Minecraft Java Update History 2023–2026: Releases, Snapshots & Player Guides

Which Minecraft Java update added the feature you want, and which version should you actually launch? This history covers September 17, 2023 through September 17, 2026. Start with the stable releases below to find a new survival project, check a world-changing rule or catch up after a break. The separate testing archive is for snapshots, pre-releases and release candidates.

Latest stable release checked: Java 26.3, Wilderness Bound. Select Latest Release in the official Minecraft Launcher for an ordinary unmodded game. A modpack or server may require a different exact version: follow its compatibility instructions instead of updating its installation blindly. Java runs on Windows, macOS and Linux; these version numbers are not Bedrock/mobile downloads.

Returning to Minecraft? Choose something to do first

• A weekend expedition: Wilderness Bound in 26.3 offers abandoned camps and exploration routes; Chase the Skies in 1.21.6 introduced happy-ghast journeys with friends.
• A better workshop: Tricky Trials in 1.21 introduced the crafter; The Copper Age in 1.21.9 brought copper storage helpers and shelf-based equipment ideas.
• A new base palette: The Garden Awakens in 1.21.4 added pale oak and resin, while Spring to Life in 1.21.5 made exploration and landscaping more varied.
• Animal adventures: Armored Paws in 1.20.5 is the starting point for wolves and wolf armor. Mounts of Mayhem in 1.21.11 and Tiny Takeover in 26.1 give later reasons to revisit your animal collection.

These are introduction versions, not separate packs you must install in sequence. Later releases carry earlier features forward, sometimes with changed rules. Open the edition guide before copying an old farm or relying on an old combat trick.

2026: stable Java releases

Java 26.3 — Wilderness Bound: plan an expedition

September 15, 2026

Explore abandoned camps and the Dappled Forest, then use the new materials at home. The Java guide turns the drop into practical routes, map organization and group sessions, with World Options, LAN and Realms details. Start with a short supply run before committing to a long journey.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Try it in your world: Plan a camp-and-map expedition.

Java 26.2 — Chaos Cubed: caves, experiments and friends

June 16, 2026

Try the sulfur-themed additions in a small test area before incorporating them into a survival build. This release also changes the social side of Java: our guide explains Friends List and multiplayer choices so a group can agree how to meet and which world to use.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Java 26.1.2 — A small critical-issue hotfix

April 9, 2026

Mojang describes this as a hotfix for critical issues. The short official announcement does not list the individual fixes, so there is no new feature checklist to chase here. If maintaining a 26.1 installation for a server or modpack, check its exact supported patch before changing it.

Official release notes

Java 26.1.1 — Player-reporting fix

April 1, 2026

Fixes the inability to report chat messages when chat is enabled. This is a focused correction rather than another content drop. Use the official note if checking whether an older 26.1 setup includes this fix.

Official release notes

Java 26.1 — Tiny Takeover: revisit your animal pens

March 24, 2026

The redesigned baby mobs give a returning player a reason to tour existing pens and start a new breeding project. Our Java guide covers practical projects and world-upgrade considerations, so you can explore the drop without losing track of the changes that affect an established save.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

2025: stable Java releases

Java 1.21.11 — Mounts of Mayhem: change how you travel and fight

December 9, 2025

New mount and combat possibilities are more useful when planned around a journey. Prepare a safe practice area, learn the weapon and mount behavior, then take the setup into survival. The edition guide also covers graphics, controls and world settings.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Java 1.21.10 — Follow-up fixes for The Copper Age

October 7, 2025

A hotfix for issues found after 1.21.9. Treat it as a maintenance step within The Copper Age rather than a separate feature expansion; compare the official fixed-issue list with the problem you actually encounter before changing packs or rebuilding a farm.

Official release notes

Java 1.21.9 — The Copper Age: storage and farm rules

September 30, 2025

Build a small copper workshop and test a shelf-based equipment station before expanding the design. Returning technical players should pay special attention to spawn-chunk changes; a farm that worked while you were far away may now need a different loading plan. The guide also explains the revised F3 and comfort controls.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Java 1.21.8 — Graphics and freezing hotfix

July 17, 2025

Addresses graphical corruption and freezing issues following the Chase the Skies releases. If an older 1.21.6 or 1.21.7 setup is affected, this is a relevant patch to compare with its official notes. The fix does not establish compatibility for every shader or resource pack.

Official release notes

Java 1.21.7 — Lava Chicken and a new painting

June 30, 2025

A defeated chicken jockey can drop the Lava Chicken music disc by Hyper Potions. A new 3×3 painting by Sarah Boeving gives your music corner a companion decoration. The release also fixes crashes and rendering problems, including some AMD startup crashes and Qualcomm map issues.

Official release notes

Try it in your world: Find Lava Chicken and build a listening corner.

Java 1.21.6 — Chase the Skies: travel as a group

June 17, 2025

Happy-ghast trips and the Locator Bar create new ways to explore together. Plan a meeting point and a short first flight, then use the guide for navigation, music and Realms details. Java's release should not be confused with Bedrock's Vibrant Visuals rollout.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Try it in your world: Collect Tears with the right finishing blow.

Java 1.21.5 — Spring to Life: make exploration useful

March 25, 2025

Animal variants and new environmental details reward trips beyond familiar terrain. Bring supplies for collecting and a clear route home, then turn your finds into a garden or farm project. Read the guide's creaking changes before reusing a Garden Awakens encounter design.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

2024: stable Java releases

Java 1.21.4 — The Garden Awakens: build around a night encounter

December 3, 2024

Pale oak, resin and eyeblossoms offer a distinctive building palette. Scout the pale garden in daylight, then plan how to reach the creaking heart at night rather than treating its creature as an ordinary sword target. The guide includes harvesting and workshop examples.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Java 1.21.3 — Realms resource-pack connection fix

October 23, 2024

Fixes a critical problem joining Realms that use resource packs. It also corrects the salmon-size issue introduced when upgrading, with conversion behavior explained in the official notes. This is a useful patch when investigating a 1.21.2 Realm connection problem.

Official release notes

Java 1.21.2 — Bundles of Bravery: carry a more useful kit

October 22, 2024

Bundles help organize a mixture of small item stacks. Prepare an exploration bundle rather than filling every slot with a different handful of blocks. Java also changes ender-pearl loading behavior and portal travel; our edition sections explain which advice belongs to Java and which to Bedrock.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Java 1.21.1 — An important server hotfix

August 8, 2024

Fixes critical server crash exploits. Mojang explicitly says 1.21 clients can connect to 1.21.1 servers, making this a relevant maintenance update for server owners. That compatibility statement applies to this pair; do not generalize it to every later update.

Official release notes

Java 1.21 — Tricky Trials: prepare, fight, automate

June 13, 2024

Trial chambers provide a repeatable group challenge, while the crafter opens workshop projects at home. Start with a manageable encounter or a simple automatic recipe. The guide explains preparation, reward systems and practical combat ideas, then separates the Java and Bedrock differences.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Try it in your world: Build a button-operated paper crafter · Brew and use the four Trial potions · Collect the three Trial Chambers music discs · Coordinate a group trial expedition.

Java 1.20.6 — Trader-llama inventory correction

April 29, 2024

Fixes a problem where trader-llama inventory could shift or be partly lost during an upgrade. It is a targeted hotfix after Armored Paws. If maintaining that historical branch, review the correction before moving a world containing loaded trader llamas.

Official release notes

Java 1.20.5 — Armored Paws: prepare your wolf for travel

April 23, 2024

Armadillos, wolf variants and wolf armor make a practical animal expedition possible. Learn how to collect scutes and care for armor before taking a companion into danger. The Java-specific section explains the historical spawn-chunk reduction and installation requirements that can matter when upgrading an old setup.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

2023: stable Java releases

Java 1.20.4 — Do not lose items stored in decorated pots

December 7, 2023

Fixes a critical bug where decorated pots could delete their contents after reloading a world. If recreating a historical 1.20.3 build, use the corrected patch instead of trusting valuable items to the affected release. Back up before converting an existing save.

Official release notes

Java 1.20.3 — Decorated pots become useful storage

December 5, 2023

Store a stack in a decorated pot, feed it with hoppers or read its contents with a comparator. That makes a small shop counter or visible storage indicator possible. Use 1.20.4 or a suitable later version for play because of the original pot item-loss bug. The guide also covers the new bat appearance and edition differences.

Read the practical player guide · Official release notes

Java 1.20.2 — Diamonds, mob reach and villager discounts

September 21, 2023

Deepslate diamond ore becomes more common in newly generated terrain. Repeatedly infecting and curing the same villager no longer stacks the large cure discount, so an old trading-hall plan may need adjusting. The Villager Trade Rebalance is an optional experiment here, not a mandatory rewrite of normal trades. Mob attack reach also changes.

Official release notes

Try it in your world: Understand diamond mining and villager discounts · Separate ordinary trading from the experimental rebalance.

How to update without gambling with your main world

1. Identify the installation. Check whether you are playing vanilla, a modpack or on a server. Record the exact version and, for a modpack, its loader and pack release.
2. Back up before opening the world in a newer version. Keep an untouched copy outside the installation you will test. A backup made after the conversion cannot undo the conversion.
3. Use a separate installation for a trial run. In the Minecraft Launcher, create or edit an installation and give the test its own game directory. Copy the world there; do not point an experimental profile at the only copy of your saves.
4. Check what matters to your playthrough. Visit your base, storage, villagers, animal pens, Nether routes and farms. If you use packs or mods, check their supported versions before interpreting a missing texture or broken behavior as a vanilla bug.
5. Coordinate multiplayer. Ask the server owner which version is supported. A patch may explicitly preserve compatibility, but that is not a rule for every pair of releases.

Example: a world moving from 1.21.5 to The Copper Age needs more than a quick look at the new copper blocks. Check farms that depended on spawn chunks: Java 1.21.9 removed their always-active behavior. Keep the original backup while you decide how to keep the affected farm loaded during use.

New biomes and structures generally require exploring newly generated terrain. Updating does not rebuild the landscape you already explored. Mark a safe route home before travelling farther, and do not downgrade an upgraded main world to recover an old feature.

Snapshot, pre-release or release candidate: what is the difference?

• Snapshot: a development build for trying features and reporting problems. Features, recipes, controls and balance can change before release.
• Pre-release: a later testing stage focused on stabilizing the upcoming release. It is still a test build.
• Release candidate: a candidate for the final version. A later candidate or hotfix can still be necessary; the label does not make it a safe replacement for your only world.
• Stable release: the ordinary release branch. This is the place to start for normal vanilla play, subject to the version required by your server or mods.

Enable Snapshots under Installations in the official Minecraft Launcher if you deliberately want to test. Choose the exact build and a separate directory. Create a small disposable world around one question: does a new block fit your build, can you reproduce a bug, or how does a changed mob behave? A focused test is more useful than moving a long-running survival world into an unfinished release.

A historical snapshot is evidence of what was being tested then. It is not proof that the feature survived unchanged into today's game. For ordinary gameplay instructions, follow the stable-release guide above.

Java testing archive: find an exact build

Open a year below for its snapshots, pre-releases and release candidates. Each version links to Mojang's own notes. Some urgent replacement builds share an amended page with the original snapshot. The dates shown here are the launcher manifest's build dates; use the linked announcement for public-release context where it differs.

2026: 50 test builds — open the version list

• 26.3-rc-3 — release candidate · September 14, 2026
• 26.3-rc-2 — release candidate · September 11, 2026
• 26.3-rc-1 — release candidate · September 10, 2026
• 26.3-pre-3 — pre release · September 8, 2026
• 26.3-pre-2 — pre release · September 4, 2026
• 26.3-pre-1 — pre release · September 1, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-10 — snapshot · August 25, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-9 — snapshot · August 17, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-8 — snapshot · August 12, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-7 — snapshot · August 4, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-6 — snapshot · July 28, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-5 — snapshot · July 21, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-4 — snapshot · July 16, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-3 — snapshot · July 7, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-2 — snapshot · June 30, 2026
• 26.3-snapshot-1 — snapshot · June 23, 2026
• 26.2-rc-2 — release candidate · June 12, 2026
• 26.2-rc-1 — release candidate · June 11, 2026
• 26.2-pre-6 — pre release · June 10, 2026
• 26.2-pre-5 — pre release · June 8, 2026
• 26.2-pre-4 — pre release · June 4, 2026
• 26.2-pre-3 — pre release · June 2, 2026
• 26.2-pre-2 — pre release · May 28, 2026
• 26.2-pre-1 — pre release · May 26, 2026
• 26.2-snapshot-8 — snapshot · May 19, 2026
• 26.2-snapshot-7 — snapshot · May 12, 2026
• 26.2-snapshot-6 — snapshot · May 5, 2026
• 26.2-snapshot-5 — snapshot · April 28, 2026
• 26.2-snapshot-4 — snapshot · April 21, 2026
• 26.2-snapshot-3 — snapshot · April 14, 2026
• 26.2-snapshot-2 — snapshot · April 9, 2026
• 26.1.2-rc-1 — release candidate · April 8, 2026
• 26.2-snapshot-1 — snapshot · April 7, 2026
• 26.1.1-rc-1 — release candidate · March 31, 2026
• 26.1-rc-3 — release candidate · March 23, 2026
• 26.1-rc-2 — release candidate · March 20, 2026
• 26.1-rc-1 — release candidate · March 19, 2026
• 26.1-pre-3 — pre release · March 17, 2026
• 26.1-pre-2 — pre release · March 13, 2026
• 26.1-pre-1 — pre release · March 10, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-11 — snapshot · March 3, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-10 — snapshot · February 24, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-9 — snapshot · February 18, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-8 — snapshot · February 17, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-7 — snapshot · February 11, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-6 — snapshot · February 3, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-5 — snapshot · January 27, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-4 — snapshot · January 20, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-3 — snapshot · January 13, 2026
• 26.1-snapshot-2 — snapshot · January 7, 2026

2025: 60 test builds — open the version list

• 26.1-snapshot-1 — snapshot · December 16, 2025
• 1.21.11-rc3 — release candidate · December 8, 2025
• 1.21.11-rc2 — release candidate · December 5, 2025
• 1.21.11-rc1 — release candidate · December 4, 2025
• 1.21.11-pre5 — pre release · December 3, 2025
• 1.21.11-pre4 — pre release · December 1, 2025
• 1.21.11-pre3 — pre release · November 25, 2025
• 1.21.11-pre2 — pre release · November 21, 2025
• 1.21.11-pre1 — pre release · November 19, 2025
• 25w46a — snapshot · November 11, 2025
• 25w45a — snapshot · November 4, 2025
• 25w44a — snapshot · October 28, 2025
• 25w43a — snapshot · October 21, 2025
• 25w42a — snapshot · October 14, 2025
• 25w41a — snapshot · October 9, 2025
• 1.21.10-rc1 — release candidate · October 2, 2025
• 1.21.9-rc1 — release candidate · September 25, 2025
• 1.21.9-pre4 — pre release · September 23, 2025
• 1.21.9-pre3 — pre release · September 22, 2025
• 1.21.9-pre2 — pre release · September 19, 2025
• 1.21.9-pre1 — pre release · September 16, 2025
• 25w37a — snapshot · September 9, 2025
• 25w36b — snapshot · September 2, 2025
• 25w36a — snapshot · September 2, 2025
• 25w35a — snapshot · August 26, 2025
• 25w34b — snapshot · August 19, 2025
• 25w34a — snapshot · August 19, 2025
• 25w33a — snapshot · August 12, 2025
• 25w32a — snapshot · August 5, 2025
• 25w31a — snapshot · July 29, 2025
• 1.21.8-rc1 — release candidate · July 15, 2025
• 1.21.7-rc2 — release candidate · June 26, 2025
• 1.21.7-rc1 — release candidate · June 25, 2025
• 1.21.6-rc1 — release candidate · June 12, 2025
• 1.21.6-pre4 — pre release · June 10, 2025
• 1.21.6-pre3 — pre release · June 4, 2025
• 1.21.6-pre2 — pre release · June 2, 2025
• 1.21.6-pre1 — pre release · May 28, 2025
• 25w21a — snapshot · May 20, 2025
• 25w20a — snapshot · May 13, 2025
• 25w19a — snapshot · May 6, 2025
• 25w18a — snapshot · April 29, 2025
• 25w17a — snapshot · April 22, 2025
• 25w16a — snapshot · April 15, 2025
• 25w15a — snapshot · April 8, 2025
• 1.21.5-rc2 — release candidate · March 24, 2025
• 1.21.5-rc1 — release candidate · March 20, 2025
• 1.21.5-pre3 — pre release · March 18, 2025
• 1.21.5-pre2 — pre release · March 12, 2025
• 1.21.5-pre1 — pre release · March 11, 2025
• 25w10a — snapshot · March 5, 2025
• 25w09b — snapshot · February 27, 2025
• 25w09a — snapshot · February 26, 2025
• 25w08a — snapshot · February 19, 2025
• 25w07a — snapshot · February 13, 2025
• 25w06a — snapshot · February 5, 2025
• 25w05a — snapshot · January 29, 2025
• 25w04a — snapshot · January 22, 2025
• 25w03a — snapshot · January 15, 2025
• 25w02a — snapshot · January 8, 2025

2024: 57 test builds — open the version list

• 1.21.4-rc3 — release candidate · November 29, 2024
• 1.21.4-rc2 — release candidate · November 29, 2024
• 1.21.4-rc1 — release candidate · November 28, 2024
• 1.21.4-pre3 — pre release · November 26, 2024
• 1.21.4-pre2 — pre release · November 25, 2024
• 1.21.4-pre1 — pre release · November 20, 2024
• 24w46a — snapshot · November 13, 2024
• 24w45a — snapshot · November 6, 2024
• 24w44a — snapshot · October 30, 2024
• 1.21.2-rc2 — release candidate · October 21, 2024
• 1.21.2-rc1 — release candidate · October 17, 2024
• 1.21.2-pre5 — pre release · October 16, 2024
• 1.21.2-pre4 — pre release · October 15, 2024
• 1.21.2-pre3 — pre release · October 11, 2024
• 1.21.2-pre2 — pre release · October 10, 2024
• 1.21.2-pre1 — pre release · October 8, 2024
• 24w40a — snapshot · October 2, 2024
• 24w39a — snapshot · September 25, 2024
• 24w38a — snapshot · September 18, 2024
• 24w37a — snapshot · September 11, 2024
• 24w36a — snapshot · September 4, 2024
• 24w35a — snapshot · August 28, 2024
• 24w34a — snapshot · August 21, 2024
• 24w33a — snapshot · August 15, 2024
• 1.21.1-rc1 — release candidate · August 7, 2024
• 1.21-rc1 — release candidate · June 10, 2024
• 1.21-pre4 — pre release · June 7, 2024
• 1.21-pre3 — pre release · June 5, 2024
• 1.21-pre2 — pre release · May 31, 2024
• 1.21-pre1 — pre release · May 29, 2024
• 24w21b — snapshot · May 22, 2024
• 24w21a — snapshot · May 22, 2024
• 24w20a — snapshot · May 15, 2024
• 24w19b — snapshot · May 10, 2024
• 24w19a — snapshot · May 10, 2024
• 24w18a — snapshot · May 3, 2024
• 1.20.6-rc1 — release candidate · April 26, 2024
• 1.20.5-rc3 — release candidate · April 22, 2024
• 1.20.5-rc2 — release candidate · April 19, 2024
• 1.20.5-rc1 — release candidate · April 18, 2024
• 1.20.5-pre4 — pre release · April 17, 2024
• 1.20.5-pre3 — pre release · April 16, 2024
• 1.20.5-pre2 — pre release · April 15, 2024
• 1.20.5-pre1 — pre release · April 10, 2024
• 24w14a — snapshot · April 3, 2024
• 24w13a — snapshot · March 27, 2024
• 24w12a — snapshot · March 20, 2024
• 24w11a — snapshot · March 14, 2024
• 24w10a — snapshot · March 6, 2024
• 24w09a — snapshot · February 28, 2024
• 24w07a — snapshot · February 14, 2024
• 24w06a — snapshot · February 7, 2024
• 24w05b — snapshot · February 1, 2024
• 24w05a — snapshot · January 31, 2024
• 24w04a — snapshot · January 24, 2024
• 24w03b — snapshot · January 18, 2024
• 24w03a — snapshot · January 17, 2024

2023: 17 test builds — open the version list

• 23w51b — snapshot · December 18, 2023
• 23w51a — snapshot · December 18, 2023
• 1.20.4-rc1 — release candidate · December 6, 2023
• 1.20.3-rc1 — release candidate · November 30, 2023
• 1.20.3-pre4 — pre release · November 28, 2023
• 1.20.3-pre3 — pre release · November 27, 2023
• 1.20.3-pre2 — pre release · November 22, 2023
• 1.20.3-pre1 — pre release · November 20, 2023
• 23w46a — snapshot · November 16, 2023
• 23w45a — snapshot · November 8, 2023
• 23w44a — snapshot · November 1, 2023
• 23w43b — snapshot · October 26, 2023
• 23w43a — snapshot · October 25, 2023
• 23w42a — snapshot · October 18, 2023
• 23w41a — snapshot · October 11, 2023
• 23w40a — snapshot · October 4, 2023
• 1.20.2-rc2 — release candidate · September 18, 2023

April Fools versions are their own experiments

These playful builds are not the normal development path for the next update. Launch them separately with a fresh world. Do not expect their special mechanics, dimensions or inventory rules to exist in ordinary Minecraft or Bedrock.

• Herdcraft (26w14a) — April 1, 2026
• Craftmine (25w14craftmine) — April 1, 2025
• Poisonous Potato (24w14potato) — April 1, 2024

Sources, images and scope

Minecraft is developed by Mojang Studios. Version entries link directly to official release notes; the testing list is cross-checked against Mojang's launcher version manifest. Gameplay images are credited beside each figure. The MineBrush cover is an editorial illustration, not a screenshot. This page covers the stated three-year window, not every release since Minecraft began. Older features such as Trails & Tales remain available in our dedicated guides.

Playing on another edition?

For phones, consoles and Minecraft for Windows, use the Bedrock release and Preview history. The same-looking version number can identify a different release. For the difference between a content drop, a hotfix and a test build, read our game drops explainer.