How to Change Gamemode on Your Minecraft Server
Set the default gamemode (Survival, Creative, Adventure, Spectator) on your Minecraft Java server, and force gamemode on join.
Minecraft has four gamemodes. The server's default gamemode is what new players spawn in — but players keep their last gamemode unless force-gamemode is enabled.
The Four Gamemodes
| Gamemode | Description |
|---|---|
| Survival | Standard Minecraft — collect resources, take damage, can die |
| Creative | Unlimited resources, flight, no damage, instant block break |
| Adventure | Like survival but can't break/place blocks without proper tools (used for adventure maps) |
| Spectator | Fly through walls, can't interact, see invisible — for moderation/tours |
Set the Default Gamemode
Open Startup
In the XGamingServer Panel, click Startup in the sidebar.
Set Gamemode
Find the Gamemode variable and choose survival, creative, adventure, or spectator.
Restart
Restart from Console to apply.
Open server.properties
Click Files and open server.properties.
Set the values
gamemode=survival
force-gamemode=falseForce Gamemode on Join
By default, players keep whatever gamemode they were last in (saved per-player). If you want to force everyone to the server's default gamemode every time they log in:
force-gamemode=trueThis is essential for:
- Creative-only servers — prevents OPs from accidentally leaving themselves in survival
- Adventure map servers — ensures everyone is in the right gamemode for the map
- Mini-game lobbies — players spawn in the right mode every time
Change a Player's Gamemode In-Game
With OP permissions or a permissions plugin:
/gamemode creative
/gamemode survival PlayerName
/gamemode adventure @a
/gamemode spectator @e[type=player,distance=..10]| Selector | Effect |
|---|---|
| (none) | Yourself |
PlayerName | Specific player |
@a | All players |
@p | Nearest player |
@e[...] | Entities matching criteria |
You can also abbreviate:
/gamemode 0 (survival)
/gamemode 1 (creative)
/gamemode 2 (adventure)
/gamemode 3 (spectator)Set Up a Creative-Only Server
gamemode=creative
force-gamemode=true
spawn-protection=0This makes every player spawn in creative mode every time they join, with no spawn protection blocking builds.
Per-World Gamemodes
Vanilla Minecraft uses one gamemode for the whole server. To have different gamemodes per world (e.g., creative in world_creative, survival in world), you need a multi-world plugin like Multiverse-Core or WorldGuard.
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