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Minecraft's new Battle Mode season pass costs £7.99

More than half the price of the base game.

Minecraft's new Battle Mode launches today on all console versions of the game, although the price for more maps is steeper than some had expected.

You can get three new maps - Temple, Medusa and Lair - today via Battle Map Pack 1, which costs £2.39.

Or you can stump up £7.99 for the Battle Map Pack season pass, which contains packs one, two, three and four.

£7.99 isn't too bad for a season pass, you may think. And you're right - it's far less than some other games. But it's worth bearing in mind the base cost of Minecraft on console - £13.59 - and the fact that all of these maps can be made for free in the game already.

Battle Mode was announced last month for PlayStation 3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of the game. It's the first of several mini-games coming to Minecraft's console editions as they rapidly catch up with the game's PC version.

"Of course, coming up with improvised rules and new ways to play with friends is already a popular activity among Minecraft: Console Edition players - and long may it continue!" Microsoft said at the time.

"But with our new mini games, we'll be helping you quickly and easily jump into competitions with tailor-made rulesets, so you can have fun straight away without having to fuss around with manual count-downs, laboriously prep loot chests or keep score."

And if you pay up.