It is with deep sadness that the team at CastawayMC announced the shutdown of our much-loved network. Monday July 14th, 2025 was the final day for Castaway Islands. After this day, the CastawayMC game servers turned off for the very last time and players were no-longer able to connect.
To all those who played Castaway over the years, we thank you immensely for the contributions to your amazing community. We appreciate every single one of you, because without you, Castaway wouldn't be what it is today.
Castaway's community was like no other. You, the community, made it something more; something everyone will remember. We might remember Castaway differently, but we’ll all feel the same nostalgia.
The Unfinished Gamemode
The idea of 3.0 came about during the COVID-19 pandemic. After seeing the server's second wind in 2020, the team wanted to perpetuate the passion we saw for Castaway into the future. Since then, however, everything began reopening. Working-from-home was less prevalent. Having a cheeky little Minecraft sesh when you had an assessment due was no longer a possibility.
Work on 3.0 continued post-pandemic, but with less and less people playing regularly, we lost vision of what we were working towards. Developers were quickly burnt out, regulars stopped playing, and our backlog was piling up the more we worked.
Every single person that worked on 3.0 had a vision for what they wanted to see. We had very high ambitions that we would create something that you guys would love and adore for the heck of it. We earned nothing. Working on the new gamemode was purely voluntary. Out of passion. Out of love. We loved our creation and we loved our community, but we were never able to spend enough time putting the two together.
3.0 was more than just a version number, it was a full reimagination. We wanted to bring Castaway into the new era of Minecraft, with:
- A fully reworked survival experience
- Player-run economies with deeper, complex systems
- A new take on roles, crews, and exploration
- Lore and quests that actually meant something
- Dozens of small touches to make the server feel alive
The Discord
The CastawayMC Discord server is no-longer accessible to new members. If you linked your Discord account to your Minecraft account in-game before the server shutdown, you will still be able to rejoin the Discord.
Moving On
Whether you were a Mythic or an OG, part of a crew or a solo sailor, we would love to see how much fun you had in the community. Send us your favorite screenshots in the Discord and share some fun memories from your time on CastawayMC.
As we say goodbye, and as Castaway becomes a memory, we urge you to spread kindness. Wherever you go, remember the human.
Bon voyage ❤️