Measure player retention on your Minecraft server
MCAnalytics counts a new player as returned when they start another real session within 7 days of their first join. A session is real when a login was confirmed or, on a network with no login plugin, when it lasted at least 180 seconds, so reconnect loops and port scans never read as retention. Players whose 7 days are not up yet show as Pending instead of lost, so today's joins do not pull the rate down. The Retention page adds Day 1, Day 7 and Day 30 by weekly cohort, split by source or identity type, and a list of regulars who stopped showing up.
How it works
A window opens at the first join
Each player gets 7 days counted from their own first join, not from the start of a calendar week.
Only real sessions count
A return needs a confirmed login, or 180 seconds on a network without a login plugin. Where cracked players log in through nLogin, only a confirmed login counts.
Open windows stay Pending
The rate is taken over players whose window has closed. On a young network the page shows the returns seen so far and the day the first windows close.
Read it by source and by week
Growth shows the 7-day return rate of every join address. Retention shows Day 1, Day 7 and Day 30 for each cohort week.
What you see on the dashboard
Day 1, Day 7 and Day 30 cards
The share of new players who played again on that numbered day, a 24 hour step from their own first join, with the change against the weeks before.
Cohorts by week
One row per week of first joins, starting Monday UTC, over 4, 8, 12 or 26 weeks. A day nobody has finished yet reads Pending, never 0%.
Split by source or identity
Break the grid down by join address, or by premium, cracked and Bedrock players, to see which group stays.
Players at risk
Regulars who played on at least 3 different days in the last 30 and have not been seen for 7 days or more. Banned players are left out.
Day 7 and the 7-day return rate are two numbers
The 7-day return rate on Overview and Growth counts a return at any point in the first 7 days. Day 7 on the Retention page counts only the players who played on the seventh day itself, the 24 hours that begin 7 days after their first join.
They answer different questions, so they are labeled apart and never mixed. Use the 7-day return rate to judge a source, and the Day 1 to Day 30 curve to see how long a week of new players keeps playing.
Questions
What counts as a returning player?
A player who starts another qualifying session within 7 days of their first join. A session qualifies with a confirmed login or, on a network with no login plugin, when it lasts at least 180 seconds.
Why do new players show as Pending?
Their 7 days are not over, so nobody knows yet whether they will come back. Counting them as lost would make every busy day look like a bad one, so they stay out of the rate until their window closes.
Does a failed login or a reconnect loop count as a return?
No. On a network that runs nLogin for cracked players, only a confirmed login counts. Without a login plugin, a session shorter than 180 seconds does not count.
Can I see which regulars stopped playing?
Yes. Players at risk lists everyone who played on at least 3 different days in the last 30 and has not been seen for 7 days or more, so you know who to reach out to.