MrBeast Profile: From Minecraft Videos to Biggest YouTuber

MrBeast is the most-subscribed YouTuber in the world – with 522.0M subscribers on his main channel, Jimmy Donaldson has made history. He’s known for spectacular challenges, philanthropic projects, the game show Beast Games and, last but not least, his Minecraft videos. His career began in 2012 with Let’s Play videos – mostly Minecraft and Call of Duty. In this profile you’ll find everything about his Minecraft roots, his biggest milestones and what parents should know about him.

Profile

• First channel name: “MrBeast6000”
• Main content: extreme challenges, philanthropy, gaming (Minecraft, Fortnite)
• Other channels: MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2, Beast Philanthropy, Beast Reacts (inactive) and dubbed channels in other languages
• Marital status: married to Thea Booysen (since July 2026)
• Companies: Beast Industries with MrBeast Burger, Feastables, Lunchly and more
• TV: Beast Games on Amazon Prime Video
• What sets him apart: most-subscribed YouTube channel in the world

Channels & reach

Besides his main channel, MrBeast runs MrBeast Gaming (mostly Minecraft and Fortnite), MrBeast 2 (formerly MrBeast Shorts), Beast Philanthropy (ad revenue goes to charitable projects) and several dubbed channels in other languages. He isn’t active on Twitch.

What is MrBeast doing right now?

2026 has been a year of superlatives for MrBeast: early in the year, the second season of his Prime Video show Beast Games (“Strong vs. Smart”) aired, and a third season is confirmed. In June 2026 his main channel became the first ever to pass 500 million subscribers, and in July he married Thea Booysen. In February 2026 his company Beast Industries bought Step, a finance app for teens. On YouTube he keeps releasing big-budget challenge videos such as “Eat Everything In A Grocery Store, Win $1,000,000” (October 2026). How little Minecraft is left on his main channel today is shown by our analysis of his uploads:

These days, his Minecraft videos mostly run on his second channel, MrBeast Gaming.

Who is MrBeast?

MrBeast, real name James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson, was born on May 7, 1998, in Wichita, Kansas, and grew up in Greenville, North Carolina. In February 2012, at just 13 years old, he uploaded his first videos under the name “MrBeast6000”. What started as modest Minecraft and Call of Duty videos became one of the biggest YouTube phenomena of all time.

In June 2024, MrBeast overtook the Indian music channel T-Series and has been the most-subscribed channel on YouTube ever since. His videos regularly reach hundreds of millions of views; “$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life” is among his most-watched.

The breakthrough: “Counting to 100,000” (2017)

In January 2017, Jimmy uploaded a video in which he counted from 1 to 100,000. The recording took more than 40 hours and became a viral hit. This video marked the turning point of his career.

Challenges and stunts

MrBeast became famous for videos like:

• “Last To Leave Circle Wins $500,000”

• “$1 vs $1,000,000,000 Yacht!”

• “I Spent 100 Hours Inside the Pyramids”

• “$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!”

Records and awards

• June 2024: overtook T-Series as the most-subscribed YouTube channel
• July 2024 / June 2025 / June 2026: first channel to reach 300, 400 and 500 million subscribers
• Guinness World Record (2022): most subscribers for an individual male YouTuber
• Streamy Awards: “Creator of the Year” 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023
• Kids’ Choice Awards: “Favorite Male Creator” 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025

Known projects & series

Minecraft: his gaming roots (2012–2016)

This is the very first video on MrBeast’s YouTube channel:

When Jimmy started his channel in 2012, he mostly uploaded Minecraft Let’s Plays and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 gameplay. The early videos were simply produced and showed Jimmy exploring Minecraft worlds, showcasing mods and builds and talking about other YouTubers. Typical titles from that time:

• “Harry Potter Mod In Minecraft! EPIC MUST SEE MOD!!!”
• “More birds IN MINECRAFT!!”
• “Epic minecraft apartment complex!”
• “Huge WW2 jeep! Minecraft creations”

In a later video titled “REACTING TO MY OLD MINECRAFT VIDEOS (HORRIBLE)”, MrBeast looked back on these beginnings and called them “horrible” himself.

MrBeast Gaming (since 2020)

On May 12, 2020, MrBeast launched his gaming channel “MrBeast Gaming” and returned to his roots – this time with huge budgets and spectacular challenges. His most successful Minecraft videos include:

“I Made a 100 Player Building Competition!” (around 83M views)

100 Minecraft players had 1 hour to build the best house – the winner got a real house.

“I Made 100 Players Escape An Impossible Maze!”

100 players had to escape a giant maze – with prize money for the winners.

“100,000 Player Building Challenge!” (around 45M views)

The players got 7 days to build the most epic thing they could think of on their own chunk – from fire-breathing dragons and temples to MrBeast statues. The winner got $50,000.

“Minecraft, But Everything is Random!” (around 163M views)

MrBeast, Chandler, Karl and Chris played Minecraft with a twist: every block drops a random item.

“World’s Largest Explosion!” (around 288M views)

The team blew up Minecraft worlds with ever-larger amounts of TNT – up to 10 million blocks.

“I Got Hunted By 100 Players in Minecraft!” (33M+ views)

MrBeast became the prey himself: 100 players hunted him while he tried to survive.

“I Hid $100,000 On Dream SMP!”

MrBeast hid $100,000 on the famous Dream SMP and had YouTubers like Dream, GeorgeNotFound and TommyInnit search for it.

More Minecraft projects: “I Made My Own Country In Minecraft!”, “Minecraft But Everything is 10x Bigger!”, “Minecraft But It’s Raining Arrows!” and “I Tried The First Ever Version Of Minecraft!”.

Minecraft Monday: MrBeast also took part in the Minecraft Monday tournament – teaming up with Ninja in Week 1, and in Week 13 he put a $15,000 bounty on Technoblade.

What makes MrBeast’s Minecraft content special: huge cash prizes, hundreds of participants instead of solo content, real prizes such as houses or cash, and a unique concept for every video.

Beast Games (since 2024)

The game show Beast Games on Amazon Prime Video started in December 2024 with 1,000 contestants and a $5 million prize. Season 2 (“Strong vs. Smart”) with 200 contestants aired in early 2026, and a third season is confirmed. By his own account, MrBeast lost tens of millions of dollars on the first season.

Team Trees, Team Seas & Team Water

In 2019, MrBeast and Mark Rober launched Team Trees to plant 20 million trees – the campaign raised more than $24 million.

Team Seas followed in 2021 to tackle plastic waste in oceans and rivers, raising more than $30 million, and in 2025 Team Water for clean drinking water, with more than $41 million.

MrBeast’s gaming setup

MrBeast has never shown off his gaming setup himself – not in a video, a description or a post. His Minecraft videos are big team productions anyway. Setup lists online don’t cite a verifiable source.

Merch

Official merch is available in the MrBeast Store. On top of that, products from his brands such as Feastables chocolate or Lunchly snack kits are heavily promoted in his videos. With younger fans especially, it’s worth talking about advertising and wish lists.

Friends, crew & collabs

• Chris Tyson, Chandler Hallow, Karl Jacobs: longtime co-stars in many challenge and Minecraft videos (especially on MrBeast Gaming)
• Mark Rober: partner on Team Trees and Team Seas
• Dream, GeorgeNotFound, TommyInnit: the treasure hunt on the Dream SMP; with Dream there was also the “Dream Burger” at MrBeast Burger
• KSI and Logan Paul: partners on the snack brand Lunchly
• Technoblade, Ninja: opponent and teammate at Minecraft Monday

Private life

MrBeast met South African content creator Thea Booysen in 2022. The two got engaged on December 25, 2024, and married in July 2026 on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Thea is active on YouTube and Twitch herself as “TheaBeasty”. He lives in North Carolina.

Income & net worth

MrBeast doesn’t just earn money from YouTube ads – most of it comes through his company Beast Industries:

• YouTube ads and sponsorships in his videos
• Feastables (chocolate and snacks), Lunchly and MrBeast Burger
• Beast Games on Amazon Prime Video
• Merchandise via the MrBeast Store
• Investments, such as the teen finance app Step, bought in 2026

What reliable sources say: Forbes lists MrBeast as the top-earning creator – with an estimated $85 million in earnings for its 2025 list and around $300 million for its 2026 list. Fortune estimated his net worth at about $2.6 billion in 2026; Beast Industries was valued at around $5 billion in an investment round in January 2026. All of these figures are estimates. Typical of MrBeast: he puts a large share of his earnings straight back into new, even more expensive videos.

Is MrBeast kid-friendly?

What works for kids

• Hardly any swearing: MrBeast videos are very clean language-wise
• Generosity and philanthropy: projects like Team Trees, Team Seas or Beast Philanthropy show how reach can be used for good causes
• Minecraft videos: creative building contests with hundreds of players

What parents should watch for

• Money and consumerism: huge cash prizes, expensive gifts and ads for his own products shape many videos. That’s why Common Sense Media rates the channel 14+ and warns about materialism (Common Sense Media)
• Risky stunts: being buried alive, swimming with sharks, fireworks – kids shouldn’t copy any of it
• Ads for kids’ products: Consumer Reports tests in 2025 found high sodium and traces of lead, among other things, in Lunchly snack kits; Lunchly disputed the results
• Controversies: in 2024, former contestants filed a class action over conditions on the Beast Games set; MrBeast rejects allegations about the working environment
• Pace: the videos are edited very fast and loud

Does MrBeast swear? Hardly ever – the bigger issues for parents are consumerism and risky stunts.

Recommendation for parents: We recommend MrBeast from around 12. Parents on Common Sense Media rate him 10+ on average, the editors 14+. Watching together and talking about money, advertising and risk makes particular sense here.

Questions about MrBeast

How old is MrBeast? When is MrBeast’s birthday?

MrBeast was born on May 7, 1998, which makes him 28 years old.

What is MrBeast’s real name?

His real name is James Stephen Donaldson, but he goes by Jimmy. He was born in Wichita, Kansas, and grew up in Greenville, North Carolina.

How many subscribers does MrBeast have?

MrBeast currently has 522.0M subscribers on his main channel, making it the most-subscribed YouTube channel in the world. In June 2026 it became the first channel ever to pass 500 million.

Did MrBeast start with Minecraft?

Yes! MrBeast started his YouTube career in 2012 mainly with Minecraft and Call of Duty videos. His early videos showed Minecraft mods, builds and gaming commentary. In 2020 he launched the MrBeast Gaming channel, where he returned to Minecraft with huge budgets.

What are MrBeast’s best-known Minecraft videos?

His most successful Minecraft videos include “World’s Largest Explosion!” (around 288M views), “Minecraft, But Everything is Random!” (around 163M views), “I Made a 100 Player Building Competition!” (around 83M views), “100,000 Player Building Challenge!” (around 45M views) and “I Hid $100,000 On The Dream SMP!”.

Is MrBeast married?

Yes. MrBeast got engaged to South African content creator Thea Booysen on December 25, 2024. In July 2026 the two got married on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.

How rich is MrBeast?

There are no exact figures. Forbes estimates his earnings for its 2026 Top Creators list at around $300 million over twelve months; Fortune estimated his net worth at about $2.6 billion in 2026. His company Beast Industries was valued at around $5 billion in early 2026.

What is MrBeast Gaming?

MrBeast Gaming is his gaming channel, launched on May 12, 2020. It mainly features Minecraft and Fortnite videos with friends like Chris, Chandler and Karl. The videos often have big cash prizes and involve hundreds of players in creative challenges.

What is Beast Games?

Beast Games is MrBeast’s game show on Amazon Prime Video. Season 1 started in December 2024 with 1,000 contestants and a $5 million prize. Season 2 (“Strong vs. Smart”) aired in early 2026 with 200 contestants, and a third season is confirmed.

What are Team Trees and Team Seas?

Team Trees (2019) was a campaign by MrBeast and Mark Rober that raised more than $24 million to plant 20 million trees. Team Seas (2021) raised more than $30 million to remove plastic from oceans and rivers. In 2025, Team Water followed for clean drinking water, raising more than $41 million.

What are MrBeast Burger and Feastables?

MrBeast Burger (2020) is a chain of virtual restaurants run out of delivery kitchens in the US. Feastables (since January 2022) is his chocolate and snack brand. There’s also Lunchly (since September 2024), snack kits made together with KSI and Logan Paul.

Is MrBeast kid-friendly?

Most MrBeast videos have no swearing, but they rely heavily on huge cash prizes, risky stunts and ads for his own products. Common Sense Media recommends the channel for ages 14+, while parents there rate it 10+ on average. We recommend it from around 12 – ideally with conversations about money, advertising and risk.

Does MrBeast swear?

Hardly ever. His videos are very clean language-wise – the bigger issues for parents are consumerism and risky stunts.

Why is MrBeast so successful?

MrBeast’s success comes from years of analyzing what works on YouTube, consistently reinvesting his earnings into bigger videos, unusual video concepts, philanthropy, high-end production and his ability to go viral with extraordinary stunts and challenges.

Transparency & sources

Primary sources:
YouTube channel & video list, MrBeast Gaming, Instagram, X, MrBeast Store

Secondary sources & analysis:
Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (DE, German), Forbes profile, Amazon on Beast Games season 2, Common Sense Media, Consumer Reports test of Lunchly (Yahoo News), Britannica, MrBeast Wiki

We update the figures and the content mix automatically every week via the YouTube and Twitch APIs.