How to Tame a Polar Bear in Minecraft

Last Updated: November 3, 2020

Introduction

There are many different things for players to do in Minecraft, including taming wild animals that can be found in the game. One of the types of creatures that can be found in Minecraft are polar bears, so of course players want to train them. However, that isn’t as simple a task as it sounds. If you’re hoping to find and tame a polar bear in Minecraft, you’ve come to the right place, as we’re going to walk you through the entire process from start to finish.

Once you’re finishing learning how to tame polar bears, take a look at our Minecraft cheats page for other hints, tips, and fun Easter eggs.

Where can you find Polar Bears in Minecraft?

As you might expect, polar bears spawn in cold areas in Minecraft. This means you can find them in snowy tundra, snowy mountain, and ice spikes biomes, as well as frozen rivers, frozen oceans, and deep-frozen oceans. Polar bears can be alone or in small groups. It is best to look for polar bears that are alone, because groups of more than two will include a cub, which makes the bears dangerous.

Unlike most mobs, polar bears can be in three distinct states. Polar bear cubs are always passive, adult polar bears are normally neutral, and adult polar bears will become hostile mobs if you attack a cub. This means that when you do find a polar bear, you need to be careful before approaching them to make sure it isn’t a dangerous situation.

What do polar bears eat in Minecraft?

Polar bears eat Raw Fish. You will want to have lots of Raw Fish with you if you’re planning to feed and tame a polar bear using the method described below. It must be specifically a Raw Fish, not any other type of fish. Additionally, Polar Bears will only eat Raw Fish while you’re taming them.

How do you feed a polar bear in Minecraft?

To feed a polar bear, you will need to have the Raw Fish in your hotbar and select it so that you are holding it. Walk up to the polar bear with the Raw Fish selected. The final step to feed a polar bear depends on your version of Minecraft:

  • Pocket Edition – move cursor over the polar bear and choose “Feed”
  • Java Edition, Windows 10 Edition, or Education Edition – right-click the polar bear
  • Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions – press LT
  • PS3 and PS4 versions – press L2
  • Wii U or Switch – press ZL

The polar bear should eat the Raw Fish, and one Raw Fish will disappear from your hotbar.

How to tame a polar bear in Minecraft

There is no official way to tame polar bears in Minecraft the way you can tame other animals. However, there are two different workarounds you can use to tame a polar bear.

Method 1 – Name Tag

The name tag is an item that can be used on any Minecraft mob except for ender dragons and players in order to name the mob and prevent it from despawning.

Steps:

  1. Get a Name Tag. They can be found in chests, from fishing, or from trading.
  2. Locate a polar bear in one of the icy biomes. Make sure it is alone.
  3. Rename the Name Tag to the name you want to give to your tamed polar bear.
  4. Approach the polar bear with the Name Tag selected.
  5. Use the Name Tag on the polar bear.

Now the polar bear will have the name you assigned to the Name Tag and will never despawn. Since lone polar bears are neutral mobs, it will not attack you. You can use a lead to take your polar bear with you or build an enclosure for it.

Method 2 – Pocket Edition Addon

Minecraft Pocket Edition allows players to create addons that can be downloaded to add special effects to your game. One of the most popular is the Tameable Polar Bears Addon.

Steps:

  1. Download the Tameable Polar Bears Addon.
  2. Install the addon following the instructions at the official website. This process varies depending on the system you are playing Minecraft Pocket Edition on.
  3. Get some Raw Fish.
  4. Locate a polar bear in one of the icy biomes. Make sure it is alone.
  5. Approach the polar bear with Raw Fish selected in your hotbar.
  6. Feed the polar bear.
  7. Keep feeding it until hearts appear above its head.

Now the polar bear will be tame. You can ride it or use a lead to take it with you. Tamed polar bears will attack hostile mobs in order to protect you.

Conclusion

Depending on the version of Minecraft you have, those are currently the only ways to tame a polar bear. In the future, perhaps taming polar bears will be added as an official feature.