The 'Caves and Cliffs Update' for Minecraft is massive, coming Summer 2021

Minecraft Caves and Cliffs Update Image
Minecraft Caves and Cliffs Update Image (Image credit: Mojang Studios)

What you need to know

  • Minecraft is a constantly evolving games, with new updates adding features, gameplay mechanics, mobs, and much more.
  • At Minecraft Live, we learned about the next major update for Minecraft, which has been dubbed the 'Caves and Cliffs Update.'
  • The Caves and Cliffs Update is absolutely massive, combining the "Mountain Update" that was most likely to be the next update with the "Cave Update" players have been requesting for years.
  • Because of the sheer size of the update, the Caves and Cliffs Update isn't due for release until the Summer of 2021.

We finally know what the next update for Minecraft is going to be. While the Nether Update is fantastic, Minecraft fans have been looking to the future and seeking out the next improvements enroute for the world's largest game, and Mojang Studios has officially delivered at Minecraft Live, revealing the absolutely humongous Caves and Cliffs Update. We have all the key information you need to know about what might be the biggest Minecraft update in years.

At Minecon 2019, Mojang Studios held a vote to decide on the next biome to be updated, and the Mountain biome won out. It was commonly speculated that a "Mountain Update" was next on the cards for Minecraft, possibly for a late 2020 release, but fans kept asking for the mythical "Cave Update" that has been a subject of conversation for a long while now. With the Caves and Cliffs Update, Mojang Studios will deliver both at once:

  • New generation for caves and mountains. Minecraft is about to get a whole lot more beautiful, with more diverse and creative generation planned for both caves and mountains. Caves, in particular, will get several different varieties, including lush caves filled with life, and dripstone caves filled with stalactites and stalagmites.
  • New mobs. Lots of new life is coming to Minecraft, with the devastating Warden hostile mob, the friendly and cute Axolotl underwater creature, and even mountain goats to adorn the sides of your local mountains.
  • Archeology system. A new form of mining will arrive with the Caves and Cliffs Update that sees players carefully excavate rare and fragile artifacts by brushing away debris rather than whacking things with a pickaxe.
  • Bundle items. Managing your inventory just got a whole lot easier, with a new "Bundle Items" feature planned for Caves and Cliffs that will allow players to bunch together similar things in their inventory.
  • New ores, items, and more. Search for the new copper ore, or gorgeous crystal geodes that can be mined for new crafting materials. With the Caves and Cliffs Update, there are going to be a ton of new crafting recipes including sculk sensors to detect movement, telescopes, lightning rods, leaf platforms, and a whole lote more.
  • And that's not all... Mojang Studios is setting out to make the Caves and Cliffs Update the most exciting update Minecraft has had in a while, and that means there will be a ton of changes, improvements, and new features that we haven't learned about today, and won't become evident until later on. Make sure to tune in to us here at Windows Central, because we'll be following the update all the way until the end.

The Caves and Cliffs Update is going to need extra time in the oven before its ready for the public, so Mojang Studios is estimating a Summer 2021 release window for their next Minecraft release. That means you'll be waiting quite a while to see these new features and changes, but the wait should be well worth it for any Minecraft fan.

What do you hope to see in the Caves and Cliffs Update? Are you excited for what Mojang Studios has planned here? Let us know in the comments below!

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Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.