Player killing
| Player killing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Culture | |||
| |||
| Type | Behaviour | ||
Player killing, also referred to as PK or PK'ing, is the act of deliberately causing the death of another player. The practice is generally viewed negatively and perpetrators often face social isolation or retaliatory action.
Incidence
| Cause of death in player killings |
Approximately 10% of deaths are caused by other players, with 1,187 cases having been recorded between February 2025 and February 2026.
| Month | Cases | % of deaths |
|---|---|---|
| February 2025 | 0 | 0.0% |
| March 2025 | 35 | 8.3% |
| April 2025 | 29 | 5.9% |
| May 2025 | 34 | 8.4% |
| June 2025 | 33 | 4.4% |
| July 2025 | 24 | 5.1% |
| August 2025 | 52 | 8.8% |
| September 2025 | 89 | 10.% |
| October 2025 | 97 | 9.3% |
| November 2025 | 100 | 12.0% |
| December 2025 | 136 | 7.6% |
| January 2026 | 282 | 11.9% |
| February 2026 | 276 | 11.5% |
Direct methods of player killing are the most frequent, including use of End Crystals, mace and sword. In direct combat, some player killers utilise potions of invisibility to conceal their identity. The majority of player killings occur within the Spawn Region due to higher concentration of players, though targeted attacks also occur further out in the world. Indirect methods, such as trapped portals and trapped houses, are less common but still occur infrequently.
Attitudes towards player killing
Player killing is widely condemned, especially against new or unarmed players. Player killers are routinely hunted and often face exclusion from faction recruitment and trading.
Player-killer hunting
Player-killer hunters, also known as PK killers or PK hunters, are individuals or groups that attempt to trap or kill player killers. Player-killer hunters may be motivated by ideological convictions, personal grievances or wealth incentives such as bounties. Eliminating player killers is generally viewed positively and many players have built large reputations through vigilantism.
Player-killer hunting has been practiced since the first player killings occurred in March 2025, with The Empire being one of the earliest factions that systematically attempted to trap and kill player killers. Several modern factions, including the Order of the Sanctum, Slushkin Coalition and Pumpkin Cult actively hunt player killers.
Notable player killers
March 2025
- Orloid- one of the earliest player killers. Killed __Perspective and Muffet, and made an attempt on enwyz before being killed.
April to June 2025
- 2344523432- killed five players with high playtime between the 26th of April and 9th of May 2025. Primarily used TNT minecart traps to kill victims.
- Stamidios- claimed ten direct kills and three indirect kills in late May 2025. On the 28th of May 2025, Stamidios was permanently banned for using entity radar to locate players and all victims were revived.
- ta7zz, LightGreyPanda, InternetFound- killed five players with trapped Nether Portals around the Spawn Town in late June 2025.
July to September 2025
- StraightFyre- killed seven players between the 27th of July and 8th of August 2025. StraightFyre was permanently banned on the 9th of August 2025 for xray, resulting in all their victims being revived.
- Shadowjumper2- killed ten players with trapped Nether Portals around the Spawn Region in late August 2025.
- ShadowFigur3- killed seven players between mid and late September 2025
- Flagman45- killed eight players between late August and early September 2025, but was permanently banned for use of crystal optimiser and entity radar- resulting in their victims being revived
October 2025 to December 2025
- Luquitas_Alpha and JeffreyYuTu5- killed 28 players between October and December 2025. Luquitas_Alpha was slain by TheCosmicalKing on the 13th of December 2025, and JeffreyYuTu5 remains inactive.
January 2025
- lilytism- killed 13 players between December 2025 and January 2026. lilytism was banned on the 12th of January 2026 and their victims were revived
- Defardio and Daddy_Thickems- killed 12 players throughout January 2026. Carried out a suicide pact on the 27th of January 2025 after their base was raided by Galxy_Cat and deerjammer