1.) Survival. Resources are required to be gathered by the player. Crafting a variety of things from these resources is how the player progresses. Health and hunger are two values that insist watchfulness from the player to stay alive.

2.) Creative. As the player, you have access to every material and item in the game from the inventory menu. Flying is an option for mobility, and you are invulnerable to all forms of attack.

3.) Adventure. Adventure is a survival-like mode, with restrictions. Most commonly found in community maps, this mode allows the map author to make sure players undergo the experience, whatever that may be, as intended.

4.) Hardcore. Survival, with the twist of perma-death. When a death condition is met by a player, the game makes perma-death possible in a variety of ways. If in a single-player world, your world is deleted. In multiplayer, a player is put into spectator mode.

5.) Spectator. With this, players can fly through blocks and watch gameplay without interacting. In spectator mode, players cannot break blocks nor place them. No inventory is available within this, but it is possible to teleport to players and view the world through the eyes of them as they play.