| Minecraft | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | DLC & Pre-Order | Review |
Minecraft
2025
March 27
⚫︎ Mojang Studios is testing two new features in Minecraft Preview: the Locator Bar and expanded flat world presets. The Locator Bar replaces the experience bar in the HUD, helping players track friends with colored dots and elevation indicators—though stealth mechanics like crouching and invisibility potions can hide players. Meanwhile, new flat world presets will add variety to creative and experimental builds, allowing players to generate worlds like infinite oceans, deserts, or even bottomless pits. Both features are currently in beta, with more presets planned for future updates.
March 26
⚫︎ Minecraft's latest Spring to Life update finally adds a long-requested feature, the ability to pause in Bedrock Edition. Players can now pause in local worlds they own, but the game will automatically unpause if someone joins. To prevent surprises, a clear notification will appear, including a quick-return prompt for players in menus.
March 24
⚫︎ Vibrant Visuals will bring enhancements to Minecraft, including improved lighting, shadows, and reflections to the game without altering its iconic blocky style. The update will introduce volumetric lighting, pixelated shadows, and water reflections, making biomes and builds feel more alive. Glowing elements like spider eyes will appear more vibrant, and areas like The Deep Dark will gain an even eerier atmosphere. Unlike traditional shaders, which often demand high-end hardware, Vibrant Visuals is optimized for all players and will not impact gameplay mechanics. It will roll out first for Bedrock Edition in the coming months, with a Java Edition release to follow.
March 23
⚫︎ Mojang Studios has officially revealed its 2025 roadmap for Minecraft, including two major game drops, a visual upgrade, and a special event tied to The Minecraft Movie. The first update, titled "Spring to Life," will bring warm and cold variants of classic mobs, new environmental effects like glittering firefly bushes, falling leaves, and shifting sands. Later this year, a second update will introduce Ghastlings and Happy Ghasts, alongside the Dried Ghast block. The Dried Ghast, found in the Nether, can be rehydrated in water to transform into a Ghastling, a tiny floating creature that eventually grows into a Happy Ghast when fed snowballs.
Additionally, Mojang announced "Vibrant Visuals," a visual upgrade designed to enhance Minecraft’s signature blocky aesthetic. To celebrate The Minecraft Movie, Mojang will host a limited-time Midport Village Event from March 25 to April 7. Players can team up with Steve and his companions to defend the village from piglins in three mini-games, with the Yearn Cape reward available for those who complete all challenges.
March 7
⚫︎ Minecraft Live returns on March 22, just ahead of A Minecraft Movie’s release, promising exclusive movie content alongside major game updates. Mojang teases "never-before-seen" reveals, developer insights, and news from the wider Minecraft universe. Announced with a quirky dance video featuring an Enderman flossing, the showcase will stream at 1 PM ET on minecraft.net.
February 20
⚫︎ Dungeons & Dragons: A New Quest DLC by Everbloom Games and Wizards of the Coast invites players into the world of the Forgotten Realms. This new DLC follows heroes Katra and Vaer on a mission to reunite Vaer’s soul with his stolen body, leading them through locations like Candlekeep, Icewind Dale, and the Sword Coast. Players will face foes like Mind Flayers, owlbears, and more, while exploring vast landscapes and tackling conspiracies. Featuring four classes (barbarian, rogue, wizard, and paladin), customizable stats, and a free Dragon Mask cosmetic, A New Quest promises thrilling adventure and is now available on the Minecraft Marketplace.
February 12
⚫︎ Microsoft Gaming’s Kayleen Walters has been promoted to head of Mojang Studios. Walters, who currently leads franchise development at Microsoft Gaming, will continue in that role while overseeing Mojang, with Federico San Martin handling day-to-day franchise development. Amy Stillion will also take on additional responsibilities supporting Mojang’s operations. Acknowledging the transition, Microsoft’s game content and studios COO Helen Chiang stated, “Change is never easy, but I have full confidence in this team and its ability to deliver incredible experiences for our players and community.” The leadership change comes just ahead of the April release of The Minecraft Movie
February 3
⚫︎ Minecraft’s upcoming update introduces warm and cold cow variants, bringing more diversity to the game’s biomes. Warm cows will appear in hot regions like the Badlands, Desert, and Savannah, while cold cows will roam snowy areas, mountains, and dark wood biomes. However, the biggest highlight might be the long-awaited addition of fireflies. Originally teased alongside frogs, these glowing critters spawn from a new firefly bush, which can be found near swamps and bodies of water.
January 22
⚫︎ Minecraft's latest DLC introduces the whimsical world of Hello Kitty, featuring iconic characters like Badtz-Maru and Keroppi. This bright and colorful Marketplace addition includes custom mobs, textures, and furniture like balloons and playground equipment, designed for up to four players. Continuing Minecraft's legacy of collaborations, this DLC offers a vibrant new experience while celebrating the beloved Hello Kitty franchise's debut in the game.
January 8
⚫︎ Minecraft welcomes the new year with new testing features. Last year, Mojang shared with the Minecraft community that they will be changing the way updates are released on the game. Instead of a one big drop, seasonal updates will take place. This year, it begins with a feature test, including new pig variations, ambient features like falling leaves and wildflowers, and lodestone recipe update.
January 6
⚫︎ Markus "Notch" Persson "basically announced" a successor to Minecraft. In a Twitter (X) post, Persson asked his followers if they’d be interested in a game that’s essentially a spiritual successor to Minecraft. He shared that he is currently working on a tile based dungeon crawler, but wanted to see if people would be more interested in a traditional roguelike game or a Minecraft 2.
2024
December 3
⚫︎ Minecraft has officially released a new biome, the Pale Garden, for Bedrock and Java Editions. This haunting new area is filled with pale oak trees, hanging moss, and the mysterious eyeblossom flowers, which glow at night. Players can explore its secrets, face the hostile Creaking mob, and discover its Creaking Heart. Along with these adventures, the update brings new building materials like the pale oak wood set and resin blocks, offering plenty of creative opportunities.
November 14
⚫︎ Minecraft has made an unexpected foray into the world of motorsports with the BWT Alpine team’s recent announcement of a partnership to create an educational module within the game. This module, titled Race Into Stem, is a Microsoft initiative aimed at inspiring young minds to explore the field of motorsports. In this experience, players can explore Alpine’s headquarters in Enstone, Oxfordshire, U.K., interact with key team members like F1 drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, participate in wind tunnel testing, and learn about the different parts of an F1 car and their importance.
October 25
⚫︎ Minecraft has released 12 maps of spooky themed mini-games in preparation for Halloween this year. Each map contains a playful take on phobias, where players can entertain themselves by being exposed to what scares them the most. Some of the maps and phobias are listed down below:
┣ Shadow of the Skeleton King
┗ Kakorrhaphiophobia (the fear of defeat)
┣ Fright Night Fashion
┗ Catagelophobia (fear of being ridiculed), Doxophobia (fear of receiving praise)
┣ Barosa’s House of Horror
┗ Barosaphobia (the fear of being whacked in by a Minecraft mob)
October 22
⚫︎ Minecraft has officially introduced Bundles—a handy new item for inventory management. Bundles allow players to hold multiple stacks of items in a single slot, making it much easier to organize supplies while on the go. This added space means players can mine and gather resources for longer periods without needing frequent trips back to base to empty their inventory. Additionally, Hardcore mode has finally arrived on Realms for both the Java and Bedrock editions. This mode takes survival to the next level, giving players the chance to experience the intensity of Hardcore alongside friends in their Realms.
September 6
⚫︎ On September 4th, Minecraft released the trailer for its upcoming movie, and the audience response was mixed, to say the least. Long-time players are already skeptical, with some calling it a potential misstep. However, director Jared Hess has reassured fans that the movie offers a "fun twist," comparing the initial backlash to the reaction the first Sonic movie faced over its original design. Many online discussions have since emerged, with some fans suggesting they should have used blocky CGI characters or explored popular lore, like the storyline between Steve and Herobrine. Overall, the reception shows that viewers aren’t feeling particularly optimistic about the film’s success.
May 31
⚫︎ Minecraft is developing an animated series featuring original characters and a brand-new storyline. Although no release date has been announced yet, fans are thrilled, as the series is being created by the same team behind Sonic Prime and Carmen Sandiego.
April 10
⚫︎ Hardcore mode has finally arrived on the Bedrock edition, previously exclusive to Java. This mode is even more challenging than standard survival, as it includes permadeath—once a player dies, they cannot respawn, losing all progress in that world.
2023
April 10
⚫︎ In addition to crafting, Minecraft requires players to cook to maintain their health. Over the years, the game has expanded its recipe options, allowing for a variety of in-game creations. This past April, Minecraft released a cookbook featuring over 40 recipes inspired by the game, including Mooshroom Burgers, Suspicious Stew, and The Cake. Now, players can finally experience the taste of their favorite in-game dishes in real life.
February 15
⚫︎ One great thing about Minecraft that sets it apart from other video games is its educational value. In mid-February, Minecraft added an adventure map designed to teach the basics of data privacy. In this map, players’ data is represented by slime-like critters, and the objective is to protect these critters from data breaches and recover any lost "Data-bytes." This map provides a digestible introduction to one of the digital age's most important topics, making it easy for children or anyone unfamiliar with data privacy to learn the essentials.
