Players will be immersed in the wonders of the natural world in Planet Earth III Minecraft World, from BBC Earth in conjunction with Minecraft Education.

Following the record-breaking success of the Frozen Planet II Minecraft Worlds, which achieved the most downloads in a single day for an educational game in Minecraft history, with millions of players across 116 countries, BBC Earth and Minecraft Education are teaming up once again. This collaboration is set to engage fans globally with the launch of the Planet Earth III Minecraft World.

The Planet Earth III Minecraft World features immersive landscapes, animals and game-based learning resources, inspired by stories in the latest landmark series from BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit, and has been available since 16th of January.

Minecraft Education provides educational content for schools globally, where students can learn about a wide variety of subjects via creative game-play. The team at Mojang Studios believes it has a responsibility to use Minecraft to build a better world and inspire generations of game changers, especially around themes of global citizenship and sustainability.

Players can step into extraordinary realms of the natural world to experience the struggles and triumphs of survival while playing as a series of incredible creatures, including the great white shark, the Arctic wolf, a leopardess and more. Exploring the way these animals’ lives are intertwined by playing as both predator and prey, parent and offspring, friend and ally, they will discover the precarious balance of survival.

By assuming the roles of different animals, students learn about various survival strategies, and each challenge unlocks rewards, deepening the educational experience.

The Planet Earth III Minecraft World is available in 29 languages for both Minecraft Education and Bedrock in the Minecraft Marketplace – a unique opportunity to watch, play and learn together, taking biology and the understanding of biodiversity far beyond the classroom or living room.

Matt Brandon, Planet Earth III series producer from BBC Studios Natural History Unit, said: “We are delighted to partner with Minecraft Education and that children globally will have the opportunity to interact with stories inspired by the Planet Earth III series through immersive game-play, while learning more about our fragile natural world and the creatures we share this planet with.”

Justin Edwards, Minecraft Education’s director of Learning Experiences, said: “Minecraft Education is delighted to extend its partnership with BBC Earth, building on our work in Frozen Planet II. The new experience of the natural world in Planet Earth III brings us closer to the animals and their surrounding environment. In this world, you will learn about animals from different continents, across sea, sky, and land, and how they survive and thrive.”

Planet Earth III is available to watch now on UK BBC iPlayer. In the US, the series will re-air on BBC America starting the 17th of February.