This week has mostly been a depressing affair for the gaming industry, what with Sony killing off physical PlayStation Discs and Microsoft laying off over 3,200 roles at Xbox.

We could all use some levity after this string of bad news, so we're going to do that by marveling at the creative ingenuity of YouTuber 'Game of Tobi'.

For you see, this clever tinkerer has managed to get a version of the legendary Minecraft running on two iconic portable consoles that helped pave the way for gaming handhelds as we know them today: the Game Boy Color from 1998 and the original Game Boy from 1989.

This fan-made game "3D Minecraft" isn't a lower-resolution port of Minecraft. It's a unique creation where the player can play on a flat map or a full 3D-generated world. Like in regular Minecraft, you can place blocks, explore the world, and even build.

Granted, the graphics, frame rate, and gameplay are limited compared to the real thing, especially when running on the original Game Boy, as it has no colors other than black and white. Yet the fact that this creator managed to get Minecraft working on a 1998 gaming handheld and an even older one from 1989 is nothing short of technical wizardry.

This isn't the first time 'Game of Tobi' got a modern game to work on retro hardware, as they made working versions of Minecraft on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS in the past that more closely resemble and play like regular Minecraft (complete with Survival Mode!).

In addition, they also made a Nintendo DS version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a Nintendo 3DS version of Super Mario Odyssey, and more.

Personally, I like seeing people using their technical know-how to make games we love playable on platforms we wouldn't expect (look no further than DOOM being playable on Notepad.exe or even a pregnancy test), and these Game Boy ports of Minecraft are no exception.

It just makes you wonder what the gaming world would've looked like if Minecraft had been made in the 1990s instead of 2011, and whether it would've been as successful back then, when gaming was still niche.

Plus, having a physical, offline version of Minecraft that isn't beholden to online servers to keep it running sounds like a pretty good idea, especially in this day and age, when online games can be delisted at any time, at the whim of a corporation, for whatever reason.

Either way, Game of Tobi has my YouTube subscription for this invention, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they make next (here's hoping they make Minecraft playable on the Nintendo Virtual Boy just for the sheer, eye-bleeding hilarity of seeing the Nether rendered entirely in the system's Red and Black color scheme).

What do you think of 'Game of Tobi's' Game Boy Color and Game Boy versions of Minecraft? Would you like to play an offline version of Minecraft on older hardware for the nostalgic novelty?

If you have any thoughts, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Despite being one of the studios affected by Xbox's company-wide "Reset" and Xbox CEO Asha Sharma taking direct control of Minecraft with the goal of helping it compete with Roblox, Mojang Studios appears to be still going strong, as it has released a new update for its iconic survival-crafting game.

This update, titled Preview 26.40.30, is bringing with it a slew of gameplay changes, bug fixes, and a couple of new in-game items that felt like they should've been in Minecraft from the beginning: Cushions and a Straw Bed.

Cushions allow players to sit and rest after a long day's adventuring and crafting. They don't offer any statistical gameplay benefits but can make for fun roleplay toys when sitting by campfires or having sleepovers with your friends in co-op.

The Straw Beds are a new type of bed which players can sleep on to recover health without creating a new spawn point that overrides a previous one. This can be handy if you plan on adventuring but don't want to respawn in the middle of a Creeper-infested cave and want to go back home when you die.

The materials needed to craft these items, along with the rest of this update's gameplay changes, can be found in the patch notes below:

Drop 3 Experimental Features

• Cushion
  • The Cushion is an item that the player can place in the world and interact with to sit on
  • Can be crafted in 16 colored variants
  • Cushions are crafted using 3 Wool Slabs of the same color
  • Known Issue: Cushions aren't currently generating in the Abandoned Camps, but can be found in the creative inventory
• Cushion Placement Rules
  • A cushion can be placed on any flat surface
  • Cushions always align horizontally to the grid, but vertically sit on top of the supporting surface
  • Cushions cannot move
  • Cushions break if the supporting block is removed
  • Cushions do not have collision and can overlap with other objects (except other cushions)
• Straw Bed
  • Straw Bed is a new type of bed which can be used to sleep through the night without setting your spawn point
  • It can only be used once and will be destroyed after use
  • It can not be used in the Nether or The End and will be destroyed if you try to sleep on it there
  • It is crafted using 3 Hay Bales and will give you 4 Straw Beds
• Abandoned Camp
  • Abandoned camp now generates in Pale Garden and Flower Forest biomes (MCPE-230024) (MCPE-240045)
  • Straw Beds can now be found in Abandoned Camps
  • Updated Abandoned Camps to place procedural trees
  • Fixed wrong potion names in the loot tables for the Abandoned Camp
• Dappled Forest
  • Changed biome fog settings to match other forest biomes
  • Updated Orange, Red & Yellow Poplar Leaves MERS textures
• Sounds
  • Updated ambient sounds for Poplar leaf blocks
  • Added custom sound events for Red Shrubs and Poplar leaf blocks
• Graphical
  • Added opaque versions to the Poplar leaves to fix black background issue (MCPE-240020)
  • Added hinges to Poplar door icon. Also removed 3 pixels from top door texture that didn't match the palette
  • Fixed Poplar sign texture to follow other sign assets
• Gameplay
  • Added missing recipes for Wool Stairs and Wool Slabs (MCPE-240040)

Features and Bug Fixes

• Accessibility
  • Fixed the focus indicator on the "More options" button on the start screen so it no longer relies on color alone, adding an underline when the button is focused
• Blocks
  • Azalea and Flowering Azalea are no longer see-through when viewed from below (MCPE-217896)
  • Brown and Red Mushrooms can no longer be placed under the sky when it is dark
  • With the Minecraft Education features toggle enabled, it is possible to place charcoal again in the Lab Table (MCPE-240097)
  • Fixed a miscolored pixel in one of the Sulfur Spike textures
• Gameplay
  • Fixed an issue where structure loot would differ on the same seed (MCPE-239951)
• General
  • Brown and Red Mushrooms now generate on Crimson Nylium and Warped Nylium no matter the brightness
• Graphical
  • Fixed a rendering issue with Vibrant Visuals where some items and text could be invisible on certain Android GPUs
  • Updated supported devices for Vibrant Visuals on Android
• Items
  • Fixed issue where book and quill from pre-26.30 worlds freezes the game (MCPE-239753)
  • Arrows of Harming no longer bounce off entities and are now correctly removed on hit (MCPE-239756)
• Character Creator
  • Exiting the dressing room no longer automatically saves your character if you have an unequipped color change.
• Stability and Performance
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when spawning more than one Iron Golem
  • Game servers now attempt to self-repair some player connection issues
  • Fixed a crash that could occur during world generation when placing structures containing double chests
  • Fixed a potential crash issue related to Concrete Powder blocks converting into Concrete.
• User Interface
  • Fixed a bug where text formatting codes in a resource pack's name carried over into the rest of the toast notification when the pack was activated or deactivated (MCPE-182130)
  • Add missing preview image for the Desert flatworld preset (MCPE-194395)
  • Updated the network disconnection message to direct players to enable 'Use Mobile Data' in general settings instead of profile settings
  • Fixed a bug where button touch areas did not align with the buttons in windowed Android modes with a title bar, such as Samsung DeX and pop up view.
  • The Pause Game setting is now rendered in the Main Menu (MCPE-237101)
  • Show "Game unpaused" notification over all screens when the pause screen is open (MCPE-229796)
  • Fixed a soft-lock that prevented further join attempts after a party leader's Experience join was blocked by the party eligibility check
  • Fixed the "How to Play" button being missing from the Settings menu in Minecraft Education
  • Fixed Cloud sync storage banner to not show redundant information that storage is both full and almost full when cloud storage is full (MCPE-240036)
  • Fixed the Beacon screen displaying a duplicated header in the Pocket UI
  • Create New World list is loaded correctly after deleting world data through the "Manage Worlds" button (MCPE-239804)
  • Updated Nintendo Switch terminology for local wireless multiplayer
  • Fixed a problem that caused touch scrolling to be unresponsive in creative inventory. (MCPE-236783)
  • Fixed an issue that prevented splitscreen players from interacting with Game Settings. (MCPE-237830)
  • Updated Marketplace badges to use semantic Tag styling for bordered and spacious variants, with refreshed Tag documentation and tests
  • Fixed skin info button not working on expanded skin pack page
  • After entering the sidebar while spinning the character, it will no longer continue to spin by itself
  • Players with multiplayer-restricted skins can now enter worlds with multiplayer disabled
  • Removed space appearing between the chat tab and the social drawer (MCPE-239456)
• Marketplace
  • Updated Marketplace content cards with new pass and rating iconography, refreshed Minecoin visuals, and a notice badge treatment for surfaced states
• Storage
  • Updated old world conversion flows in the Storage Settings tab.

Technical Updates

• Commands
  • Allow self selection expansion when using commands (i.e. /tell) for non-operator players.
  • Fixed clone command cloning partial beds, both parts must be fully inside cloning volume
  • Fixed the /fill command from improperly placing blocks defined with the minecraft:multi_block trait
• Graphical
  • Tightened the anti-x-ray trigger box to avoid false-positive cases when riding a mob
  • Fixed custom blocks rendering a stray solid face that could bleed through textures when a model face was hidden by setting one of its UV size dimensions to zero
  • Fixed texture bleeding on custom blocks using automatic block face UV assignment with undersized textures
• Actor Components
  • Made schemas for the following components stricter when parsing and will fail to load an entity json that has invalid data in versions 1.26.40 and newer.
    • minecraft:cannot_be_attacked
    • minecraft:ignore_cannot_be_attacked
    • minecraft:floats_in_liquid
    • minecraft:wants_jockey
• AI Goals
  • Fixed a bug where the on_kill event in the following behavior components was incorrectly mapped to the on_attack field, causing the event to never fire when an entity killed its target. The fix applies to entity definitions with format version 1.26.40 and above.
    • minecraft:behavior.melee_attack
    • minecraft:behavior.melee_box_attack
    • minecraft:behavior.delayed_attack
    • minecraft:behavior.stomp_attack
    • minecraft:behavior.use_kinetic_weapon
• API
  • Fixed minecraft:hopper_minecart to fire EntityItemPickupAfterEvent and EntityItemPickupBeforeEvent for items above the cart.
  • Released LootItem.conditions in @minecraft/server v2.4.0 (moved from beta to stable)
• DDUI
  • Fixed Images in CustomForms not being centered in the form.
  • Added ImageOptions.onClick and ImageOptions.tooltip which allow for a callback on click of an image and a tooltip on images, for use with CustomForm.image.
• Blocks
  • N-way rotation on geometry components no longer requires upcoming creator features experiment
  • minecraft:sixteen_way_rotation state on placement direction block trait no longer requires upcoming creator features experiment
  • Align brightness sampling strategies between custom and vanilla blocks (MCPE-237493)
  • Jigsaw Block replacement will now log when an invalid final_state is encountered
  • Added new biome decoration feature "minecraft:multi_block_feature", which can be used exclusively to place blocks defined with the "minecraft:multi_block" trait
  • Released the minecraft:instrument_sound component from experimental.
• Crafting
  • "minecraft:recipe_smithing_transform" now accepts items tagged with "minecraft:transform_materials" in its "addition" field
• Editor
  • Fixed a bug where copying and pasting a double chest with the Paste Preview or Structure tool pasted it as two separate single chests instead of a single double chest
  • The Block Inspector tool now highlights the currently selected block with a bounding box, giving a clear visual indicator of which block is being inspected
  • Fixed the Primitives Tool preview and placement to follow the Fixed Distance cursor projection
  • The Flood Tool no longer errors when pressing Ctrl+D to remove a preview that has already been removed
  • Editor property pane items no longer display an empty tooltip when there is no tooltip text to show, such as the Flood Tool progress bar
  • The Dimensions tool now returns the player to their last-known position in the target dimension, or the origin on first visit
  • The Farm Generator tool now offers Pale Oak, Dark Oak, Nether Brick, and Mangrove fence options
  • Fixed a bug in the Biome Data Assignment tool where the Allow biome tag list was matched with a logical AND, so only biomes containing every allowed tag were eligible; allowed tags are now matched with a logical OR, so a biome is eligible if it has any of the allowed tags
  • Fixed a bug in the Vibrant Visuals color settings where dragging a timeline playhead no longer scrubbed the viewport time, so color and value keyframes could not be previewed across the day/night cycle
  • Fixed a bug that caused the sliders connected to any Vibrant Visuals "Enabled" checkbox to be manipulated with the checkbox toggled off
  • Fixed a bug that caused incorrect theme color to display for disabled text field
  • Added a Timeline panel to the Cinematic Tool for visualizing and editing keyframes along the camera path
  • Renamed "Control Points" to "Keyframes" throughout the Cinematic Tool to align with standard animation terminology
  • Removed all transaction recording and management functionality from the TransactionManager API and moved it to the PendingTransaction object. Transactions are now created through createPendingTransaction function, while staged changes are finalized using the submit and discard methods
  • Added pending transaction support for ClipboardItem.writeToWorld and BrushShapeManager APIs
  • Added a drag handle to the cinematics timeline so the timeline duration can be adjusted directly in the editor
  • Fixed a bug that caused placeholder string in text field to be incorrectly styled
  • The Navigation panel's minimap now uses the new minimap control
    • World locations are now stored per-dimension and shared across all clients
    • Lowered the Nether's minimap scan Y-level so the map skips the bedrock ceiling
  • Removed the "X" button from progress windows for the Custom Mesh, Primitive, and Flood tools
  • Fixed a bug that appears in Layout Template Manager during 'Copy Template' operation when copying a template with structures. The template is copied along with name and display name. The fix is that the name and display name metadata are set from the caller.
  • Fixed a bug where the custom cursor does not change from wait/load icon after canceling the flood operation
  • Fixed a bug that caused Collection Tree UI element width to be incorrect
• Entity Components
  • Made the should_bounce boolean field of the minecraft:projectile component into an enum:
  • no: the projectile never bounces (default)
  • if_invulnerable: the projectile bounces only when the target is invulnerable to the damage source (e.g. creative mode, shield blocking)
  • if_no_damage_dealt: the projectile bounces whenever no damage was dealt, regardless of the reason (invulnerability, damage sensor, invulnerability frames)
  • Content authored against earlier format versions is automatically upgraded when loaded in 1.26.40 or later: true becomes if_invulnerable and false becomes no
• Features
  • Fixed incorrect example json for Height Difference Filter documentation
• Graphical
  • The MERS textures for following baby mobs and Rabbits are now visible
    • Baby Humanoid Chainmail Armor
    • Baby Dolphin
    • Baby Fox
    • Baby Goat
    • Baby Hoglin
    • Baby Panda
    • Baby Warm Pig
    • Baby Zombie Piglin
    • Rabbits
    • Snifflet
• JSON Schema
  • Updated the generated Minecraft JSON Schema files to use a more granular schema layout instead of producing one self-contained schema file per registered type. This reduces duplicated schema content and makes the generated schemas easier to consume with external tools.
  • Added binary-protocol metadata to generated SharedTypes JSON Schemas, including ordinal index, control value type, underlying type, and serialization options. This gives tools more information about the binary layout of the objects described by the JSON Schemas.
• Mobs
  • The tamed baby Wolf's collar now has a proper MERS texture
• Sounds
  • Fixed the destroy block sound position to be at the center of the block instead of at the corner (MCPE-60799)

Experimental Technical Updates

• API
  • Added getShapes method on PrimitiveShapesManager.
  • Added interface PrimitiveShapeQueryOptions for use with getShapes.
  • Added AllowListEntry to @minecraft/server-admin with optional name and xuid properties in beta
  • AllowList changes in @minecraft/server-admin all in beta
  • Added entries: AllowListEntry[] property
  • Changed add() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
  • Changed remove() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
  • Changed contains() to accept either a Player or AllowListEntry and removed accepting string as parameter. Adds InvalidArgumentError to this function when AllowListEntry has both name and xuid properties set to undefined.
  • Added new beta enum CloneMode with values Copy, ForceCopy, and Move that specifies how blocks are cloned between regions
• Dimension
  • Added cloneBlocks method to beta that clones a region of blocks from one area of the dimension to another, with support for clone modes and an optional block filter
• Sound Duration Info
  • The playback position now reflects calls to SoundInstance.seekTo
  • While a sound is paused via SoundInstance.pause, the playback position no longer advances; SoundInstance.resume continues from where it was paused
• Editor
  • Removed and replaced uses of minecraft/server CompoundBlockVolume in the Experimental API with the beta minecraft/server-editor RelativeVolumeListBlockVolume
• Graphical
  • Fixed a performance issue when in the Nether
  • Added a system to dynamically scale per-point-light shadow resources
  • Increased the maximum number of point lights
  • Fixed a bug where point light shadows would flicker during dynamic scaling
• Sound
  • Added minecaft:sound block component
    • it requires format version 1.26.20 and Experimental Upcoming Creator Features
    • it can be used to assign a set of sounds to block and its permutations similar to sound field in blocks.json
    • blocks.json overrides values of minecraft:sound component, including values in all permutations

Stay tuned for more as we keep an eye out for news regarding all things Minecraft, including the upcoming Minecraft Movie sequel and Minecraft Dungeons 2.

What do you think of Minecraft's latest patch and the new Cushion and Straw Bed items it's providing? Are you looking forward to the second Minecraft Movie and Minecraft Dungeons 2?

If you have any thoughts, please let us know through the poll, the comments section, or our Reddit page.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Discord is under fire again, surprising absolutely nobody. Following the user verification fiasco not too long ago, the platform has now incorrectly banned around 8000 accounts. In fairness, that's a very small number compared to Discord's more than 200 million monthly active users, but it was enough for the company to publicly address the issue on X.

The controversy began after one user (tallcowyt) highlighted what they claimed was a vulnerability in Discord's AI moderation system. According to the post, the system incorrectly identified any square grid image, including Minecraft inventories and even chessboards, as malicious content, resulting in permanent account bans for affected users.

Taking to X, Discord described what occurred, stating:

“Our systems flag content by matching it against known harmful material... similarity matching can produce false positives... a member of our Trust & Safety team always reviews flagged content before any action is taken”

It's hard to imagine someone reviewing the content and deciding that Minecraft inventories were worthy of a ban, but I digress.

The company also said "the intended behavior is to temporarily pause uploads during that review, not ban the account," but admitted, "We had a bug" that instead issued bans. It also said, "the same bug prevented the ban from being lifted automatically."

According to Discord, "Around 8,200 accounts were affected from May 2026 through last week, plus the 200 more this past weekend," adding, "We've unbanned everyone affected by this bug."

The company acknowledged the impact, saying, "We should have caught this sooner... We're working on better safeguards... and making sure our safety systems don't penalize people who did nothing wrong."

Discord is, of course, currently tied to Xbox Game Pass for those who have a Discord Nitro Subscription, as they're able to get Game Pass Starter edition alongside their subscription.

It is also worth mentioning that in spite of claims that Discord has reinstated everyone's account, the current post on X detailing the issue has a community note that states otherwise.

It is a strange bug, I have to admit, but at least Discord has addressed it and says everyone affected has now been unbanned. I use Discord daily myself, and thankfully, I haven't uploaded any images with checkered patterns, so I've managed to avoid any potential issues.

Still, it's easy to see why incidents like this shake users' confidence in automated moderation, even if they only affect a relatively small number of accounts.

Let me know if you've been impacted by this bug in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll above.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Several weeks after Xbox admitted it's "overextended" with its business and it was reported that Microsoft would begin "major layoffs" in July, those cuts have now begun to hit the firm. In total, 4,800 roles are being eliminated, with 3,200 of them — roughly 67% — being Xbox game dev positions.

Amid the mass layoffs, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has addressed the situation in a letter to staff that was also shared publicly, writing that the Xbox team's reduction is a painful but ultimately necessary step in working to "reset" the brand.

Notably, Sharma also revealed that she'll now have direct oversight over Minecraft developer Mojang Studios as well as Candy Crush maker King; both games have "increasingly become platforms and are our largest by monthly active players." She also says that "They bring critical geographic, demographic, and differentiation to Xbox."

Though Sharma didn't mention any specific plans for Mojang and King moving forward, a new report from Game File notes that according to a source familiar with Microsoft's plans, the new CEO feels that Xbox and the company have "massively underinvested" in Minecraft, and wants to correct this.

Game File's source explained that about six years ago, Minecraft's size and popularity was on par with Roblox, the widely available free-to-play platform for community-made games and content. Since then, however, it's estimated that Roblox has invested in its growth roughly five times as much as Microsoft has in Minecraft's, and that Minecraft's success has gone towards funding other Xbox projects instead of its own further success.

Minecraft, though still enjoyed by droves of players worldwide, has — along with countless other titles and platforms — been eclipsed by Roblox. In 2025, it grew so large that it surpassed the player engagement of Steam, PlayStation, and Fortnite combined, and was responsible for a whopping 67% of the gaming industry's total growth last year.

A specific reason for why King and the Candy Crush team will now directly report to Sharma as well wasn't reported, though I imagine it's because Candy Crush, like Minecraft, has lost ground to Roblox's rise to domination. After all, Roblox competes directly with the legendary mobile game since it's available to play on iOS and Android.

I don't play Candy Crush and can't speak to how well it's been maintained, though I've long held the view that Minecraft's live-service support is rather poor, with meaningful additions to the sandbox survival game coming far too slowly. Perhaps with Sharma's stewardship, that will change.

I'm confident one area of focus for the Xbox CEO will be reinforcing Minecraft's more social aspects, given her own background developing social platforms like Messenger. It's worth noting that this spring, Mojang announced that Minecraft: Java Edition will soon get a Friends List and peer-to-peer support, both of which are features that will make multiplayer easier and more convenient to engage with.

Do you believe Asha Sharma will successfully help Minecraft (and Candy Crush) grow and improve moving forward? Let me know what you think down below, and in our poll.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Minecraft is probably the most iconic game in the world. It's the one with all the blocks, where creativity comes alive. For a long time, though, players on Minecraft's Bedrock Edition were missing one of the game's most important accessibility features, despite it having been available in Java Edition for years.

In fact, as a Java player, I had no idea it hadn't already made its way to Bedrock. I'm talking, of course, about the new closed captions.

For those unfamiliar, they're an accessibility feature that provides both text and visual cues for sounds happening around you. Whether it's footsteps, a door opening, or that dreaded creeper sneaking up behind you, closed captions help you better understand your surroundings without relying solely on audio.

To enable closed captions in Minecraft Bedrock Edition:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Open Accessibility.
3. Enable Closed Captions and adjust the settings to your liking.

I'm all for accessibility features like this. They don't negatively affect anyone who chooses not to use them, but they can make a huge difference for players who are deaf or hard of hearing, process audio differently, or simply need a little extra help enjoying the game. Features like these allow more people to experience games without barriers, and that's only ever a good thing.

I haven't actually played Minecraft in a while myself, although the annual two-week Minecraft phase seems to come for all of us eventually. Not too long ago I covered a fan-made Halo modpack for Minecraft, and as a lifelong Halo fan, that definitely caught my attention, so I might jump into that soon.

That said, there are so many great games releasing lately that it's hard to stick with just one, let alone go back to Minecraft. Even so, it's a game I've been playing since the early beta days, long before Microsoft owned the franchise, so I know it's only a matter of time before I end up jumping back in.

Enough about my thoughts, though. I'd love to hear what you think about this feature and whether it'll make a difference to the way you play Minecraft. Let me know in the comments below, and as always, be sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Each day I spend writing about the gaming industry, I find myself thinking, "Surely nothing can surprise me anymore." Yet almost every day, I'm proven wrong. Between soaring prices across the industry and now the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) making me scratch my head during a recent hearing on the Stop Killing Games movement.

For those unfamiliar, Stop Killing Games is a community-led movement that argues publishers shouldn't be able to sell games that later become completely unplayable once their servers are shut down. One recent example is Concord, which became inaccessible after Sony discontinued its online service. Instead, publishers should provide a way for players to continue to access the game, whether via community servers or other means.

During a California State Senate committee hearing on the Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921), Minecraft and Call of Duty were both cited as examples of games that already have community-run servers. The idea is that these servers could help preserve games after official support ends. However, ESA representative Jennifer Gibbons pushed back, arguing that community servers are "illegal" and that the ESA considers them a form of piracy.

Gibbons stated:

"They're illegal, and they are not in any way affiliated with Microsoft... Microsoft for Minecraft has gotten a lot of criticism because of those community servers not employing the same safety standards that Microsoft does on their Minecraft servers."

It's a bizarre point to argue, and I am aware there are safety concerns, but as far as I'm aware, Microsoft has no blanket policy preventing community-run servers. In fact, for games like Minecraft, Mojang itself actually provides official usage guidelines that explain how community servers can operate, including rules around things like monetization and player safety, meaning community-run servers are well within the community's right to host as long as they follow those guidelines.

I also understand that Gibbons said these servers are "not in any way affiliated with Microsoft," which is true, but it still feels like a strange stance given Minecraft's long history of thriving community servers. But is there any substance to this take? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to take part in our poll!

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Minecraft Dungeons 2 has leaked online, courtesy of Nintendo. The game appeared on the Nintendo eShop yesterday, revealing its release date, price, fresh details, and a selection of new images.

It's a shame these details were revealed ahead of what was likely planned for Xbox's upcoming showcase on June 7, 2026. Still, the information itself is encouraging, including a September 29, 2026 release date and, perhaps more surprisingly, a $29.99 price tag. Personally, I think that's a pretty fair asking price for what already looks like a fun game.

Funnily enough, September is already shaping up to be a packed month. Whether it's Control Resonant, which supports Xbox Play Anywhere, or PlayStation's Wolverine, there's going to be plenty to play. It's likely publishers are looking to get out of the way before the looming release of GTA 6 in November, which I'm sure will steal the spotlight when it releases.

Back to Minecraft Dungeons 2, though. The game had already leaked not long ago, with details including its codename, Project Spidewood. Those leaks came in part from X0X_LEAK on X (formerly Twitter), who shared details about parts of the game and what to expect.

I'm quite surprised we didn't get more on Minecraft Dungeons 2 during the recent Minecraft Live event, which unfortunately only gave us a two-minute video detailing the game. That trailer did reveal a brand-new story, new environments, and a mysterious new portal called the Deep Dark Portal, which appears to house a new boss.

The game also features couch co-op, something I wish more games included these days. Unfortunately, that's about all we know for now. You can brave the internet and look up what else was revealed through the Nintendo eShop listing, but with the page now taken down, I can't imagine Microsoft is too pleased with what was revealed ahead of the Xbox Showcase.

If you're excited for Minecraft Dungeons 2, or even if you aren't, let me know in the comments and be sure to take part in our poll!

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With Minecraft being one of the most popular games in the world — and being one of the most modded games in the world — it's not uncommon for hackers to try and use mods for Xbox and Mojang Studios' sandbox survival game as an attack vector. At the moment, though, there's an especially dangerous piece of malware going around that anyone who mods Minecraft (or knows someone that does) needs to know about.

I'm referring to "WeedHack," a piece of malicious software discovered by McAfee researchers that's been distributed to attackers through a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) campaign. It's been active since January, and unlike most hacking tools that often cost hundreds of dollars, WeedHack is extremely cheap — making it uniquely dangerous.

There's a free tier available that anyone can sign up for, with Premium plans that start at $5/month giving bad faith actors access to a more advanced version of the software that has more severe capabilities.

Attackers use WeedHack by hiding it within Minecraft mod files, effectively using them as a Trojan horse of sorts. Links to download these files are then shared on convincing fake mod hosting sites, in the description of phony mod review YouTube videos, or in comment sections.

Once they're downloaded, WeedHack quietly uses the Ethereum blockchain to connect to a secret network, then disables Windows Defender safeguards and embeds itself in your system before stealing everything from Minecraft session IDs and system information about your computer to passwords from Steam, Discord, and your browser and crypto wallet credentials.

Frighteningly, the Premium tier of WeedHack is also capable of giving a hacker live access to your computer's webcam, the power to force screen-sharing with mouse and keyboard control, command-line control over your PC, and the ability to upload or download files to your system.

McAfee says that while researching WeedHack by spying on its now-deleted Telegram server, it discovered that many of its users are teenagers and young adults — no doubt able to make use of the software because of its extremely low barrier to entry. Reportedly, while the malware could be used for financial theft, it's largely been wielded as a tool for cyberbullying and harassment.

Researchers say they witnessed attackers sharing videos recorded from the webcams of victims as trophies, and claiming that they used stolen IP addresses and passwords to threaten those they'd infected with WeedHack.

At the time of writing, over 116,000 users have been affected by WeedHack attacks in some way, and the malware campaign is reportedly "averaging 2,000 to 3,000 new hits every single day."

So, what can you do to protect yourself? Above all else, you should never download a Minecraft mod — or a mod for any game, for that matter — from a source that's not trusted by the community. For Minecraft, that means sticking to CurseForge or Modrinth; for other games, you should only download from Nexus Mods or ModDB. I can't stress this enough.

You may want to consider security software like McAfee's as well, as it may succeed in thwarting WeedHack's intrusion attempts where Windows Defender fails. McAfee says its Web Protection will prevent you from visiting sites where files can be downloaded in the first place, and that its antivirus will successfully prevent the malware from working if you do get it.

It's tragic that such a damaging piece of malware is running rampant on the web right now, and a sobering reminder of how important it is to be very careful about where you're downloading files from. Be smart, friends.

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First off, let’s cover the update that's been in testing, Chaos Cubed, which now has an official release date of June 16, 2026. It features the likes of Sulfur Cubes with different behaviors, as well as new Sulfur Cave biomes and geysers.

Now, with that out of the way, onto the new update. I don’t think we have a name for it yet, but we do have some details, so let’s go over those.

The biggest reveal from the presentation was the Dappled Forest, a brand-new biome that looks heavily inspired by autumn. According to Mojang, the biome takes inspiration from forests in places like Michigan and Sweden, featuring vibrant red, orange, and yellow leaves that are meant to stand out from other biomes.

Alongside the new trees, the biome also introduces red shrubs scattered throughout the biome. Red shrubs will stay red regardless of where you place them, giving builders new creative options.

Of course, a new biome also means a new type of wood. The Dappled Forest introduces Poplar wood, which has a warm gray appearance that looks like it would pair nicely with both stone and the existing Pale Oak blocks.

The new Poplar doors are also worth mentioning. Mojang says they were inspired by Swedish architecture, featuring distinctive diamond-shaped windows. I have no point of reference for Swedish architecture myself, but they do look pretty cool.

Mojang is also adding a new world structure called the Abandoned Camp. Rather than being another structure with a chest full of loot, it's designed to make players wonder who was there before them and what adventure they might have been on, something I feel Minecraft has missed over the years.

Perhaps the most exciting addition for builders, however, is the arrival of wool stairs and wool slabs. This is something players have been asking for years, and it finally looks like it's happening.

Another neat addition is straw beds. While not officially confirmed by Mojang during the presentation, they have appeared online and seem to function as temporary bedding for the night without resetting your spawn point.

The update is still in very early development, so Mojang says more features will be added before it enters testing later this summer. Even so, if you're someone who enjoys building, decorating, or exploring new biomes, there's already plenty here to be excited about, and for me it might be enough to finally jump back in after a long hiatus.

Anyway I’m pretty sure that’s everything I managed to catch from the Minecraft Live reveal of the latest update, if I have missed anything do let let me know in the comments, and also let me know what you think of this latest update, I actually think it seems pretty cool, and as always make sure you take part in our poll below:

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Somehow Minecraft returned, and this time it's squared. The sequel to the worst movie I saw last year has been fully revealed as A Minecraft Movie Squared. Annoyingly, it's not a bad title, but there's been more revealed at Minecraft Live, so I'll put my feelings aside and do my best to simply deliver the details.

The film is expected to release on July 23, 2027, with Kirsten Dunst, who many will know from her role as Mary Jane in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, set to star as Steve's female counterpart, Alex.

There's more, though. Legendary British actor Matt Berry, a man with a voice to die for, is also set to appear. While his role is currently unconfirmed, his outfit has led some fans to speculate that he'll play the popular creepypasta character Herobrine. For those unfamiliar, Herobrine is a ghost-like figure rumored to haunt players' worlds, with the legend dating back to 2010.

It's not surprise we're getting a sequel, the first Minecraft movie was a massive blockbuster hit, finding a strong audience among the youth.

The reveal for the new movie featured several Minecraft creators, including TommyInnit and Quackity. Alongside the trailer, Minecraft also announced an official build challenge tied directly to the movie.

The details are fairly simple. Players are being asked to build something awesome, with finalists selected before a community vote decides the winner. There will also be a special cape up for grabs, while the winning build could appear in the movie itself.

Fans can also expect new biomes, characters, and mobs to appear in the sequel, with the team promising to take viewers even deeper into the Minecraft world this time around. whatever that entails.

I've been playing Minecraft for well over a decade, back when some of the biggest YouTubers around were The Yogscast, so it's a game that I hold quite dear. Despite my issues with the movie last year, I'm still somewhat hopeful that the sequel delivers when it releases next year.

Maybe that's just me, though. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

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While the Java Edition of Xbox and Mojang Studios' sandbox survival game megahit Minecraft came before the Bedrock Edition available on consoles and the Xbox on PC app, it's actually missing a few features accessible in the other version — the main ones being options for multiplayer, as right now, Java only allows for Local Area Network (LAN) play or connecting to online servers.

At long last, though, that's changing. In the latest beta "Snapshot" testing build of the next major Minecraft: Java Edition update, Minecraft 26.2 Snapshot 7, Mojang announced that it's bringing two huge multiplayer features to the classic PC-only version: a Friends List and the ability to join other players' worlds through a peer-to-peer connection.

The Friends List emulates the way Bedrock Edition hooks into your friends list on Xbox or PlayStation, allowing you to send friend requests to players with their Profile Name or accept incoming requests in the Pending tab. The list will also show you what friends are up to in the Friends tab, informing you if they're "Offline," "Online," "In a world," or "In a joinable world."

Notably, the Friends List is also a core component of how Java Edition's new peer-to-peer multiplayer works. In Java's Snapshot 7 build, you have the option of inviting friends to your single player worlds, effectively allowing you to play them in multiplayer. If you set yourself to be open to multiplayer in the new Multiplayer Options menu, friends can also request to join your game as well.

Bedrock has had this functionality forever, but Java Edition players have always been forced to set up or purchase access to online servers (either third-party ones or official Minecraft Realms) to enjoy private multiplayer. Therefore, this is a huge step forward for Java, and gives it parity with Bedrock in this regard.

Something that makes the addition of peer-to-peer multiplayer particularly exciting is that it might support the use of mods as well, though Mojang hasn't touched on this yet. Assuming all players looking to play together have the same mods installed and are playing on the same Minecraft version, I think there's a good chance things would work properly.

All in all, between these added multiplayer features and the upcoming tests of the Vulkan API so that Minecraft can switch to it for the Vibrant Visuals update, Mojang is making a concentrated effort to modernize Java with better functionality, performance, and graphics — all while preserving the excellent mod support that makes it an attractive alternative to Bedrock for many. As someone who strongly prefers the modded experience when I get the Minecraft itch, I'm very glad for the improvements.

Notably, the full Minecraft: Java Edition 26.2 (and Minecraft: Bedrock Edition 26.30) patch will bring the Chaos Cubed update, a game drop that's centered around sulfur caves. This new cave biome has sulfur cube mobs as well as sulfur and cinnabar blocks. The update is scheduled to launch at some point in Q2 2026, and should be nearing completion.

Are you excited that Minecraft is finally getting support for peer-to-peer multiplayer on Java Edition, and a Friends List as well? Let me know in the comments, and vote in our poll.

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Halo and Minecraft combined into one? Sign me up! Halo Rogue is a new fan-made modpack for Minecraft Java Edition (not Bedrock Edition) that transforms the game into a Halo-inspired survival minigame.

Little fun fact about me, I actually used to stream Minecraft way back in the day, and Halo is still one of my all-time favorite franchises. Despite the past decade largely failing to meet my expectations, at least compared to the Bungie era, I still have a soft spot for the series.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally fine if modern Halo works for you, but for me personally, it has struggled to live up to its earlier highs. Still, today we’re here to discuss something entirely different: Halo Rogue.

I’ll explain exactly what this modpack does. Halo Rogue spawns players in with a preset loadout and just three lives, with each in-game day granting an extra life. If all lives are lost, your run restarts from the beginning, with the main objective being to survive for five days while exploring a world inspired by iconic Halo structures, alongside weapons and enemies like the Covenant and the Flood.

The modpack also changes Minecraft’s gameplay quite drastically. You’re not simply thrown in as a standard Minecraft character; instead, you’re equipped with Master Chief’s iconic Mjolnir armor.

Halo Rogue also features more than 30 Halo weapons, alongside several Halo-themed mods, and can be installed through CurseForge, a popular modding platform used across a wide range of games. However, you will need to import the modpack to CurseForge, so please keep that in mind.

I actually think this is pretty cool, and I’m always a fan of seeing new things done with Halo, even if this is a community project built within Minecraft. Without rambling too much about my own thoughts, let me know what you think about Halo Rogue.

👉 You can grab the Halo Rogue modpack from Reddit here.

Will you be trying this modpack, or are you not interested in projects like this?

Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll below:

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Minecraft recently held its Minecraft Live event, where it unveiled a range of new features, including sulfur caves, sulfur cubes, and more.

If you’re eager to try them out, Mojang says these additions are already available in preview for Bedrock Edition. Java Edition players are not being left behind either, as Mojang is continuing its yearly tradition with a new April Fools snapshot.

Minecraft's sulfur themed update, now in preview

Now available in preview for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, players can try out the sulfur update firsthand and provide feedback directly to Mojang to help shape the update.

Included in the preview:

• Sulfur cubes
• Sulfur cave biome
• Sulfur springs
• Potent sulfur block

Mojang are directly asking for feedback, explaining that feedback has already helped them iterate and make improvements base off the feedback already provided.

If you wish to take part in the preview, Mojang have put together a handy guide that I'll link here.

Minecraft's annual April Fools update

It wouldn’t be April Fools without a new snapshot full of weird ideas for Minecraft: Java Edition. In previous years, Mojang has released some wild updates, including the 2020 Endless Dimensions snapshot and 2024’s Poisonous Potato update, which even featured a grappling hook, and 2025’s CraftMine update.

This year, it has turned its attention to something called Herdcraft. This update removes the inventory entirely, instead turning the whole world into your inventory. It sounds confusing at first, but it does look like a lot of fun. Mojang explains that instead of swinging your sword at a Creeper, you can command an entire arsenal of weapons to attack it for you.

If you want to try the latest Java Edition snapshot, open the Minecraft Launcher, enable snapshots, and select the “Latest Snapshot” option.

What do you make of Minecraft’s latest updates? I always enjoy when companies have a bit of fun with April Fools, as long as it’s clearly a joke and not teasing features players actually want.

Let me know your thoughts on both the sulfur preview and Herdcraft in the comments, and be sure to take part in the poll below:

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Did you ever get a chance to play Minecraft Dungeons? If so, you were part of over 25 million players who took to Mojang Studios' first ARPG outing. Given the fantastic success it saw, it seems like a no-brainer that Minecraft Dungeons 2 has been announced!

“The next chapter of Minecraft Dungeons begins in the fall of 2026! A new threat stirs, ready to descend upon the land and its inhabitants to cause unspeakable mayhem. Become a hero and take on foes unlike anything you’ve faced before, journey through long‑forgotten locations, and clash with the forces of evil once more!”

Looking at the trailer, there’s no actual gameplay for players to comb over. Very little is known about the project outside of the fact that it’s a sequel, but commentators on YouTube are asking, maybe we’ll finally get a chance to look through the portal in the Ancient City from the first game?

So many players of the original game are clamouring in the comments over the sequel. Many are displaying their prestige with their level or power stats.

As for me, Minecraft Dungeons was one of the best coop games I played when it was released in 2020. Peak COVID-19, Minecraft Dungeons was a nice little escape from the realities of our world at the time.

While I can’t imagine Mojang Studios will manage to match the magic of the time (please, we don’t need another lockdown), I’m sure Minecraft Dungeons 2 will be everything we loved from the first game and more. At least, that’s what a sequel is supposed to be, right?

Personal wishlist

I didn’t reach level 400, but I put in a solid number of hours, enough to know what worked and what didn’t. My biggest frustration with Minecraft Dungeons was the absence of WASD movement for PC players. Of all the improvements Mojang could make, that one sits at the top of my list.

Lack of content at launch is another concern. It took years of updates for Minecraft Dungeons to feel truly substantial. The base game, released nearly six years ago, was notably skinny on the content front. For the sequel, I’d hope Mojang starts from a place of abundance rather than playing catch-up as they did.

If Mojang can match the breadth of the current game while bringing the polish a modern release demands, Minecraft Dungeons 2 has every reason to be another standout for the studio.

Would it be silly of me to admit that, as a 36-year-old man, I’m looking forward to potentially taking a day off to play this with my wife? Is that too embarrassing to admit? Am I cool to do that? I guess this is one way to see if she reads my articles!

Are you excited for Minecraft Dungeons 2? What would you want to see coming to the sequel that you felt was missing from the original? Let me know in the comments below! Maybe we can party up later this year!

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Xbox Game Studios' and Mojang Studios' legendary survival sandbox game Minecraft has been a fan favorite for countless players on various platforms and Xbox Game Pass since it first released 17 years ago in 2009 (goodness, I feel old), and one major reason why is because its developers have continuously supported it with major content updates and quality-of-life additions.

These updates are often the centerpieces of Mojang's annual Minecraft Live showcases held in the spring and fall — and now that spring has arrived this year, the developers have announced the official date for the first Minecraft Live 2026 show with a brand new trailer for the event (you can watch it here or below).

As it turns out, fans don't have to wait very long at all for the presentation, as the first Minecraft Live 2026 showcase event is scheduled to begin on March 21 at 1 p.m. EDT / 7 p.m. CEST. Like with previous shows, you'll be able to watch it live on minecraft.net/live, or alternatively through the official Minecraft YouTube and Twitch channels.

The trailer itself doesn't show anything we haven't seen before, though it does strongly hint at some of what we'll see from the showcase (more on that in a moment). The minute-long animation of fan-favorite Minecraft mobs being silly and whimsical is also pretty adorable, so definitely give it a watch.

Notably, the prominent appearance of baby versions of mobs — including baby chickens, goats, pigs, wolves, striders, villagers, and even dolphins — strongly suggests that this Minecraft Live show will bring more information about the upcoming Tiny Takeover update.

When it drops, this update will transform the appearance of all baby mobs in Minecraft by giving them a new, bespoke look, along with fresh, custom sound effects that distinguish them from their adult versions. Until now, baby mobs have just looked like smaller versions of creatures with larger heads and pitch-shifted audio, so these new designs and sound effects should be quite the glow-up.

Along with the cute new baby mobs, Tiny Takeover will also add a golden dandelion you can craft with gold nuggets and a dandelion you can feed to them that will keep them young forever (feeding them another will allow them to age again). We're also finally getting craftable name tags (you'll need a piece of paper and a nugget of any metal ore), and for the musicians out there, placing copper under a note block will make trumpet sounds after the patch.

Some other things we might hear about from Minecraft Live include the upcoming tests for Java Edition's switch from the OpenGL graphics API to Vulkan, or perhaps the recently leaked "Project Spicewood" that looks to be a sequel to the Diablo-like Minecraft Dungeons.

The Minecraft Live trailer mentions "secret stuff," so perhaps this new game is one of the surprises Mojang has in store for Minecraft fans. Notably, the leak suggests the game is coming out in "Q2 2026," which means we might see it release between April and the end of June; if that's the case, an announcement at this showcase is very, very likely.

🗨️ Are you excited for Minecraft Live?

The Minecraft Live showcases Xbox and Mojang hold every other season always provide exciting looks at what's next for the beloved block game franchise, and between the upcoming Tiny Takeover update and the potential for a new game announcement, this presentation could be one of the best yet.

Are you looking forward to it? Are you planning on catching it live? Let me know in the comments, and be sure to vote in our poll about a potential Minecraft Dungeons sequel, too:

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Minecraft has been going through a wave of leaks recently. From the PS3 edition source code surfacing online to early builds of Minecraft Dungeons appearing, the franchise feels like a leaky faucet right now with how much information is spilling out.

For those unaware, Minecraft Dungeons is a top-down Minecraft dungeon crawler, similar in vein to Diablo, but more family-friendly, and quite good fun.

Now, if the latest reports are accurate, a sequel to Minecraft Dungeons may also be on the way. The project is reportedly being developed under the codename "Project Spicewood", so here is everything the current leaks claim and whether there is anything noteworthy in them.

What the Project Spicewood leaks claim so far

Microsoft has a habit of taking down content, so I won't share the images directly here.

Now, the leak reportedly comes from X0X_LEAK on X (formerly Twitter), a group typically known for sharing Marvel Rivals leaks. The account is said to be run by a team of dataminers, and with recent Minecraft files reportedly leaking online, it appears the group has started digging through those as well.

That digging is where references to a potential Minecraft Dungeons sequel have surfaced, with the project allegedly being referred to internally as "Project Spicewood".

However, it is still worth taking all of this with a grain of salt. Mojang has not confirmed anything related to a Minecraft Dungeons sequel, and leaks pulled from files or early builds can sometimes point to ideas or experiments that never make it into a finished game.

That said, the dataminers claim they have found clues suggesting a new Minecraft Dungeons-style project is in development, alongside references to new locations and points of interest that could appear in the game.

If the rumors are true, the game is expected to release in Q2 2026, according to leaks, and has been in development for two years using Unreal Engine.

A Q2 2026 release would place the game anywhere between the 1st of April and the last day of June this year.

If all of this proves accurate, it would not be surprising to see Mojang pursue a sequel. Minecraft Dungeons reportedly reached more than 25 million players across all platforms as of 2023, making it a very successful spinoff for the franchise.

Alongside this leak, the full Minecraft Dungeons GitHub repo has leaked, adding to the already growing number of leaks for Minecraft. As well as this, the sequel could be set to reveal something entirely new that will tie into the vanilla version of the game, with leaks pointing to a new dimension.

🗨️ Would you be excited for a Minecraft Dungeons sequel?

Minecraft Dungeons was a great family friendly game that performed very well for Xbox, so a sequel does make sense. It will be interesting to see how Mojang evolves the formula if these leaks turn out to be accurate.

With that said, let us know your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll below:

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In a surprising turn of events, Minecraft’s PS3 source code has reportedly leaked online, containing internal development files alongside source code for Minecraft Pocket Edition.

The leak offers a rare look at what was being worked on at the time, what was ultimately scrapped, and how the game evolved behind the scenes. More importantly, it highlights an extremely optimized version of Minecraft built to run on the PlayStation 3’s 256MB of RAM, created in C++ to function within strict hardware limits.

The full internal PlayStation 3 source code reportedly used by 4J Studios to develop Minecraft Console Edition seemingly surfaced first on 4chan, and it's very different from a typical decompilation, which fans have attempted for years.

What appears to have leaked here is fully readable source code, complete with developer comments explaining their thought processes. Inside the files are references to “Minecraft Windows,” leftover code from Java Edition, and several unreleased or incomplete features that never made it into public versions of Minecraft.

What exactly leaked, and why it matters

We can look at early sky island world generation, a “Skylands” terrain concept, and even prototype waterfall code that attempted to add bubble-like foam effects. None of these features shipped in the final game. There is also an early version of villager houses, offering a glimpse at how structure generation evolved before villages were finalized.

People have already managed to get the PS3 build running on PC, complete with working multiplayer. What this could mean for the current version of Minecraft is still unclear. In theory, readable source code could help researchers identify vulnerabilities. However, this build is more than a decade old, so any serious security issues are likely already patched in modern versions.

Where this leak is more meaningful is in preservation. It gives the community a rare look at how Minecraft was created, optimized, and structured during the console era.

🗨️ What do you make of the leaked source code?

Does this feel like harmless nostalgia, or something more significant for the wider Minecraft community?

Let me know in the comments, and make sure to take part in our poll below:

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After reporting earlier this week that Marathon will be getting exclusive charms on PC and Xbox, and speculating about what those rewards might look like, the studio has now confirmed the details, at least for Xbox. Marathon shared the update on X (formerly Twitter), outlining exactly what players can expect.

Marathon, despite its rocky reveal and delays, is actually shaping up to look quite fun. At the very least, I am excited to get my hands on it and try it out with some friends. As an avid Xbox player, I now also know what to expect when it comes to exclusive cosmetics.

It is not quite what I had hoped for. Still, it is neat enough that it is worth sharing, so let’s jump right in. Compared to what PlayStation players are getting, the difference is noticeable.

To jog your memory, PlayStation Plus members are receiving three charms themed around Helldivers 2, Death Stranding 2, and Ghost of Yotei. Xbox players, however, are getting Minecraft-themed charms. There are two in total, one inspired by a Creeper and another by an Emerald.

They do not look bad at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Still, given this is Bungie, and considering Destiny 2 previously featured Halo-inspired weapons, while Helldivers 2 received a full Halo crossover with ODST and a new map based on New Alexandria, I admittedly expected something Halo-themed here as well.

Perhaps I expected too much, and unfortunately, we do not yet know what PC players can expect.

Marathon is set to release on March 5, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Ahead of launch, a server slam will go live on February 26, 2026, giving everyone a chance to try the game before release.

The team has also been sharing additional details in the lead-up to launch, confirming that cheaters will be permanently banned with no second chances. The game will also feature dedicated servers, along with a reconnect system for players who disconnect mid-match.

All great features to see.

Are you excited for Marathon?

What do you think of the Xbox exclusive charms in Marathon? Let us know in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

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Minecraft developer Mojang Studios first brought the highly anticipated Vibrant Visuals update to the Bedrock Edition (Xbox, PC, PS5, Switch) of its sandbox survival game last summer, and now it's focused on releasing it for the PC-specific, modding-friendly Minecraft: Java Edition. As part of that process, the studio has announced it's switching Java over to a new graphics API.

Put simply, graphics APIs form a bridge between your system's GPU and your games, allowing the former to render the latter on your screen. Currently, Minecraft: Java Edition uses OpenGL, an aging program first developed in the 1990s. It's stopped receiving updates and soon won't work on macOS anymore, though, so Mojang is moving to Vulkan instead.

Vulkan is a newer, frequently updated API that's supported on all of Minecraft's PC platforms (Windows, Linux, and macOS with a "translation layer"), and is currently used for the Nintendo Switch version of Bedrock. Mojang says the move to Vulkan will make Java Edition much easier to update, and will also bring "eventual performance gains and increased capabilities."

Those will be valuable to have to support Vibrant Visuals — an optional graphical overhaul that significantly improves the game's lighting, adds dynamic shadows, brings reflective and emissive layers to textures, and introduces biome-specific color grading and visual effects. Basically, it's the officially implemented equivalent of modded shaders and texture packs, and is designed to elevate Minecraft's vanilla aesthetic.

The developers say they're planning to start testing Vulkan in Java Edition with public pre-release "snapshot" builds this summer, with players able to swap between Vulkan and OpenGL during the testing period. It's committed to staying in testing "until we’re confident that the Vulkan implementation is stable, performant and ready," at which point OpenGL will be sunset.

Notably, Mojang promises that players will be notified of the full move to Vulkan before it comes, and says that Minecraft's minimum PC requirements will be updated as needed to reflect the use of the new API.

Considering that even GPUs that are now a full 10-years old support Vulkan, the vast, vast majority of Minecraft players should have no issues playing the game once it switches to the new API. However, if the graphics card in your rig is older than that, you may need to make an upgrade.

All in all, I expect the shift to Vulkan will end up being a huge boon for Minecraft players that prefer using Java Edition to Bedrock. Java's open-ended architecture makes it the favored version for modding, and it also features more advanced redstone logic and more nuanced combat. It's always had worse performance than Bedrock, though, which is unfortunate.

Vulkan, though, should help with that substantially — though one caveat is that all OpenGL-based Minecraft mods will need to be overhauled to be compatible with the game's future on Vulkan. Mojang acknowledges this, and asks that players afford mod authors patience and kindness while they work to do this.

Minecraft: Java Edition is included in the $29.99 PC bundle that provides access to both Java and Bedrock, which is notably just $17.89 at Loaded right now thanks to a sweet deal. Alternatively, it's also playable through PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Are you looking forward to Minecraft: Java Edition switching over to the Vulkan graphics API? Which version of the game do you prefer, Java or Bedrock? Let me know in the comments.

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Microsoft's Minecraft is many things. It’s a community hub, a creative sandbox, and a place where millions of players build, explore, and experiment.

It’s also one of Xbox’s biggest IPs, a block-based survival game where you mine resources, craft tools, and shape the world however you like.

Since its original release, Minecraft has officially made its way to Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, 3DS, Android, iOS, and just about every modern platform imaginable. Now, thanks to some impressive homebrew work, it’s heading somewhere far less expected: the Sega Saturn.

If you’re unfamiliar, the Sega Saturn was a fifth-generation console that launched in Japan in 1994, during the height of Nintendo and SEGA’s rivalry. It was the home of franchises like Sonic, and few would have imagined it running something like Minecraft decades later.

A passion project that shouldn’t be possible

Minecraft is no stranger to strange ports. The game has appeared on the Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, and even runs on a Raspberry Pi. Hobbyists have also managed to get rough versions running on hardware like the Nintendo GameCube and more.

Now, @FrogBull on Patreon has taken it a step further by bringing it to the Sega Saturn, and it’s actually playable.

You can currently place blocks, destroy them, and explore a basic world. That’s about the extent of it for now, but the fact that it runs at all is impressive.

It does, however, raise the obvious question: Why? The developer explains it simply:

The project is still ongoing. The developer is even considering adding optional support for the 4MB RAM expansion cartridge for the Sega Saturn, which could allow for larger worlds and further improvements.

Would you actually try Minecraft on a Sega Saturn, or is this one of those projects that is more impressive than practical? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Update Feb 11, 4.30 p.m ET: Microsoft has now rescinded the DMCA strike against Allumeria, and the game's Steam page has been reinstated. It does, indeed, seem to have been an automated strike, and the game's developer has confirmed that no counterclaim was necessary, and no further action is required on their part. Original story follows.

Allumeria is an upcoming voxel-based game, and it appears to have drawn attention from Microsoft over alleged infringement of its own voxel giant, Minecraft.

Take a look at Allumeria, and the similarities are easy to spot. That said, it raises a bigger question: can you copyright a style of game? Especially since one existed before Minecraft, called Infiniminer, which actually predates it.

So, is there more to this situation, or is Minecraft overstepping? Let’s take a closer look.

How closely does Allumeria resemble Minecraft?

In Allumeria, you will find what you would probably expect from a Minecraft-inspired title. It features voxel-based graphics, sprawling landscapes, and block-based terrain with grass, dirt, and trees.

The game is played in first person and centers around survival and exploration. At a glance, you could easily think I am describing Hytale, Minecraft, or almost any other voxel-based sandbox.

That overlap is part of the debate. According to the developers, Microsoft has filed a DMCA claim, and the Steam demo is currently no longer available.

A DMCA strike, short for the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, is issued when a copyright holder claims its protected work has been used without permission. In simple terms, it is a formal notice alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted material. In this situation, Microsoft is asserting that its work has been used without approval.

There are clear resemblances, but Minecraft does not own the voxel style itself. It is a widely used visual approach within the genre, with Hytale being one of the most notable recent examples.

From what is visible, there are no textures in Allumeria that appear to be directly lifted from Minecraft. It is clearly heavily inspired, featuring similar mobs and its own version of a Nether-like area, though similar comparisons could also be made to Terraria in certain respects.

This is not the first time a voxel-styled game has faced scrutiny over similarities, as Microsoft has filed a DMCA for another voxel-based game before. The genre itself often overlaps visually, which can make distinctions harder at a glance.

In that instance, and this one, it appears to have been an automatic AI system that filed the DMCA strike, if users on Reddit are to be believed (regardless, damn you AI!).

The developers have the option to challenge it through the appropriate channels, and it is possible the claim is taken back after a real person investigates. However, for now, the demo remains unavailable on Steam while the situation unfolds.

If you want to support the developers, make sure you check out their itch.io page and/or join their Discord.

What do you think, do the similarities warrant a DMCA strike or are Microsoft over taking things too far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Bluey is one of the very few children’s shows I can happily tolerate on repeat. Actually, it might be the best kids’ show on TV right now, and parents everywhere have been subjected to Bluey marathons willingly.

I'm over the moon to see that Bluey is officially coming to Minecraft on 5 February 2026, albeit as a marketplace add-on, but exciting nonetheless!

Bluey comes to Minecraft Marketplace, for real life!

A Bluey DLC titled "Bluey's House" will be available on the Minecraft Marketplace and let your kids explore the Heelers' house in all its pixelated glory. The whole family will be there, Bingo, Mum, Dad, and you'll need to find keys throughout the house while reliving great memories from the TV series.

If you've played the official Bluey video game, the Minecraft version of Bluey sounds like an extension of the same type of fun gameplay with a bunch of wholesome mini-games that are based directly on episodes from the show, like I-Spy, Hide and Seek, and Ragdoll, amongst some other surprises.

The DLC will be available for the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft, which means it’ll work across consoles, mobile, and PC. And if you pop into the Marketplace before 6 March, you can grab a free Chattermax Mask. After that, it’ll still be available, but you’ll have to pay for it. So if your household contains a Chattermax superfan, consider this your heads‑up to get on there.

Minecraft Marketplace has some crazy collaborations

The Minecraft Marketplace has a bunch of free and premium content to keep the game interesting, and has ran collaborations with everyone from Hello Kitty to Stranger Things recently.

Some are free, some are premium, but in my experience, the quality is consistently high. I already subscribe to the monthly Marketplace Pass and still find myself picking up the occasional DLC because they’re just that well-made. These collaborations tend to offer hours of entertainment, and Bluey feels like a perfect fit.

The Bluey DLC doesn’t have a confirmed price yet, but you won’t have to wait long to find out. Bluey’s House arrives on the Minecraft Marketplace on 5 February, across all platforms.

For many, Minecraft instantly brings back nostalgia, wonder, and countless late nights. Those memories still hit me whenever I think about the early days—experimenting with redstone levers, exploring Xbox 360 maps, and playing before the game was available anywhere but Java. Since then, Minecraft has added new biomes, enemies, enchantments, ores, and more.

The game has certainly grown, but for a title that earns hundreds of millions every year, truly major updates are shockingly rare. Take the first graphical overhaul as an example. The RTX update was announced in 2019, but it took six more years to reach consoles. By then, it had been rebranded as Vibrant Visuals and felt like a different product altogether. For a player base of this size, meaningful improvements have arrived at a pace that would make snails look good.

Now, Hytale has entered the scene and is quickly gaining traction with the world-building community. Even though it does not have the polish of a game with more than sixteen years of development, it is already showing a level of potential that should make Mojang nervous about their own complacency.

The world of Hytale

Defying all obstacles, HyPixel Studios managed to bring Hytale to the masses, even after Riot Games tried to kill it off. Despite this, Hytale reportedly reached a staggering 1 million sales before even launching. It’s undeniably impressive, though at first, I couldn’t understand why so many people cared.

When I first heard of Hytale, I asked, “Why?” Who is this for? Why do we need what is essentially a modded version of Minecraft?

I needed to find out, so I went ahead and purchased the standard $20 version to give it a go. I couldn’t have been more wrong about my early assumptions. It was clear there was a lot more to the game than I first realized.

I mean, right off the bat, you're met with fluid motions that Mojang could only ever dream of implementing in Minecraft. Instead of generally hard-stuck flat textures, Hytale allows for expansive 3D textures on top of those fluid animations. This all leads to a game whose general look is that of a Minecraft dream world.

On top of it all, Hytale supports a wealth of RPG elements without the addition of mods, with the promise of massive expansions to come. Weapons feature multiple attack variations with both light and heavy attacks alongside an “ultimate ability that is charged through combat.

On top of it all, Hytale will also feature a story mode for players eager to jump into something with a bit more lore than that of your traditional Minecraft experience.

I haven’t even begun to touch on all the differences between these two works, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean Minecraft is in trouble, the certainty of its block-building monopoly is all but certain.

Why Hytale should be a kick in Minecraft’s butt

Minecraft still has the polish of a product that’s been worked on for over 15 years, with a wealth of modded servers and communities on both Java and Bedrock Editions that hold communities in the millions. With that, Minecraft isn’t on the cusp of some epic collapse because of Hytale’s sudden success, but it should take this as a well-measured wake-up call if nothing else.

For years, Mojang has been a bit of a meme in the Minecraft community. The whole “do something” image is a perfect example of the player's core thoughts about Minecraft. With the insane income Minecraft sees today, thanks to the wealth of microtransactions and realm hosting capabilities, you’d like to imagine they’d double or even triple their efforts in content expansion.

Instead, whether true or not, most people believe their efforts are aimed at those microtransactions rather than basic content expansion. Why expand upon Minecraft’s core capabilities when you can make another 32 texture packs and charge $4.99 for each? That’s where Hytale shines.

Since HyPixel is dealing with an early access game, they’ll be making massive overhauls and expansions to their systems for years to come. The Hytale we see today will become a well-oiled juggernaut that eventually surpasses Minecraft in basic functionality.

Even if millions of players see these two games as entirely different, it all comes down to which one is more fun to play. If Microsoft and Mojang continue to sit on their hands without considering a shake-up of their own formula, we could eventually see a similar divot to what Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 recently experienced.

If your thirty-billion-dollar franchise has seen a massive dip in sales and player counts thanks to titles like Battlefield 6 and Arc Raiders, I have to imagine that sets off some massive alarm bells at Microsoft. This is exactly what happens when you lazily recycle the same formula, refusing to take real creative risks or offer players anything new. Black Ops 7 is the perfect example. How many times can you repackage the same game and expect people to care?

I understand that Mojang manages both Java and Bedrock versions of Minecraft, and that significant overhauls might impact performance. However, it’s 2026, and Minecraft desperately needs innovation to remain future-proofed. As Hytale has shown, there’s a huge appetite for fresh and unique experiences in the block survival genre, and sticking to the status quo is no longer enough.

Mojang, if this hasn’t already served as a wake-up call, what will it take for you to finally act?

One of the biggest new games out right now is Hytale, the heavily Minecraft-inspired block-based sandbox survival RPG from Hypixel Studios — the same team behind the Minecraft server of the same name that stands as one of the most popular in the world. Released into Early Access earlier this month on January 13 after a troubled development history, the game has quickly accrued a colossal following.

Notably, it's made waves big enough to reach the attention of Minecraft developer Mojang Studios' chief creative officer Jens "Jeb" Bergensten, who commented on the game earlier this week when asked if he's played it and what he thinks about it.

"I've played a little bit of Hytale," he told one user on Bluesky, before giving his full thoughts in a separate reply. "I'd like it to be more different to Minecraft. It's very polished, but the feeling I get when I play is that I'd rather just play Minecraft," he said. "It's very early, though, and I know modding will be an important aspect. I will definitely play more later."

You might expect Hytale's developers to feel disheartened by that impression, but Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme actually appreciates Bergensten's take and perspective, and is determined to keep developing and improving the game.

"Jebs saying Hytale feels very polished is the best compliment we could ever get," he wrote in a lengthy response on X (Twitter). "I know the genre very well, and I'm very critical of our own game — I agree with a lot of the negative feedback and take notes all day. I have been saying for months that Hytale still has a long way to go, and I still believe it, which is why I keep working every single day."

"Hearing that Jebs says he will come back to play again later is great, hopefully, to experience the true vision we have for Hytale," he added. "Respect to the Mojang team for playing, hopefully they understand the different vision a bit more and feel more comfortable with us being around!"

Collins-Laflamme went on to say that "I understand Jebs' sentiment when he says, 'I'd rather just play Minecraft,'" noting that the things that will distinguish Hytale from Mojang's juggernaut — "something new, more combat-adventure-based, exploration and fantasy-based" — aren't in the RPG yet.

"At this point, he is probably right to feel this way; we haven't had time to add all the features that make us unique, and the early-game experience we have is quite barebones compared to what we can do with World Gen V2 and other upcoming features," he explained. "We don't have instanced dungeons, bosses, quests, stories or anything right now. All of this is planned, and the good news is, we have the team for it."

Making something like this, Collins-Laflamme says, is what drives Hypixel to work on Hytale. "It's not to compete with or replace Minecraft; we just want something that resonates with us. Personally, grew up with Warcraft, Diablo, D&D, and all these amazing fantasy experiences. I wish my kids would feel the same way I did when I first stepped into these amazing fantasy worlds, and that it would spark their creativity as it did for me," he said.

Collins-Laflamme promises "you will see a major shift between Minecraft and Hytale as we expand our production of extensive modding tools, fantasy worlds, and much more," and notes "I also consider PvP quite important for us, so keep an eye on this in the future as well."

Ultimately, it sounds like Bergensten will get his wish for Hytale to stand out from Minecraft more; Hypixel's continued development of the former will aim to shape it into more of an action and adventure-forward RPG, while the latter is far more laid-back and focused on creative, sandbox-driven building.

Personally, I think the vision Hytale's devs have for the game sounds great, and I can't wait to see how it grows from here; you can buy the game from its website if you're interested in supporting it through Early Access and checking it out now.

What do you think of Hytale, and how it compares to Minecraft? Are you interested in the game, and are you looking forward to seeing where it goes from here? Let me know in the comments.

Hytale has barely been out for a week, yet it has already secured enough funding to support development for the next two years and attracted more than 2.8 million players. Alongside that momentum, the game is already showcasing an impressive modding scene, with over 1,900 mods listed on CurseForge.

Even so, one modder has taken things further than many would have expected at such an early stage in Hytale’s lifecycle.

X (formerly Twitter) user @iamcxv711 has managed to get Minecraft Bedrock, Pocket, and Java editions running in the same instance as Hytale. The result is players across two different games sharing a single world, complete with cross-game chat, synchronised animations, and even working fluid simulations.

Minecraft pushed beyond its limits

I remember running my own Minecraft server for an online community, back when cross-play between Bedrock and Java editions was only just becoming viable. It was far from perfect and came with plenty of limitations, but it was still an impressive achievement driven entirely by the community.

Fast forward a few years, and the idea has evolved even further. Minecraft and Hytale are now playable together, at least in an early and experimental way. It is still very much early days, but the technical leap is difficult to ignore.

Hytale’s success is particularly notable given its unusual development journey. The game was originally acquired by Riot Games, later cancelled, and eventually reacquired by its original creators before finally being released.

Despite that turbulent path, Hytale is now live and performing exceptionally well.

This is not the first time Minecraft has crossed paths with another game, either. Roblox, which attracts more than 300 million monthly active users, has previously been linked with Minecraft through a project called Mineplay. Developed by Willem Development, the mod allowed players from both games to build together in a shared space, showing just how far community-driven experimentation can go.

Other impressive Hytale mods

Hytale is already shaping up to be something special. Just a week after entering early access, it has received its first update, and the modding community is wasting no time pushing the game far beyond expectations.

We have already covered projects like Doom running inside Hytale. Now we have what I’d consider even further beyond that, which includes a functional Windows 95 environment usable within Hytale.

Perhaps even one step above that we even have Minecraft running inside Hytale, and even Hytale running inside of Hytale, which raises the simple question about the platform’s potential. What cannot run in Hytale?

It is particularly impressive that all of this has been achieved by @iamcxv711, with the exception of Doom running in Minecraft, which was created by modder tr7zw. Both deserve serious kudos for what they've been able to do in such a short amount of time.

With modders moving this quickly, how do you feel about Hytale’s early access modding support so far? Let us know by commenting or taking part in our poll:

Hytale is set to release today, January 13, 2026, and it has already sold enough copies to cover two years of development. That makes it an extremely successful launch before early access has even begun.

Modders are also arriving in droves. Despite the game not being publicly released yet, the top five Hytale mod videos are already appearing online as creators get their hands on the tools and start pushing what the engine can do.

And like so many strange places before it, from fridges and pregnancy tests to PDF files, Doom now runs inside Hytale too.

Hytale’s first big modding flex is Doom running fully inside the game

Modder tr7zw on YouTube has been showing off several Hytale mods and has even managed to get Doom running inside the game before it is released to the public. It is a genuinely impressive technical feat.

Hytale is shaping up to be an explosive launch. It could be enough to push Minecraft to pick up the pace and deliver updates faster, rather than the smaller releases that tend to arrive once or twice a year.

That is not to say Minecraft is in trouble. It is a multiplatform behemoth, while Hytale is launching on PC only, but it is clearly following the Roblox and Minecraft model of becoming a long-term service game that’s focused on community-driven content.

On the subject of Doom running inside other games, this is far from the first time modders have pulled it off. Doom has even been made to run inside Minecraft before.

Still, seeing it working inside Hytale before the game has even been released is an impressive showcase, and it gives me real confidence that the community is going to do some incredible things with it.

Hytale’s built-in support for mods and tools like CurseForge also lowers the barrier for creators to experiment. If that ecosystem takes off, it could give players a reason to stick around long after launch, which is exactly what has helped Minecraft stay relevant for more than a decade.

What do you think about Doom running inside Hytale and what it says about the game’s future. Drop your thoughts in the comments and let me know if this kind of modding makes you more interested in trying it.

Minecraft had one heck of a year in 2025, and it shows no signs of slowing down as we progress deeper into the new year. Mojang Studios wasted no time revealing details on the first game drop of 2026 for Minecraft, and it's looking adorable.

There's no name or release date, but we do know that Minecraft's debut update of the year will bring cute new redesigns of many baby mobs, including wolves, cats, cows, pigs, and more. It goes deeper than just the visuals, too.

I'm admittedly a little late to covering this, as I was extremely busy while in Las Vegas for CES 2026, but I want to spread the word and make sure everyone sees just how lovable the new baby mobs are. Oh, and let committed Minecraft players know they can go try out the new features right now via snapshots or previews.

Another Spring update that matches the season

You can watch the developer diary above for a succinct summary of the features confirmed for this update, but I'll give you the quick, written breakdown right here.

• New baby mobs. The headline for this update, at least right now, is the revisit to Minecraft's baby mobs. Mojang Studios has created custom models and textures for baby wolves, cats, chickens, cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, and ocelots. Yes, that includes all the regional variants for these mobs!
• New sounds and animations. For some of these mobs, the update goes deeper than just a visual refresh for babies. Wolf pups and kittens get all-new sounds, with unique yips, barks, mews, and yowls. Adult rabbits have also been redesigned, and they and their kits benefit from adorable new animations.
• Craftable name tags. Finally, the name tag has joined the saddle by becoming craftable in Minecraft. With a single gold nugget and a scrap of paper, you will now be able to craft name tags. That'll make it a lot easier to name all the pets you won't stop collecting.

If you remember, Minecraft started 2025 with the Spring to Life update, which felt very similar to this upcoming game drop in that it focused on diversity and detail in the Overworld. Mojang's Game Director, Agnes Larsson, also made the same comparison in the developer diary linked above.

As much as I absolutely adore these new baby mobs, I am hopeful that more is planned for this update before it actually rolls out to players, possibly in March of this year.

My favorite part? I'm already seeing the Minecraft community come together with some excellent suggestions for this upcoming update. It's still early days for Minecraft's first update of the year, too, so we have no idea what Mojang is already cooking up (and how it may respond to player feedback).

For example, what if there were a way to permanently preserve baby mobs? Perhaps by adding a "Lil" prefix or "Jr." suffix to name tags, or by feeding a baby mob something like a glistering melon (just to name a couple ideas from comments). New fox variants could also be awesome, especially if they were accompanied by redesigned, fluffier baby foxes.

I've also seen people wish they could properly tame and befriend rabbits like you can cats and dogs, and I fully understand the sentiment. There are plentiful neutral mobs like rabbits that can be bred by players, but bunnies are fairly popular (and very friendly) pets in real life, so why can't the same be said of Minecraft rabbits?

There's still a lot we don't know about this update, of course, so all we can do is keep letting Mojang know what we want and wait for fresh betas and news. While I'm on that topic, you can absolutely go test out the first new features I broke down above in the latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshots and Minecraft: Bedrock Edition previews.

What do you think about Minecraft's first update of the year? Is there anything you want to see Mojang Studios add to Minecraft in 2026? Let us know in the comments below!

Minecraft has been around for over 15 years now, but it's still showing no signs of slowing down. As 2025 properly ends and we usher in a new year, we're looking back at another year of Minecraft filled with fun, plenty of new updates, and some awfully big numbers that only this community can pull off.

Mojang Studios is joining in on the retrospective with some of those crazy stats, and is also giving away a free Inflatable Chicken Suit Character Creator item to anyone who logs into the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition dressing room right now.

Next year promises to be another big one for one of the world's most successful video games, but that doesn't mean we can't take a look back first. Let's get started.

Keeping track of Minecraft player shenanigans

First, Mojang shared this image at X.com (formerly Twitter), sharing some random stats from the community throughout 2025. Sorry for those of you who love updates on the number of copies Minecraft has sold, how many monthly active players Minecraft has, and other bigger statistics — this end-of-year breakdown doesn't take itself too seriously.

For one, the Minecraft community clearly loved the new copper golem mob added earlier this year, as we've already spawned nearly a billion of the helpful little guys. We're also clearly having a lot of fun with all the new mounts, because we tamed over 270 million of them and traveled over 335 billion combined blocks.

I guess most of us are still finding the saddles we need in treasure chests, though, because we only took advantage of our newfound ability to craft them 16 million times this year.

I would have also enjoyed some stats on how much we modded Minecraft: Java Edition or took advantage of the Minecraft Marketplace, but no such luck on those fronts.

A busy year filled with Minecraft updates

If I tried to recap everything major that happened with Minecraft in 2025, this article would end up looking more like a Wikipedia page than anything you'd actually want to sit and read.

I do want to take a few moments to hit Minecraft's biggest points of the year, though, starting with one of two Minecraft Live events Mojang hosted in 2025. I covered Minecraft Live (Mar. 2025), and it was filled with announcements on the game's first three updates of the year, A Minecraft Movie, and more.

Yes, Minecraft hit the silver screen in 2025, and it broke some records while doing it. I actually spoke with some of the team behind the Minecraft movie as it hit streaming services earlier this year, and Mojang also teased the Minecraft movie sequel coming in 2027.

Back to Minecraft, though, and we started the year with the Spring to Life update, which aimed to make the Overworld feel more diverse (while also adding plenty of quality-of-life improvements). Then, we got two updates in one with Vibrant Visuals and Chase the Skies, with the former finally upgrading Minecraft's iconic graphics and the latter letting us fly with our friends on happy ghasts.

Minecraft Live (Sept. 2025) arrived with a fresh wave of announcements, including all the details on what I consider to be Minecraft's best update of 2025, The Copper Age. Finally, we got a lot of new mobs and a brand-new weapon with Minecraft's final update of the year, Mounts of Mayhem.

That's not everything, of course. Mojang Studios announced a collaboration with Candy Crush's King to develop Minecraft Blast, an upcoming mobile game. Minecraft in 2026 will also look a little different, thanks to the removal of code obfuscation for modders and a change in how version numbers work.

I could say even more, but I'll leave it at this: Minecraft had quite the year. I'm excited to see what 2026 has in store, too. As a quick reminder right here at the end, Minecraft is also discounted across all platforms through the first week of 2026, too.

Minecraft had a big year filled with updates, events, and milestones — and 2026 isn't about to slow things down. What do you think of the state of Minecraft at the end of the year, and are you excited for what's coming next? Let us know in the comments below!

Minecraft just got turned a little upside down with its latest addition. Available now in the Minecraft Marketplace is an official Stranger Things DLC, timed perfectly with the final season of the smash hit Netflix show.

Better yet, if you buy it before January 25, 2026, you'll also get yourself a free Hellfire Club t-shirt character creator item.

I'll be the first to admit, I've never really got Minecraft. But I've had a lot of fun playing some of the other DLCs with my son, like the tie-in with the Monsterverse Godzilla movies. As a huge Stranger Things fan, I'm definitely going to be picking this up, though.

"Each season of Netflix’s Stranger Things becomes its own thrilling quest as you embark on this open world adventure. Spawn right into the 1980s and experience an unsupervised childhood of walkie-talkies, arcades, and coke-floats. Then let’s head out to investigate the spine-chilling goings-on in town with the gang..."

Fortunately for those of us actively invested in not having the end spoiled, the Stranger Things DLC only seems to focus on the first four seasons of the show.

That means the Mind Flayer, the gate from Season 2, Starcourt Mall, Vecna, and, of course, the Upside Down.

All faithfully recreated in Minecraft's signature blocky style. From the screenshots on the announcement blog, I have to say, an early favorite is definitely blocky Murray. Who doesn't love Murray?!

The Stranger Things DLC is available on almost all modern platforms Minecraft is currently available on. It's fairly intensive and requires at least 6GB of RAM, and, as such, is not available to players on the Nintendo Switch.

The Switch 2 should be fine given it has more available RAM for games, but the original version is out for now. The same goes for mobile devices, if you're playing on a phone or tablet, you need to have at least 6GB of RAM.

Grab the Stranger Things DLC right now from the Minecraft Marketplace, just in time for the Season 5 grand finale.

There's not a month that goes by that Minecraft isn't one of the best-selling video games across platforms, and it has been that way for a very long time. Minecraft doesn't need massive sales to be at the top, so it's not very often that we see a real deal for this legendary game.

Well, now is one of those times. Mojang Studios has discounted Minecraft on all platforms by 25% or more, making this Minecraft Java & Bedrock Edition PC bundle just $21.99 at Amazon.com. The sale is only lasting until Jan. 8, 2026, though, so take advantage of this holiday discount.

I don't think I have to sell Minecraft to you — it has been around since 2009, and it certainly didn't need my help to become a global cultural phenomenon. This blocky survival-crafting game continues to be one of the top-selling video games of all time, spanning multiple generations of gamers.

Minecraft is available practically everywhere, including Xbox, Windows PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and even other devices running Android, iOS, Linux, and macOS. Minecraft connects players across all of those devices, and absolutely thrives thanks to its bustling community of builders, miners, creators, and modders.

Of course, Mojang Studios also regularly updates Minecraft with new content and features. In fact, the Mounts of Mayhem game drop just recently rolled out as Minecraft's final update of the year, adding more mobs, a brand-new weapon, and more.

Minecraft is much more than just a video game at this point, but gaming is still the core of this franchise. Part of that success can be attributed to its modest price tag, too, hence why we rarely see every version of Minecraft go on sale. If you don't own Minecraft on a specific platform or want to buy it for someone else, this is the time to do it.

The Minecraft: Java Edition and Bedrock Edition bundle is only $21.99 at Amazon.com, right now, and the deluxe collection on Xbox is also just $21.99 at Amazon.com. Wherever you can play Minecraft, there's a good chance it's on sale (but exact discounts and end times may change depending on your region or platform). You can find all of those details at Minecraft.net.

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2025 was a big year for Minecraft, with two Minecraft Live events and four sizeable content updates. Yes, four — the holidays are here and the end of the year is looming, and Minecraft is enjoying its last 2025 game drop with Mounts of Mayhem (and the last update before Mojang changes how Minecraft version numbers work).

Announced during Minecraft Live (Sept. 2025), the Mounts of Mayhem content drop brings an all-new tiered weapon, several new mobs, and a lot of mounted combat. It's the perfect, chaotic way to cap off a varied year for the world's biggest survival game.

The Mounts of Mayhem update is now rolling out across Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and Minecraft: Java Edition platforms. Keep reading for the full dive into what this update brings, including some insights from my conversation with Mojang Studios' Senior Product Manager, Anna Lundgren.

Lots of chaos, lots of mobs

"It's nice to end the year with some mayhem," Lundgren told me toward the end of our brief conversation. True to its name, the Mounts of Mayhem update is a bit wilder than the previous three Minecraft game drops. Here's a breakdown of the new content it brings to the table.

• The spear: For the first time in many years, Mojang Studios has added a new tiered weapon to Minecraft, joining the sword and axe.
  • The spear is a melee weapon with extended minimum and maximum reach, and can be crafted with wood, stone, copper, iron, gold, diamond, or netherite.
  • The spear has jab and charge attacks, with the former dealing low damage and knockback, and the latter scaling damage and knockback based on material, angle, and velocity.
  • The spear is designed with mounted combat in mind, and can be used by players, zombies, husks, and piglins.
  • The spear also has the exclusive lunge enchantment, which changes the quick jab to a horizontal lunge, at the cost of durability and hunger.
• The nautilus: Mojang Studios has added a brand-new mount specifically for underwater adventures.
  • The nautilus spawns in all ocean biomes, with the incredibly rare coral nautilus sometimes spawning in the warm ocean biome.
  • The nautilus is a neutral mob, but can be tamed (and bred) with pufferfish.
  • The nautilus can be equipped with a saddle and new nautilus armor (functionally similar to horse armor).
  • When riding a nautilus, players get the "Breath of the Nautilus" effect, which halts loss of oxygen when underwater.
  • The nautilus also has a dash, similar to the camel (but underwater).
• Undead mounts: Players aren't the only ones to enjoy mounted combat — three new undead mounts are also being added.
  • The zombie horse now spawns naturally in Survival mode with spear-wielding zombie riders, and can wear horse armor for protection from the sun.
  • The camel husk can spawn in deserts with spear-wielding husks and parched riders, and is immune to the sun.
  • The zombie nautilus can spawn underwater with trident-wielding drowned riders.
  • All three undead mobs are hostile when ridden by a hostile mob, but are neutral and can be tamed (but not bred) when the hostile rider is killed.
• The parched: Mojang Studios also added a new hostile mob to Minecraft with the parched.
  • The parched is the skeleton archer counterpart to the husk, spawning in deserts with sun immunity.
  • The parched fires arrows of weakness, but shoots slower than normal skeletons.
  • The parched can also spawn with a husk riding a camel husk.
• Other changes: We've covered the big additions, but here are some other miscellaneous updates included in this game drop.
  • Horses, donkeys, camels, and other mounts no longer sink in water when riding them.
  • You can now upgrade diamond horse armor to netherite horse armor with a smithing table.
  • Minecraft: Java Edition now has new graphics presets and options.

"It has been a varied year," Lundgren said. "We had some very nice, lovable things for builders and explorers with Spring to Life. Chasing Skies gave us the happy ghast to go flying in the sky with your friends. We had a Copper Age with all the new copper things."

RELATED: Minecraft's Copper Age update | Minecraft's Chase the Skies and Vibrant Visuals updates

Now, we're closing the year with Mounts of Mayhem, which comes with some surprises, like the legendary zombie horse finally making it out of Creative mode.

"Unfortunately, the reason why the zombie horse never made it into Survival outside of using commands... That's a story that has been lost with time," Lundgren told me when I asked about it.

We also got more in this update than what we saw during Minecraft Live. "[Camel husks and parched] were part of the plan, but they weren't ready in development to show at Minecraft Live," Lundgren said.

Mojang has changed how it approaches updates and announcements, releasing smaller (but more frequent) updates and only showing off features when they're nearly ready to be released to Minecraft insiders for testing.

Lundgren listed horses being able to swim and the spear being her favorite features from the Mounts of Mayhem update, and teased that 2026 will be another big year for Minecraft.

If you want to see every change and addition included in Mounts of Mayhem, you can now check out the Minecraft: Java Edition 1.21.11 changelog and the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition 1.21.130 changelog.

Dark Craft is an upcoming free-to-play MMORPG that blends a blocky aesthetic reminiscent of Minecraft with a much darker fantasy tone and combat similar to a soulslike that immediately stood out to me.

It's almost like a modern take on those old hyper-realistic texture packs, but I mean that in the best possible way.

The game is set across a wide landscape filled with ruined structures and harsh terrain. Combat focuses on timing, stamina management, and the kind of precision fans of the soulslike genre should expect.

Should we get excited or temper expectations?

The developers behind the game are Take Top Entertainment, a studio mostly known for mobile titles. Its games vary in reception, but most sit above 3.5 stars on the Google Play Store. With that in mind, Dark Craft marks its first PC debut, at least as far as I can tell, and it is a very ambitious step forward.

The game is aiming for an open living world that promises constant activity. Enemy patrols, roaming NPCs, and world events are all expected to unfold naturally as you explore.

There is a lot on offer here, and if everything comes together, it could make a real impression in the MMORPG space. I especially like the idea of the Game Masters. This system is controlled by members of the team who can intervene in gameplay, command enemies, become world bosses, or ambush players.

Now, this system could cause issues and become rather unfair, meaning balancing will be a challenge, but I cannot think of another game using a system quite like this.

However, the free-to-play model does create some concerns. There is always a risk of microtransactions or pay-to-win elements appearing, and with the studio’s background in mobile games, some players may hesitate to give it a try.

Currently, there are no details on when we can expect the game to be released or if it will ever be available on platforms outside of PC, but this could be a game worth keeping your eye on if you’re a fan of Minecraft, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and dark fantasy in general.

Would you play it, or is it too strange a mix for your tastes?

Since day one, Minecraft has marked each major update with an incremental version number increase, but we've been stuck on version 1.21 since the release of the Tricky Trials update in Jun. 2024. Why? Because Mojang Studios changed how it updates Minecraft, focusing more on smaller, more frequent drops than massive annual releases.

Now, Minecraft version numbers are changing to match, and making them clearer and easier to understand in the process.

For many of us, this isn't world-shaking news, but it's still an important change for Minecraft as a whole — and especially for Minecraft creators and modders.

Previously, Minecraft releases were notated by a 1.x.x version number, with each major release getting a .1 increment — and patches for that update ticking up by .x.1. We've been stuck on 1.21.x for a while, though, with the most recent "The Copper Age" game drop being 1.21.9 for Java Edition and 1.21.110 for Bedrock Edition.

Under this new system, Minecraft's version number will simply be the year an update is released, followed by additional numbers counting the updates. So, The Copper Age would've been 25.3 for Java Edition and 25.50 for Bedrock Edition (Bedrock Edition's number being higher because that version is simply updated more frequently).

For patches and hotfixes, Java Edition will get an additional .x increment, and Bedrock Edition will count up from the "0" at the end; for example, 25.3.1 and 25.51, respectively.

This won't impact the game itself or the player experience at all, but it does streamline matters for developers and creators. It also makes snapshots and previews easier to understand, as they'll now fall under this new version numbering system — instead of something like "25w41a," (the first snapshot for the upcoming Mounts of Mayhem game drop), it'd instead be 25.4-snapshot-1.

These changes will begin taking effect next year (but previews are adopting these changes as soon as next week), so "Minecraft 1.x.x" is officially being retired. The Mounts of Mayhem update is releasing on Dec. 9, and the first update after (in the new year) will be Minecraft 26.1. You can read more about the change at Minecraft.net.

This is the second important (but admittedly boring, for most people) change to Minecraft's development Mojang Studios has announced recently, with the developer also committing to removing code obfuscation from Minecraft: Java Edition moving forward — a move that will massively improve how easy it is to mod the game.

As the holidays progress toward the inevitable conclusion of 2025, Mojang Studios is preparing to release one more update for Minecraft. Now, we know exactly when the Mounts of Mayhem game drop is coming to Minecraft players around the world.

We don't have long to wait, either, as Minecraft's final update of the year is officially set to release on Dec. 9, 2025, just under two weeks away. In fact, Mojang Studios has already begun testing near-final, pre-release snapshots and previews with Minecraft insiders.

Here's a quick recap of what you need to know about the Mounts of Mayhem update for Minecraft, to prepare yourself before its imminent arrival.

Lots of mounts and lots of mayhem are almost here

There's a fair bit of content included in the Mounts of Mayhem game drop, mostly revolving around, well, mounts. The headliner is the nautilus, a new tameable mob that lives underwater. When mounted, the nautilus preserves your oxygen, making underwater adventures easier.

Hostile mobs are also getting a variety of new mounting options, with the zombie nautilus for drowned, the zombie horse for zombies, and the new camel husk for husks and Minecraft's latest hostile mob, the sun-bleached parched skeleton.

To make mounts even more interesting, Mojang is also introducing a brand-new weapon: the spear. The spear can be used to jab, lunge, and joust, with damage that scales depending on your speed. Unlike the uncommon mace, too, the spear is easily crafted with the same materials as other tools and weapons.

It'll be interesting to see just how popular the spear and mounted combat become when Mounts of Mayhem arrives on Dec. 9 for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and Minecraft: Java Edition.

This is the last update of the year, but we do already know some of Mojang's plans for Minecraft in the new year, including the removal of code obfuscation from Java Edition for modding. We also know Mojang and King are working together on Minecraft Blast, a new mobile spin-off game.

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Minecraft is already one of the biggest and most successful video games ever released, and the main game is available on practically every device — including your smartphone.

One of the other true behemoths of the mobile gaming space is Candy Crush, and both of these brands are now a part of the Xbox family. Today, the teams behind these games announced a brand-new joint project to bring them together.

Minecraft Blast is official, but this may be the first you're hearing about it. Mojang Studios and King are keeping things quiet for now as they develop the newest mobile Xbox game, so here's what you need to know.

It's no Minecraft Earth, but I see why this is being made

At first glance, Minecraft Blast may not seem terribly exciting. This isn't Genshin Impact or some other wildly ambitious mobile game that will inevitably expand to other platforms; it'll be a match puzzle game, similar to the dozens (if not hundreds) of other match puzzle games that have been releasing on Android and iOS platforms for years.

Few people actively talk about these games, but match puzzle games continue to be some of the most-played and most-downloaded games on any platform. Millions of people who have never thought of themselves as "gamers" love these games as casual, addictive time killers, and Minecraft is a powerful and accessible brand that — in theory — is the perfect fit for a quality match puzzle game.

This isn't the first time Minecraft has gone beyond its open-world, survival sandbox roots; Mojang actually has a complicated history with attempts to spin off Minecraft into different gaming genres. A prime example is Minecraft Earth, the studio's first attempt to explore a pure, mobile-first Minecraft experience.

Minecraft Earth relied on Augmented Reality in an effort to capitalize on the explosive success of Pokémon Go, but ultimately failed and was shut down less than two years after its launch. Years later, Mojang is ready to take another crack at a mobile Minecraft game, this time assisted by one of the most successful mobile game developers of all time.

King is the studio and publisher behind the Candy Crush Saga, and it's the third part of the Activision family that officially joined Xbox in 2023. We don't talk much about King at Windows Central, because it's not a loud brand — Candy Crush is the champion of ultra-casual mobile gaming, and it quietly rakes in absurd amounts of cash. Now, King is Mojang Studio's sibling, so why not tag-team a new mobile game?

The product of that partnership isn't widely available yet and likely won't be anytime soon. Minecraft Blast is apparently in the early development stage, with this announcement flying under the radar because the finished product will likely look quite different than the early screenshots you can see above.

If you're asking why Mojang and King bothered announcing at all, it's because Minecraft Blast is kicking off highly limited, early playtests with select players within specific markets. Right now, that's only people living in Malaysia, on the iOS platform, who are okay with English as the game's language.

In time, we'll hopefully see more of Minecraft Blast as its playtests expand to more players, platforms, and regions ahead of its eventual release. You can check out the official Minecraft Blast page at Minecraft.net.

FAQ

Mojang Studios is already testing features for the next major Minecraft update, but that hasn't stopped the developer from announcing another big update coming to Minecraft in the future — except this one is very different.

Following the full release of the upcoming Mounts of Mayhem update, Mojang Studios will begin removing obfuscation from Minecraft: Java Edition. For most people, this will mean nothing; for modders, this will change everything.

Minecraft boasts one of the world's largest modding communities, so this update will affect a lot of people. Here's what you need to know.

Modding Minecraft is about to get a lot easier

Basically, Minecraft: Java Edition's source code — the game's "insides," if you will — is scrambled to disguise how the game truly functions. This process is called obfuscation, and it's very common in video game and software development. The problem, though, is that modders needed to meticulously piece together the code in order to create their mods.

Mojang Studios previously released "obfuscation mappings" to help modders match obfuscated terms and variables to un-obfuscated counterparts, but it wasn't solving the problem itself.

Now, Minecraft: Java Edition builds won't be obfuscated, starting with the first snapshot after the Mounts of Mayhem update. All of Mojang's original names will be intact, making Minecraft's code far clearer and easier to parse for modders.

To help the modding community make the transition (especially since many modding tools are built with Minecraft's obfuscation in mind), Mojang will also include experimental non-obfuscated previews starting with the next Java Edition snapshot.

You can read the original announcement at Minecraft.net. Minecraft players already accomplish incredible things, like building a working AI bot inside of Minecraft, and any move that makes it easier for modders to realize their vision is a positive in my books.

FAQ

Minecraft is scarcely the same game as what broke ground in 2009, and how could it be after over 15 years of constant updates and expansions? The way Minecraft is updated has changed a lot over time, too, and the latest behind-the-scenes video from Mojang Studios discusses exactly that.

The new video stars Jens Bergensten, Chief Creative Officer at Mojang, and Cory Scheviak, a Creative Lead. It's a short video with plenty of jokes and a lot of lessons about Mojang's current design philosophy for Minecraft, with new features balancing risk and reward.

When it comes to older features that don't fit the bill, Bergensten brought up the legendary Creeper, Minecraft's most explosive hostile mob. According to the Mojang veteran, the team likely wouldn't add the Creeper to Minecraft today — and I completely understand why.

When bad things happen, you should only have yourself to blame

I won't break down the entire video (it's on the shorter side and it's an enjoyable watch), but I can summarize. Minecraft is always in the process of evolving, and Mojang Studios carefully considers every new feature, including how players will use it, how it may affect the game long term, and how it interacts with other parts of the game.

When it comes to destruction and challenge, it's all about giving players a way to opt-in. "Bad things happen, but they're technically the player's fault," Bergensten said earlier in the video. Basically, Mojang wants challenge to be sought after in Minecraft — if you encounter trouble beyond your means, it's either because you actively chose not to avoid it or you failed to properly prepare yourself for it.

You choose to enter the End and challenge the Ender Dragon. You choose to summon the powerful Wither. You choose to begin Pillager Raids or seek out challenging Trial Chambers. You can also protect your homes from lightning strikes with the lightning rod, create Iron Golems to ward against hostile mobs, equip yourself with armor and powerful enchantments, and a million other ways to keep yourself safe.

Sometimes, "emergent changes," or unexpected interactions with new features, break this philosophy. The Enderman used to be able to pick up any block, which resulted in player builds and machines being destroyed. Iron Golems used to attack Creepers, which resulted in unnecessary and unpreventable destruction. Mojang made changes to these features, but what about the Creeper itself?

"If you would follow the rules that we have today," Bergensten said in the video, "we would probably not add the Creeper." The Creeper may be Minecraft's most iconic mob, but the community has a love-hate relationship with this silent bomber, which has annihilated countless player builds over the years.

"It would actually be so controversial to have a monster that would show up and just destroy what you've built," Bergensten continued, and I wholeheartedly agree. The Creeper is inseparable from Minecraft now, but if it was a new feature being added in 2025 there would be mass uproar from the community.

It's honestly not surprising to hear the Minecraft team take this stance. Minecraft is designed with a lot of different kinds of players in mind, and indiscriminate destruction would only be "fun" for the players that already actively seek out challenges.

That doesn't mean the Creeper is going anywhere, though, or that it's even changing — it's just indicative of how Mojang has to be smarter and more cautious when updating what has become the best-selling video game of all time, because players of all shapes, sizes, ages, skill levels, and play styles enjoy it.

If you want to hear more from Jens Bergensten, I actually interviewed him about 'A Minecraft Movie.' Speaking of, Mojang just teased the second Minecraft movie and gave a release date, too.

Minecraft is slated to receive one more update this year, and we're already seeing the first features hit early testing for interested players. A bit of time has passed since Mounts of Mayhem was announced, and now you can go hands-on with a decent chunk of it.

All the Mounts of Mayhem features shown during Minecraft Live (Sept. 2025) are present in the latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot, and Mojang Studios has already confirmed the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition preview will be able to join in on the fun soon.

There's one surprise here that wasn't included in all the best Minecraft Live (Sept. 2025) announcements, though, and it makes the Mounts of Mayhem update even more exciting. Here's what you need to know.

The first Mounts of Mayhem features... and one big surprise

Just to recap, the Mounts of Mayhem update is the fourth game drop of 2025 for the long-running survival-crafting game. As the name suggests, this update is all about rideable mounts... with a few extras on top.

This first preview includes all the features first revealed for the update, including the spear. This is a brand-new, tiered melee weapon for Minecraft, joining the sword and axe as your blade of choice. The spear is excellent for jabbing at your opponents from a safe distance, but it can also be used to charge — the faster you move, the more damage it deals. The spear even has an exclusive "Lunge" enchantment that surges you forward.

All that makes it ideal for mounted combat, as it can be used with the horse, camel, or anything else you can ride and control. That includes the nautilus, a new tamable mob joining the Minecraft ecosystem with Mounts of Mayhem. The nautilus is an underwater creature that can freeze your oxygen levels, keeping you safe from the dangers of drowning.

Mojang also announced zombie nautiluses and revealed that the zombie horse is hitting survival, but originally positioned those two as hostile mounts for drowned and spear-wielding zombies, respectively.

In this first preview, though, you're actually able to tame zombie mounts, too! The prerequisite is that you skillfully dispatch their angry riders, of course, but you can absolutely tend to a herd of undead equines or bond with a rotting cephalopod. I think this is awesome, so hopefully the feature sticks around (the wording of Mojang's announcement post suggests it's not completely set in stone).

I'm positive we'll see the Mounts of Mayhem update get other new features and changes before it arrives across all platforms during the holidays later this year. For now, Java Edition players can go test these first features right now (and Bedrock players won't have to wait long)!

In case you missed it, Mojang also recently teased the second Minecraft movie, and we already know it's release date, too.

'A Minecraft Movie' was released earlier this year, and despite some mixed reception, it has ended up as one of the most successful movies of 2025. This colorful, light-hearted live-action adventure, starring big names like Jack Black and Jason Mamoa, has earned quite a bit of praise.

It seems it won't take another decade for a follow-up to arrive, fortunately, as Mojang Studios has already begun teasing a sequel. The Minecraft creators took to social media today to share a picture of some familiar, very real looking pickaxes and a simple message: "See you in theaters Jul. 23, 2027."

Nothing is directly confirmed, there's no trailer, and we don't even have an official name for the Minecraft movie sequel, but this teaser is still pretty obvious. Minecraft is returning to the big screen just over two years after the first movie debuted, assuming there aren't any delays or changes in plan.

Endless possibilities for the next Minecraft adventure

You can see the teaser above, and it doesn't take long to absorb all of it. Minecraft is continuing to expand with a new live-action adventure, and we have an initial release date for when it will be released. That's it.

We don't know for certain if any of the original cast are returning, including Jack Black, Jason Mamoa, Sebastian Hansen, Emma Myers, or Danielle Brooks. I can't even tell you that the second Minecraft movie will be directly connected to the events of the first — it's A Minecraft Movie, after all, and that means endless possibilities.

Actually, I interviewed members of the 'A Minecraft Movie' team as the film hit streaming services, and this quote from Jens Bergensten, Chief Creative Officer at Mojang Studios, sums it up perfectly:

"Minecraft is a game in which the players create their stories, and we wanted to keep that nature for the movie as well. We’re not telling the story about Steve, this is clearly a version of Steve, and a potential seed of Minecraft."

What I can say right now is that I'm already excited. I had a blast seeing A Minecraft Movie in theaters with my daughter, and I'll absolutely be taking her to see this one, too.

It's definitely an interesting decision to tease the sequel so far in advance, with no trailer or other details to share, but it does match Warner Bros.' approach for the first movie. We'll likely begin seeing proper trailers toward the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027.

Whatever story it'll tell and whatever name it'll carry, the next live-action Minecraft Movie is set to arrive in theaters on Jul. 23, 2027. In the meantime, you can go stream (or buy) 'A Minecraft Movie' right now, or get caught up on other Minecraft news with my in-depth breakdown of Minecraft Live (Sept. 2025).

Popular Minecraft creator — and I guess you could say inventor — has done it again, this time with CraftGPT. Sammyuri has built a ridiculously complex creation that shows just how much of a sandbox Minecraft can truly be.

For those who aren’t familiar, Sammyuri is known for pushing Minecraft to its absolute limits. Their last major project was nothing short of surreal: building a working version of Minecraft inside Minecraft. After a three-year break, Sammyuri has returned with something even more ambitious — a 5-million parameter chatbot constructed from 439 million blocks.

Inside CraftGPT

CraftGPT is a small language model built fully inside Minecraft using pure Redstone, with no command blocks or data packs. It won’t rival modern AI models, but what it achieves is still remarkable given the fact that it exists entirely within the game.

Trained on the TinyChat dataset, CraftGPT can handle very short conversations. It runs on just over 5 million parameters, which sounds like a lot, but is tiny compared to ChatGPT’s billions.

Sammyuri also shared the technical details behind the project, including its limited vocabulary, six network layers, quantization methods, and 64-token context window. All of these are scaled down compared to real-world AI, but that doesn’t make them any less impressive, given the constraints of building an AI out of Minecraft blocks.

The scale of this build is almost impossible to wrap your head around. It’s no wonder Sammyuri hasn’t uploaded in three years.

CraftGPT uses over 430 million blocks, with the structure itself measuring 1,020 by 260 by 1,656 blocks. A mod was even needed just to capture the sheer size of the build, because it’s too large for the game to render properly on its own.

Sammyuri’s redstone legacy

This isn’t the first time Sammyuri has pulled off something beyond impressive in Minecraft. From building Minecraft inside Minecraft to creating a 1Hz CPU called CHUNGUS 2, their projects always push the game’s limits in ways that feel almost impossible.

I have no idea what could come next, or when we’ll see another creation, but the scale of what Sammyuri can achieve is unfathomable. While CraftGPT isn’t exactly fast — it can take up to two hours to generate a reply — it proves once again how versatile Minecraft really is.

The future of AI in Minecraft

Whilst Sammyuri’s project is a very different kind of achievement, other tools bring Minecraft and AI together. One of the most notable is CreativeMode, an AI-powered platform that lets players type ideas into a chat and automatically generate a working mod for Java Edition.

This makes modding far more accessible. Traditionally, it has been a challenging but rewarding process for those willing to learn the skills, and CreativeMode lowers that barrier significantly.

The tool is still a work in progress, though. At the moment, it can only create items, blocks, or mob-related content, with support for structures, biomes, and full mods listed as coming soon on the website. You can also browse what other users have made, ranging from pistols to the Infinity Gauntlet, and more.

It isn’t the only example of AI in Minecraft, either. Some creators are training AI agents to play and learn the game, often as experiments or for YouTube content. Even if these uses are more entertainment-focused, it’s still fascinating to see how AI is finding its place in Minecraft.

I’m not entirely sold on an all-in AI future, but it’s hard to deny how impressive these projects are. What Sammyuri has built is mind-boggling, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Microsoft's Minecraft just dropped one heck of an update for users on Bedrock and Java Edition. Welcome to the Copper Age!

According to the official Minecraft website:

"Minecraft has entered The Copper Age! Express yourself in every shade of copper as you transform this versatile metal into handy tools, shiny armor, gleaming light sources, oxidizing decor, smart storage, and even lively mechanical companions known as copper golems. Whether scraped or oxidized, this is the start of a new clonking era of creativity! Unearth the power of copper in Minecraft now!"

New chests that can be sorted without mods?! Are you kidding me? This is awesome!

I'm thrilled to jump back into either edition, whichever one I can get my friends to join me in. Personally, I've become a Bedrock fan for the simplicity of life without people bemoaning me to play with a 200+ modpack on their dedicated server.

I did that whole thing for a good 15 years; sometimes, I want to play what the developer has created.

Some highlights include, but are not limited to:

Copper Golem

• The Copper Golem is a new mob that can be spawned by placing a Jack o'Lantern or Carved Pumpkin on top of a Copper block.
• Copper Golems oxidize over time and can be waxed like Copper blocks.
• If the Copper Golem is fully oxidized and not waxed, it will turn into a Copper Golem Statue.
• Copper Golems can help with sorting items into Chests.

Long story short, make sure to wax your golems to keep them in peak performance. I can't wait to go around my server telling people to keep their golems waxed.

New Copper Decorations:

• Copper Torch
• Copper Bars
• Copper Chain
• Copper Lantern

The fact that all these items will oxidize over time is so cool to me. I know Minecraft isn't the first game to have some sort of oxidization, that crown goes to Terraria and Hobo: Tough Life (That's a real game), but I love this feature.

I know I already said I wanted to try playing through this without mods, but now I'm imagining myself creating a mod that allows golems to self-wax themselves in a room to prevent oxidation. I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.

There are tons of other items that have been added along with the Copper Age update, not to mention a slew of interactions like enchanting, durability, and more.

If you're interested in checking out the full patch notes for the Bedrock Edition or Java Editions, click the respective links.

As for other things I need to test and check out, how cool would it be if copper doors changed their open/close noise based on the level of oxidation the door has gone through? Or, for that matter, what if they did it with every form of moving copper block in the update?

Imagine a copper golem walking around, generating some creaky noises because it's becoming overrun with oxidation. Perhaps that's already in-game, but I haven't had a chance to check it out since I'm too busy writing about the update that just dropped.

I also need to check out whether golems, which become statues once fully oxidized, can be brought back to life once waxed. If not, then keeping my golems all clean and shiny is going to become another chore I'll pass onto my wife, who swears up and down that all she likes to do is keep the area tidy and mine!

What about this Copper Age update catches your attention? Let us know below in the comments or on social media, we'll be sure to check out whatever it is you have to say!

I began my time with Windows Central writing about Minecraft, and I'm still called up to bat every time Xbox and Mojang Studios drop some fresh news. I've covered every Minecraft Live show since its inception, bringing all the latest announcements straight to you.

This time, however, I had to travel across the country for some super-secret work (which you'll learn about in due time), and was unable to tune into Minecraft Live (Sept. 2025). My colleagues were fortunately here to make up for my absence, but I can't allow myself to fall behind on all things Minecraft.

For myself and anyone else who missed this Minecraft Live, here are all the announcements you need to know from the event — and how I feel about them as a big Minecraft fan.

Minecraft's last update of 2025 gives us new ways to move

Minecraft has already enjoyed multiple updates this year with Spring to Life, which added a ton of diversity to the Overworld, Happy Ghasts, which added a new flying mount alongside Vibrant Visuals, and The Copper Age... which actually comes out tomorrow, but I'll talk more on that in a moment.

Turns out, we're getting a fourth "game drop" just in time for the holidays, and Mojang has already given us the name: Mounts of Mayhem. No, not "mounts" like "mountain," this update is about getting around Minecraft in style. I guess the new Happy Ghast can't claim all the glory this year.

There will inevitably be other new features added to Minecraft through the Mounts of Mayhem update when it drops later this year, but for now, you can effectively split this update into two parts: mounts and combat.

On the first front, Mojang is adding a new underwater mob called the Nautilus, and this helpful cephalopod can be tamed with pufferfish, equipped with a saddle (and even new Nautilus armor that you can find in treasure chests), and used to traverse the depths of the oceans in style.

The Nautilus is freely controlled, possesses a "dash" ability like the Camel, and even grants a "Breath of the Nautilus" effect that pauses your breath meter when riding it — letting you explore, build, and fight without worrying about drowning. You can also tame multiple Nautilus, and breed them together to get the most adorable little tentacle monster you ever saw.

Hostile mobs are also benefitting from this update, however. Undead Zombie Nautilus can also spawn with an angry Drowned on their back, pursuing you at high speeds while hurling tridents. Up on land, the Zombie Horse makes its Survival Mode debut as the mount of choice for elite Zombies, and those opponents will be equipped with the second part of the Mounts of Mayhem update.

The Spear is the latest weapon to join the Minecraft armory, and it's not like the Mace that was added in the Tricky Trials update — the Spear is a tiered weapon just like the Sword, and can be easily crafted by any player with two sticks and your best material.

A basic "stab" attack still provides more range than Minecraft's other close-quarters weapons, but where the Spear really shines is with charging. Lowering the spear will deal damage to any that meets its point, and that damage scales depending on how fast you're moving.

Finally, we have a viable option for defending ourselves while mounted on a Horse, Camel, Nautilus, Happy Ghast, or any other mount... but mounted Zombies will carry the same weapon, so we'll have to be wary of those high-speed attacks.

I think the Spear looks great and I'm excited to see what enchantments can be applied to it, but I'll be even more excited if this update brings full combat parity across Minecraft versions. The Java Edition still has the more interesting and dynamic combat mechanics.

We're one day away from a copper revolution in Minecraft

Next up, we have an update I've already covered extensively. The Copper Age isn't a mystery to many Minecraft players at this point, but what we did learn during this Minecraft Live is when The Copper Age is rolling out to everyone.

It's sooner than you might expect, too. The Copper Age is the latest Minecraft game drop, arriving across Bedrock and Java Editions on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. Indeed, that's tomorrow, if you're reading this article on the day it went live.

You can refer to my earlier coverage to get a more in-depth breakdown of everything The Copper Age entails, but I'll provide a quick summary here.

As the name suggests, The Copper Age update is all about making copper a more useful and impactful ore in Minecraft. I actually briefly spoke to Anna Lundgren, Senior Product Manager at Mojang Studios, about this game drop and how important community feedback was to shaping it.

Players can expect a new, friendly mob in the form of the Copper Golem, which you don't tame but build, just like the Iron Golem. The Copper Golem interacts with Copper Chests for automatic item sorting, oxidizes over time like other copper blocks, can freeze into Copper Golem Statues that give off redstone signals depending on their pose, and can even receive beautiful flowers from their Iron Golem friends (a feature that was actually added later on because of the Minecraft players).

We're getting a lot more room to be creative with copper thanks to multiple new decorative blocks, and the gap between stone and iron gear will no longer be quite so daunting thanks to a full suite of copper armor, weapons, tools, and even mount armor. One of the best new features, though, is the shelf, which allows you to quickly swap out your hotbar inventory with displayed items and stacks.

The Copper Age honestly looks like a fantastic update with an extremely consistent theme. I don't think we'll see anyone else complaining about the usefulness of copper after this game drop arrives tomorrow.

Minecraft collaborations keep getting better

Mojang Studios announced two new collaborations for Minecraft during the event, and while the upcoming Dragon Ball Z DLC definitely stole headlines, it's actually the other that is personally more interesting to me.

Minecraft has teamed up with Conservation International, a non-profit organization committed to protecting the earth we all share to create the Friendly Fishing Add-On, a fishing adventure that adds over 100 new aquatic mobs, new structures and buildings, unique armor and villager types, and more.

The best part? Microsoft has donated $100,000 to Conservation International, and for the next three months 100% of net proceeds from sales of the add-on will also go toward the organization's conservation efforts. You can buy the Friendly Fishing Add-On right now for 990 Minecoins at the Minecraft Marketplace.

In other news, Mojang also did tease an official Dragon Ball Z Add-On for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, too. While we don't know a ton about the add-on itself, other than that it'll transport us to one of anime's most iconic universes, players can get onboard the hype train right now.

Until Nov. 4, 2025, all Minecraft players can go collect their free Super Saiyan Hair Character Creator item for free from the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Marketplace. The Dragon Ball Z DLC may still be stuck in the future, but we can all go Super Saiyan right now.

We've seen Minecraft team up with some of the biggest franchises across video games and movies in the last few years, so I can't say I'm shocked we're finally seeing Dragon Ball Z.

A good Minecraft Live that I'm sad I missed

I've already spilled a lot of words on what happened during Minecraft Live (Sept. 2025), so I'll make my conclusion short. This event was short (less than thirty minutes if you don't count the pre- and after-shows), but we still got quite a lot.

The Copper Age is shaping up to be my favorite Minecraft update of the year so far, and I'm already really excited to see what Mojang adds to the Mounts of Mayhem game drop that wasn't revealed during the initial announcement.

Maybe, with a Nautilus companion and a spear in my hand, I'll finally, properly explore Minecraft's oceans. I'll be honestly, I could never really be bothered to set up gear for breathing, mining, and surviving in those murky depths.

Mojang Studios just got done sharing what's coming to Minecraft in just a few days with The Copper Age, but the team isn't slowing down there, and we already have a good idea what to expect with the next game drop coming soon.

Minecraft's next game drop is called Mounts of Mayhem, and it's diving deep into the sea for some new ways to play revealed during the latest Minecraft LIVE on Saturday.

What is included in Minecraft Mounts of Mayhem?

Mounts of Mayhem is introducing a new mob: The Nautilus! This deep-dwelling tentacled beastie can also be tamed using Pufferfish, providing the perfect mount for exploring the darkest, coldest parts of the ocean.

The Nautilus is extra-useful as a mount because it pauses your oxygen bar, negating the need to surface for air. Players can also craft Nautilus Armor with iron, gold, diamond, and even Netherite, adding protection for the noble underwater steeds.

Of course, if you manage to tame a mommy and a daddy Nautilus, you can naturally produce baby Nautiluses, which look absolutely adorable.

The Nautilus is a new mob though, which means it's also dangerous under certain circumstances. Water-dwelling zombies will ride on the back of Zombie Nautiluses, throwing tridents at you.

This update is also introducing a new weapon, the spear. This elegant tool is easy to craft, and can be used to jab at opponents from a safer distance than many other melee weapons. It can even be used for jousting on horseback!

The ever-copying Zombies aren't going to just let you have that advantage however, and have taken to Zombie Horseback, roaming the game world at night.

Mounts of Mayhem does not currently have a release date, but is expected to launch at some point in Holiday 2025, so players won't be waiting too much longer past the Copper Age to go diving into the depths with tentacled friends.

Minecraft has had a huge year so far

It's been a pretty big year for Minecraft, with A Minecraft Movie arriving and hitting some impressive numbers at the box office.

Produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment in collaboration with Mojang, A Minecraft Movie almost reached a billion dollars in theaters, and is now the second-highest grossing video game film adaptation of all time, only sitting behind Nintendo and Universal's The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It's also currently available for purchase on digital and 4K Blu-ray.

A sequel to A Minecraft Movie is currently in development, though we'll be waiting a bit to learn more.

Meanwhile, the previously-mentioned Copper Age update is set to go live on September 30. This update adds the long-awaited Copper Golems, as well as introducing Copper as a useful resource for many other aspects of the game.

Mojang Studios also showed another crossover collaboration during Minecraft LIVE, with Dragon Ball Z Super Saiyan hair available to claim for free until Nov. 4, 2025.

Minecraft remains the biggest game in the world, having sold a mind-boggling 350 million copies as of this year.

Minecraft is currently available on practically every gaming platform, including Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. As an Xbox first-party game, it's also included in Xbox Game Pass.

During Minecraft LIVE Sept. 2025, an upcoming partnership with Dragon Ball Z was teased, but in the best way ever.

For a limited time, Minecraft Bedrock Edition players can get one free Super Saiyan Hair Character Creator item. This Dragon Ball Z hair will be free to claim until November 4, 2025, at 10am PT. After that, players will have to purchase it if they want it.

More details about the Minecraft x Dragon Ball Z partnership will be revealed later this year, so we at Windows Central will keep an eye out for any more news regarding this collaboration.

MORE MINECRAFT LIVE NEWS: Minecraft's next drop is Mount so Mayhem | The Copper Age update drops in days

Minecraft has been doing collabs with several different franchises, and I'm excited for that to continue

Over the last few years, Minecraft has done collaborations with several different franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Mario, Hello Kitty and Friends, and many more. The special content made with these partnerships brings additional fun to the game, along with new objects and items.

Minecraft continues to be one of the most played games in the world, so it isn't too surprising that more partnerships are still being planned for the game. Now, I didn't see this collab with Dragon Ball Z coming, but I'm happy that it is on the horizon and slated to release later this year.

Obviously, we haven't seen everything that is officially coming with the Dragon Ball Z content, but it looks like there are some fun skins, including Goku with this iconic clothing and spikey black hair.

I'll be shocked if we don't see some fun emotes with iconic Dragon Ball Z poses in there as well, but we'll have to wait and find out to know for sure.

Of course, whenever a game gets a fun collab, it makes my mind wander and think about other fun partnerships that could happen down the line, so I started daydreaming about future Minecraft partnerships.

Given that Microsoft owns Minecraft's Mojang Studios, it would be fun to see more Xbox character crossovers, from series such as Spyro the Dragon, World of Warcraft, or even Fallout.

I'd love to run around as The Ghoul, accompanied by my blocky Dogmeat companion, as we take down Creepers, Zombies, and more.

In case you didn't already know, a Minecraft Master Chief Mash-Up Pack already exists, and there was even a Banjo-Kazooie skin pack DLC during the Xbox 360 era, so just about anything is possible.

For now, we'll have to wait and see what the upcoming Minecraft x Dragon Ball Z DLC has in store for us and dream of what other franchises may come to the sandbox game down the road.

But before I sign off, I just want to remind Bedrock Edition players to get your Super Saiyan Hair Character Creator item while it's free. If you wait until after November 4th at 10am PT, your only option will be to purchase it.

Have fun mining and crafting, and enjoy the other exciting new developments revealed during the latest Minecraft LIVE.

During Minecraft Live Sept. 2025, we finally learned that the "Copper Age" update will be releasing on Sept. 30, 2025 — that's only three days away!

In true Minecraft fashion, this update brings with it a wide set of new features, not just the ability for Copper things to oxidize and turn green. One thing's sure, there are a lot of new objects and features for players to check out.

MORE MINECRAFT LIVE NEWS: Minecraft's next drop is Mount so Mayhem | Minecraft teases Dragon Ball Z collab

Everything in Minecraft's 'Copper Age' update

Below is a quick list of all of the new features coming to Minecraft with the 'Copper Age' update.

My colleague Zachary Boddy previously detailed everything that makes Minecraft's 'Copper Age' update worthwhile, so if you want a detailed dive into everything this update has to offer, you can go to that article.

• Oxidizing copper objects: Lightning rods, lanterns, torches, chains, bars, and just about anything made out of copper can oxidize and turn green. You can keep oxidizing objects orange using wax, if desired.
• Copper golems: Organizational creatures that are summoned using carved pumpkins and copper. They help organize your chests by putting similar items near each other. However, if wax isn't applied regularly to your copper golems, they will oxidize and turn into statues. When they turn into a statue, they will strike a pose. You can connect a redstone comparator to your copper golems to create contraptions.
• Iron golems are sweet to copper golems: When the larger iron golems meet copper golems, they will gift them a flower, which the copper golem will store on their head. Awww!
• Copper chest: This new block oxidizes just like other copper things if it isn't waxed. You can get your first copper chest by summoning a copper golem. As expected, copper golems will keep copper chests organized.
• Copper tools and weapons: This new tier of equipment doesn't oxidize. The tools offer speed and durability that's somewhere between iron and stone. Meanwhile, copper armor is more durable than leather but less so than iron.
• Shelves: Get ready to show off your treasures in a more organized way with shelf blocks, which can display up to three items at once. You can also power shelves using redstone to more quickly swap items from shelves into your inventory.

Minecraft is the game that keeps on giving

Few games have continued to get update after update like Minecraft has, and it's honestly very impressive. But then, I would expect nothing less for the most played game in the world.

It's fun new content like that that gives loyal fans even more reasons to keep playing, while giving anyone who's taken a break a reason to dive back in.

I'm personally looking forward to the fun new decorating effects that oxidizing copper will bring to my creations. In fact, with Halloween approaching, I'm getting a hankering to create a haunted mansion filled with green lanterns, chains, and bars. Vibrant orange pumpkins and flames will stand out really nicely against that color scheme, too. I can't wait to get started!

Of course, being able to more easily organize my items with the help of those adorable little copper golems and shelves will make it a lot more convenient to store my various treasures and mined goods. Not to mention, when I decide I want to craft things or want to head out fully stocked on adventures, it will be easier to find the things I need.

Thankfully, we don't have all that long to wait until the 'Copper Age' update comes to Minecraft on Sept 30, 2025.

On September 16, 2025, Minecraft unveiled Reed Smart: AI Detective, an innovative educational game that empowers 8-18-year-olds to navigate the complexities of AI misinformation while solving engaging, film noir-inspired cases—instilling vital information literacy skills for the digital age.

Reed Smart: AI Detective is an interactive adventure game fashioned after film noir detective stories, where the player must assist detective Reed Smart in solving a case where the perpetrator is misusing AI.

Along the way, Reed Smart will teach real-life lessons to the player on how AI can be used to spread misinformation through convincing deepfake videos, and how to avoid being tricked by AI to uncover the truth.

Reed Smart: AI Detective is broken down into three acts:

• Case 1: The Deepest Fake — Case 1 teaches the players how convincing AI-generated videos can be, and tasks them to discover which video is fake by looking beyond surface-level appearances and using multiple sources to info in context.
• Case 2: An Ode to Deception — Case 2 educates the players on AI detection tools, their pros and cons, and how relying too much on technology without applying your own human judgment, can lead to false accusations.
• Case 3: Dine & Deceive — Case 3 demonstrates how AI can convince uninformed people by conjuring up wrong information, and what the player can do identify false information through the use of verification, even when AI uses authoritative language.

To solve these cases, players will need to interview eyewitnesses to put claims in context, cross-reference their statements with evidence, identify when AI is being misused to create false testimonies, and collect all credible sources together to discover the truth.

As players solve cases, Reed Smart: AI Detective will teach players important information literacy skills to help discern fake information spread by AI, not just in-game, but in real life too.

These skills range from lateral reading, fact-checking multiple sources to verify the credibility of any information, and employing 'critical ignoring' to prevent your attention span from being hijacked by eye-catching online content.

The game will inform the player when they catch AI in the act by slowly filling the black and while, film-noir world with vibrant colors, symbolizing their growth in information literacy.

Help your kids discern fake AI info today with Reed Smart: AI Detective

Personally speaking, it's pretty cool to see Microsoft and Minecraft launch a program like this to help young kids avoid tricks and scams from people misusing AI, packaged in a fun and interactive manner.

In fact, I believe this program could even help older folks discern deepfakes and misinformation, especially if they never grew up with access to computers or the internet, which might have helped them acclimate to modern technology.

It's important to fact-check all sources of information, whether they're human or AI-made, before coming to your own conclusions, because, as the old saying goes, "Do not believe everything you read".

If you wish to help your family avoid being conned by crooks using AI to spread false information, Reed Smart: AI Detective is available to download right now on the Minecraft: Education Library for licensed users of Minecraft: Education (with a demo for free users), and on the Minecraft Marketplace for Minecraft: Bedrock players.

If you wish to delve even further into AI Literacy training, check out Microsoft's Reed Smart support materials, AI Foundations lessons, and a one-hour online training course.

Minecraft is so big, one event a year to announce upcoming updates and developments apparently isn't enough. Minecraft Live now comes around twice a year, and the second round for 2025 was just announced.

Mojang Studios has released the teaser trailer for a new show, where we expect to see all the features of "The Copper Age" update, brand-new upcoming game drops, behind-the-scenes looks, and... possibly more?

I'll share everything you need to know and add some speculation of my own, but the headlining news: Minecraft Live airs on Sept. 27, 2025. Let's get deeper into the weeds, now.

What you need to know about the next Minecraft Live

You can check out the new cinematic trailer for Minecraft Live above. Like usual, it's colorful and fun and silly, but doesn't really tell us all that much about the show itself. So, here's the quick rundown of how to watch Minecraft Live, and when you'll be able to tune in.

• Minecraft Live airs on Sept. 27, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CEST.
• Minecraft Live will be streamed in the below places, in addition to TikTok and Instagram.
  • Minecraft.net/live
  • YouTube.com/Minecraft
  • Twitch.tv/Minecraft
• Closer to the date, we expect more specific links, including for audio description, sign language, and other alternative streams.
• Officially, this Minecraft Live will feature upcoming game drops, new information from the developers, and a "Dig Deep After Show" where developers and guests will go hands-on with new features.

What am I expecting to see at this Minecraft Live?

Now that Mojang Studios has moved to smaller (but more frequent) "game drops," individual updates tend to be less exciting. That being said, the last Minecraft Live event was packed from end-to-end, so the second event of the year has some big shoes to fill.

Mojang will likely lead with "The Copper Age," the next Minecraft update that brings the Copper Golem back from the mob graveyard and adds a plethora of new copper-focused features. It's an interesting update that recently earned its name — but not a release date.

It's reasonable to assume Mojang will announce a release date for The Copper Age game drop during this Minecraft Live, but I honestly expect Mojang to shadow drop the new update during the event. Only three days separated the last Minecraft Live from the following Minecraft update, after all.

Either way, Minecraft team members will probably show off all the new features included in The Copper Age that weren't a part of the initial announcement, including shelves, new copper decorative blocks, and more.

The Copper Age will be the third game drop of the year, and we're practically guaranteed to get a fourth for the winter season. During this upcoming Minecraft Live, Mojang Studios will announce at least one game drop to arrive after The Copper Age, but it's anyone's guess what that update will actually bring to players.

I hope that what could be the final Minecraft update of 2025 sends the year off with a bang, and I'd love to see a properly new hostile mob, too (while we're at it, the Bedrock Edition still needs the combat improvements that Java has had for ages). Whatever it ends up being, hardcore players likely won't have to wait long after the event for the first features to begin hitting snapshots and previews.

Mojang is keeping its cards close to its chest right now, though, so I unfortunately can't speculate much more than that. What I do know is that we will not see the return of the Minecraft Live Mob Vote — that's still very much dead, and good riddance.

The next Minecraft update is rarely a secret, thanks to how Mojang Studios works with the community to develop new features and improvements, but that doesn't make it any less exciting.

Today, a couple of months of development are nearing a close with the long-awaited announcement of a name. "The Copper Age" is the next official Minecraft update (and the third of the year), and it's bringing a ton of interesting new content to the legendary survival game.

When the third Minecraft Game Drop of 2025 was first announced, it was pretty clear what the theme was going to be. A long line of new snapshots and previews testing new features only confirmed the theme, and now there is not even a shadow of a doubt.

The Copper Age update is all about copper, the much-maligned ore that Mojang added to the game years ago to nearly no fanfare — mainly because there was very little you could actually do with copper.

That's finally changing, and dropping the name means Minecraft's next update is imminent. We don't have an exact date yet, but you can bet Mojang is intending to close out the summer with a coppery bang.

What can we expect from The Copper Age update?

Mojang's new update strategy for Minecraft means more frequent but ultimately more modest updates, and The Copper Age update mostly falls into that category. There's still quite a lot here, though, so I'll summarize what we know so far.

• Copper Golem & chests. The headlining feature for this update is the Copper Golem, a friendly mob that sadly lost a past Minecraft Live Mob Vote. Thankfully, Mojang is reviving our metallic friend.
  • A single block of copper and a carved pumpkin is all you need to make a Copper Golem, which will seek out nearby copper chests (also new) and take items out of them.
  • Copper Golems will then seek out nearby regular chests with the same items, and deposit what they're holding (in the case no matching chest can be found, they'll seek out an empty chest).
  • Yes, that means automatic chest sorting, and it's with cute friends!
  • Like other copper items, Copper Golems will oxidize over time and change in color. You can still halt or reverse that process with wax or an axe.
• Copper armor, weapons, & tools. A first in a while, Mojang also added a brand-new set of armor, weapons, and tools. As you probably already guessed, it's all copper.
  • Copper armor, weapons, and tools sit somewhere in between stone and iron in terms of durability and effectiveness.
  • There's also new copper horse armor, which has a chance of appearing in the same loot chests as other horse armor.
  • It likely won't be used for long, but copper should help bridge the gap between stone and iron gear.
• Decorative copper blocks. You could already make a ton of building blocks out of copper, but the ore just got a whole lot more interesting.
  • Mojang is also adding copper torches and lanterns, which also oxidize over time. Oh, and you can change the color of the copper torches. Yeah, you heard what I said.
  • There's also the new copper bars and chains, giving a nice alternative to the iron variants (with, once again, varying hues due to oxidization). Bees just became a lot more important with this update, too.
  • Oh, Copper Golems will turn into decorative statues if they become completely oxidized, too!
  • You can change their oxidization level like other copper blocks, and hitting a completely clean Copper Golem will revive it.
• Shelves & more. One of the most interesting features of the new update, for me at least, are shelves.
  • Shelves can display up to three item stacks at a time, and interacting with those items will swap whatever you're holding with that stack.
  • You can connect up to three shelves in a row to display nine items in a line.
  • Power those shelves with redstone, and interacting with the shelves will immediately swap your hotbar with those item blocks.
  • Yes, Minecraft effectively has loadouts now, letting you create hot-swappable loadouts for mining, exploring, farming, or anything else you want to do.
  • As a random side note, Mojang also gave each dye color a unique look. Cool.

Okay, Mojang, I think you added enough features to make copper a worthwhile addition to the game. It only took around four years, but who's counting? Jokes aside, I think The Copper Age looks like a great update, and is arguably the most exciting of the year (so far, we may get one more holiday update).

There's a good mix of content for all kinds of players, although I am curious when we'll next get a truly new hostile mob for the more adventurous types. How long has it been since Mojang added a boss-style mob to the game?

I'm happy with what we're getting this time around, though. It took humanity thousands of years to reach the Copper Age; it only took Minecraft a little over 16. Next stop: space travel?

Mojang has been on quite the copper frenzy lately. Between the introduction of the Copper Golem — a mob that originally lost the mob vote back in 2021, and new additions like copper tools and armor, it felt like copper had finally earned its spotlight in Minecraft.

I figured the copper renaissance had wrapped up. But with Snapshot 25w32a, it turns out Mojang had more in store for Minecraft than I expected.

Copper gets a glow-up in the latest Snapshot for Java Edition

In a surprising move, at least to me, Mojang released a new snapshot (August 5, 2025) that adds copper torches. They work just like regular torches but feature the distinct, oxidising look of copper.

If that’s not enough new light sources, copper lanterns have also been added, bringing the same ageing effect. Copper light sources also feature a green light source, marking the first new colored light source since the soul torch, added back in 2020.

It’s more than just things that brighten up your builds. Copper chains, a new visual variant of the existing chains (now renamed to iron chain), and copper bars have also made their debut. As you’d expect, both come with full oxidation stages to match the rest of the copper family of devices.

Crafting each of these new items is fairly straightforward:

• Copper Torch: Made using 1 Copper Nugget, 1 Stick, and 1 Coal
• Copper Lantern: Surround 1 Copper Torch with 8 Copper Nuggets
• Copper Chain: Place 1 Copper Ingot in the center with 1 Copper Nugget above it and 1 Copper Nugget below it
• Copper Bars: Crafted using 6 Copper Ingots

Is more to come with the Copper renaissance?

It seems like Mojang is really giving copper a much-needed boost beyond just decorative blocks. It’s going to be exciting to see what builders come up with using all these new additions — we’ve already seen some creative uses of copper golems as statues.

Copper now feels like it’s becoming a core building material. The oxidising stages add a layer of depth that makes builds feel dynamic and alive over time, especially as each copper block slowly changes, telling you how long it's been around for.

The addition of copper chains, bars, lanterns, and torches helps create a more cohesive set of building options, but it also highlights what’s still missing.

Copper trapdoors arrived in the 1.21 update, but we’re still waiting on things like copper fences and gates. If Mojang is open to adding copper torches, it feels like nothing is off the table.

Personally, I’d love to see copper used for beacons, just like iron, gold, diamond, and netherite. It would give copper a more meaningful role in the late game and reinforce its place as a mid-tier material.

It might not be the most useful option, but with how common copper is, and how great oxidised beacons could look, it does feel like it’d make for an interesting addition for those who appreciate how stylish copper blocks can look.

There’s still more I’d love to see from Mojang

Minecraft feels like it’s in full swing right now, with new additions landing all the time. After the recent introduction of shelves, it’s an exciting time to be into the game, we genuinely don’t know what’s coming next.

Personally, alongside copper fences, gates and such, I’d love to see more updates that breathe life into existing biomes. And I’m still holding out hope for a proper End update, since it definitely feels like the most underwhelming of the three dimensions.

Minecraft has already enjoyed a few pretty substantial updates in 2025, but there's at least one more slated for launch before the end of the year — and it's all about everyone's least favorite metallic ore, copper.

Well, the point of this Game Drop is to make copper less hated by making it more useful, and we already have a good idea of the new mechanics and features this update will include. As of the latest Minecraft Preview build, we now know one more feature coming in this as-yet-unnamed release.

I usually may not dedicate an entire article to one relatively modest feature entering testing with the Minecraft community, but I just rolled the credits on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, and after over 100 hours poured into this classic RPG, it makes sense that Minecraft adding new horse armor would amuse me a little.

So, let's go over what Mojang Studios has begun testing today, and I'll recap what we know of this upcoming Game Drop while we're at it.

Yay, horse armor!

Minecraft has had horses (and horse armor) for years now, but your options have been limited — and I feel like most people don't bother with horses anyway. This addition... isn't going to change anyone's mind, actually.

Keeping in theme with the rest of the upcoming Game Drop, Mojang Studios is adding copper horse armor to the game. You still can't craft it (boo, but at least we got craftable saddles in the last update), but it'll have the same chance of appearing in lootable chests as iron horse armor, and it has a protective value of 4.

It's so unexciting to me that it's funny, and I find it especially amusing that the screenshot Mojang Studios provided to highlight the new feature addition puts the armor-adorned horse in the background — because it's the rest of the update that actually matters.

Copper Golems, copper chests, copper tools, copper—

Likely to arrive either at the end of Summer or the beginning of Autumn, the next Minecraft update definitely has a consistent theme. The headlining feature is absolutely the resurrection of the Copper Golem, one of the fated losers of a past Minecraft Live Mob Vote.

Copper Golems are adorable, friendly little guys, but they also have some unique mechanics. For one, Copper Golems provide a way to sort your storage, as they'll take items automatically and stacks out of the new copper chests and move them to nearby standard chests that already contain those items (or put them in an empty chest if there's no better option).

They also oxidize like other copper blocks and can even be turned into decorative statues (don't worry, you can always bring them back to life).

Speaking of copper, Mojang Studios is also adding a new complete set of armor, weapons, and tools, which sits somewhere between stone and iron as a nice middle ground for the early game.

Finally, we're getting new shelves. These shelves can display up to three item stacks (like a much more advanced item frame), but also have a redstone interaction — power up to three shelves, and you can swap your hotbar with those items and vice versa in a moment's time. Yeah, it's effectively a way to build different loadouts.

Now we can add horse armor to that list. I have a feeling we're not going to see any more features added to this update before its release, but I'd love to be surprised by another copper addition that plays into redstone engineering.

If you want to learn more about the latest Minecraft preview build, which includes all of these features in testing (including the copper horse armor), you can read more at Minecraft.net.