to pass the test for its kind. A chat tag and a particle trail pass easily. A kit of enchanted diamond armour on a PvP server is the kind of perk the competitive advantage test is there to stop. In short: sell perks, not power.
Monthly ranks. The guidelines say nothing about timed ranks or subscriptions, so what counts is what the rank gives.1 KantoPay asks for an honest listing: say how long the rank lasts, call nothing “lifetime” or “permanent” (say “for as long as the server runs” instead), and say if a season wipe takes it away (Creator Rules 4a).3
Who may join. Only players with a genuine, paid-for copy of Minecraft may be let in, and getting in can’t depend on owning something outside the game.1
Show it before they join. Whatever you charge for, the guidelines ask you to show all of your server’s content and prices before a person joins, signs up or signs in, and to give everyone who pays real money an online history of their payments and purchases.1
What you may not sell
These limits come from Mojang’s guidelines and the Minecraft EULA. KantoPay’s own are in section 5.
Pay-to-win. Nothing that gives buyers a competitive advantage or ruins the game for other players.1 A sword stronger than anything players can earn, sold on a PvP server, is the plain case.
Capes. Cosmetics are fine, except capes and anything that tries to look like a player’s cape.1
Currency worth real money. No coins that can be cashed out, used or moved on other servers, or converted into any real currency. No currency that seems to come from Mojang, or looks like Minecoins or has a name like it.1
Different prices to get in. If you charge for access, it costs everyone the same.1
Anything not for all ages. Every server, perk and ad has to suit players of all ages and not harm the Minecraft brand. The guidelines name gambling, pornography, violence and explicit lyrics among what doesn’t.1
Play-to-earn. A mod can’t let players earn real money, or a currency that cashes out into it.1
A Realm. The EULA forbids selling, renting or otherwise dealing in access to a Minecraft Realm, and making money from letting people play on one.2 Paid access is for a server you host.
An official look. “Minecraft” may be in your server’s name only as a secondary part, as in “Kanto SMP, a Minecraft server”, never the main part and never in a logo. Nothing should suggest that Mojang or Microsoft made or backs your server. The guidelines ask for a disclaimer on your listings, descriptions and website, along these lines:1
NOT AN OFFICIAL MINECRAFT SERVER. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG OR MICROSOFT.
They also ask you to make clear that you, not Mojang, are responsible for the server, who runs it and who sells it (on KantoPay, that’s us), and how to reach you about purchases. A chat or forum link doesn’t count as a way to reach you,1 so give an email address too.
Crates, keys and odds
Mojang’s current guidelines don’t mention crates, loot boxes or odds. We read the whole page on October 16, 2026, and none of those words is in it.1
Their closing section asks you not to do anything they don’t cover without Mojang’s written permission. As we read them, a crate is a way of selling perks and cosmetics, which they do cover, so three of the general rules reach it. What comes out of it is a perk or a cosmetic, so it mustn’t give a competitive edge. Any currency it pays out must have no real-world value. And the server has to suit all ages, with gambling named as something that doesn’t. That reading is ours; Mojang hasn’t said it. Mojang also keeps the right to decide whether a server’s way of making money fits its brand.1 If you want certainty, ask Mojang before you sell crates.
KantoPay’s line. Crates, keys and spins are fine, gacha-style, as long as every prize is something in your game. A prize can never be money, e-wallet or bank credit, store credit or a gift card, or anything a player can cash out or sell for real money, and players can’t bet against each other for money. The listing must say what the crate can give (Creator Rules 3c).3 Our Creator Agreement rules out any chance mechanic that Philippine law, including PAGCOR rules, regulates or prohibits, and draws the line in the same place: a crate whose every prize stays in the game is allowed (clause 21(c)).4
Odds. Neither Mojang’s guidelines nor our rules ask for percentages today; ours ask you to list what a crate can give. For comparison, Hytale’s server policies require numerical odds on paid random items, and allow no paid random items at all on All Ages servers.5 We suggest publishing the odds anyway. It’s a short table, and it shows a player, or a parent, exactly what a ₱49 key buys.
| Rose Crate prize | Chance |
|---|---|
| Rose particle trail | 50% |
| Rose hat | 30% |
| Rose pet | 15% |
| “Florist” chat title | 5% |
Prizes for buying. A raffle, giveaway or contest that players must buy something to join, including a prize for the top spender, needs our written agreement and a DTI permit first (Creator Rules 5e).3
How KantoPay’s rules line up
KantoPay is the merchant of record: we buy each item from you and sell it to the player (Creator Rules 1a). So every item in a KantoPay store has to follow your game’s rules, which for Minecraft means Mojang’s guidelines, and ours as well (3b).3 Mostly the two agree. Ours add a few rules that come with selling in the Philippines.
| Topic | Mojang’s guidelines | KantoPay’s rules |
|---|---|---|
| What you sell | Access, perks, cosmetics, in-game currency, ads and donations1 | Goods for your own server: ranks, kits, cosmetics, in-game currency and server gift cards (3a)3 |
| Gameplay advantages | Not if they give a competitive advantage or ruin other players’ experience1 | Follow Mojang’s guidelines, including on gameplay advantages (3b)3 |
| Crates | Not mentioned; as we read them, the all-ages and advantage rules still apply1 | In-game prizes only, and the listing says what a crate can give (3c)3 |
| In-game currency | No real-world value, no cash-out, no use on other servers1 | Allowed (3a); never anything a player can cash out or sell for real money (3c)3 |
| Donations | Allowed if the donor gets nothing only they can use1 | No blind donations or tips where nothing in game or for the server is delivered (Acceptable Use, section 2)6 |
| Gift cards | Not mentioned1 | Server gift cards never expire (3h, the Gift Check Act)3 |
| All ages | Required1 | Required, in items, names, pictures and descriptions (3f)3 |
| Branding | Minecraft only as a secondary name, no logos, and a disclaimer1 | No other brand’s logo; never suggest Mojang or Microsoft backs you (3g)3 |
| Records for buyers | An online history of payments and purchases1 | A receipt page after every payment, and a receipt by email when the player gives an address. That is one receipt per payment, not a full purchase history7 |
Donation goals. Mojang allows donations with rewards for the whole server. Our Acceptable Use Policy rules out blind donations where nothing in game or for the server is delivered.1, 6 If you want to run a goal on KantoPay, email us before you list it.
Refunds. Mojang’s guidelines don’t cover refunds. On KantoPay, our Terms of Sale and Refund Policy cover every sale, so a “no refunds” line in a listing has no effect and misleads players; leave it out (Creator Rules 4d).3
Cheats and accounts. No cheats, hacks, exploits or bots, and no accounts, items or currency got through real-money trading, account theft or other means the game hasn’t allowed (Acceptable Use, section 3).6
Only for your server. A KantoPay store sells goods for your game server and nothing else: no merch or other physical goods, no unrelated downloads and no real-world services (Acceptable Use, section 2).6
Before you list something
Ten questions to put to each new item. If an answer worries you, change the item, or email support@kantopay.com before you list it.
- Does it help a buyer beat players who didn’t pay? Rework it into a perk that doesn’t, or leave it out.
- Is it a cape, or anything that looks like one? Leave it out.
- If it’s currency, can it be cashed out, sold for money or used on another server? Does its name or look borrow from Minecoins or Mojang?
- If it’s a crate, is every prize in your game, with no money, credit or gift cards? Does the listing say what it can give, and (as we suggest) the odds?
- Does the listing say exactly what’s included, on which server or mode, and for how long, with no “lifetime” or “permanent”?
- Is it right for players of every age, in its name, its picture and its description?
- Can people see it and its price before they join your server?
- Do your store and website carry the disclaimer, and an email address for questions about purchases?
- Do streamers who promote your server for you say so? The guidelines ask you to require that they disclose it and follow the US Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines.1
- Did you test it? Buy it once and check that the commands run and the player gets what the listing says (Creator Rules 3e).3
Sources
Last checked . Mojang’s guidelines can change without notice; if something here is out of date, write to support@kantopay.com and we’ll correct it. Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang AB and Microsoft. This post is not official Minecraft material, and it is not approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft.
- Mojang and Microsoft, Minecraft Usage Guidelines: the Essential guidelines, Naming guidelines, Servers and hosting, Extended functionality and modifications, and In summary sections. The page shows no date or version; read October 16, 2026.
- Mojang and Microsoft, Minecraft EULA: “What you can and can’t do with Minecraft software and content”, and Realms. The page shows no date; read October 16, 2026.
- KantoPay, Creator Rules, last updated 9 October 2026: 1a, 3a to 3h, 4a, 4d and 5e
- KantoPay, Creator Agreement, last updated 9 October 2026: clause 21
- Hytale, Server Operator Policies, version 1.1, effective January 13, 2026: sections 4.2, 4.3 and 5
- KantoPay, Acceptable Use Policy, last updated 5 October 2026: sections 2 and 3
- KantoPay, Privacy Policy (email receipts) and docs (the receipt page after paying)