What is pebble?

Pebble is a free, open-source game for macOS that works like Minecraft: Java Edition. It was built entirely from scratch in about 45,000 lines of Swift code, with no outside libraries or game engines. It runs natively on macOS 14 and above, and the developers recommend an Apple silicon Mac for the best experience. The game covers the full Minecraft progression: you can mine, craft, brew potions, enchant items, and explore three separate dimensions (the overworld, nether, and end). It includes 879 block types, over 1,000 items, 63 biomes, and more than 55 different enemies with their own movement and behavior patterns. Structures like villages, strongholds, ocean monuments, and ancient cities generate in the world the same way they do in the original game. One unusual aspect is how the game handles audio. Instead of bundling sound files, Pebble creates every sound in real time using synthesized oscillators and filters, including ambient music, jukebox tracks, and all in-game effects. The visual side is similarly custom: the renderer is written directly in Apple's Metal graphics API, with effects like ambient occlusion, volumetric light, and soft shadows available as an optional ultra graphics setting. Installing the game requires macOS 14 and the Xcode command-line tools. After cloning the repository and running a single install script, the game compiles and places itself in your Applications folder. A built-in test command runs 456 regression checks against known-good outputs to confirm the engine is working correctly. Pebble is in beta, and the developers are actively asking for bug reports. The project has no connection to Mojang or Microsoft, uses no original Minecraft code or assets, and ships with the third-party Faithful 32x texture set, which is credited separately. It is singleplayer only for now.