Version types

There are various types of versions (or updates) of Minecraft. Generally speaking, updates fall into 3 categories: game drops, minor updates,‌^{[BE only]} and hotfixes, each using its own version format.

A release version is an update to the game that is fully released to all players on the main release channel. Release versions for Java Edition and Bedrock Edition typically have multiple corresponding development versions.

Game drops are named updates that are released throughout a calendar year, with three to four game drops typically being released each year. Game drops can be small or large in terms of added content. Examples of game drops include Bats and Pots, Spring to Life, and Tiny Takeover.

In Java Edition, game drops are numbered according to the current year as well what number game drop they are for that year. For instance, the first game drop of 2026 is called 26.1. In Bedrock Edition, they increase the minor version number by 10 along with other minor updates, e.g. 26.30 for the second game drop of 2026.

In Bedrock Edition, unnamed minor updates (also referred to as "Bedrock release"^[1]) are equal to game drops in terms of development cycle and also increase the version number by 10, but are not marketed. These mostly fix bugs related to the previous game drop, and add experimental features for the next to allow public testing on platforms without Preview. Like game drops, they contain other bug and parity fixes, some non-drop game content, and features for creators.

Hotfixes are unplanned minor updates that fix bugs or revise features. Typically these are used to patch game-breaking bugs or amend recently added features. They may not release on all platforms in Bedrock Edition.

In Java Edition, hotfixes add or increment the third number of the version. For example, the first two hotfixes for Java Edition 26.1 would be called 26.1.1 and 26.1.2.

In Bedrock Edition, hotfixes increment the second number of the version by 1. For example, the first two hotfixes for Bedrock Edition 26.10 would be 26.11 and 26.12.^[1]

A development version is a version of the game which is publicly released with the intent of testing new features, changes, and bug fixes that are to make their way into the full release of a major or minor update. They are experimental (some types more so than others) and may break the game.

A "snapshot" is a term used to describe unstable development versions for Java Edition updates. Every game drop, and sometimes other minor updates, have snapshots released roughly weekly for player feedback on in-development features and changes.

Currently, snapshots extend the naming format used for release version like this: version Snapshot snapshot-number, e.g. 26.1 Snapshot 1 is the 1st snapshot for 26.1.

Prior to 26.1 Snapshot 1, snapshots used an entirely different and unique naming scheme; see Version formats#Snapshots for more information.

The first ever snapshot was 11w47a for 1.1 in 2011.

"Experimental snapshots" are a specific type of snapshot Mojang uses very early in the development cycle, before the standard snapshot cycle of development. These versions include even more unstable changes than standard snapshots have.

Experimental snapshots were first used for 1.18, with 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 1, and since 1.18, they have only been used once for 1.19. This development format has been discontinued as experiments have been converted into toggleable data packs since 22w42a.

A pre-release is a more stable development version of the game than a snapshot. Once development reaches the pre-release phase, the update is deemed feature complete, and subsequent pre-releases focus on fixing bugs and improving the stability of the features to be added in that update. The final pre-release may be functionally identical to the full release (for instance 1.4.7).

Pre-releases were first used for the development of Java Edition Beta 1.8, with the first ever pre-release being Beta 1.8 Pre-release. At this time, snapshots did not exist yet, so this pre-release was the first development version for Beta 1.8. Java Edition 1.0.0's pre-releases were notably all tagged under the never released version number "Beta 1.9" and were much more akin to snapshots than they were to modern pre-releases.

A release candidate is a development version of the game that is intended to be the last version before the full release, unless a major game-breaking bug is discovered.^[2] Often, the full release of a version is identical to its last release candidate, differing only in the version name string, protocol version, and data version.

The first release candidate was RC1 for 1.0.0 in 2011. After 1.0.0, there were no release candidates until 1.16 Release Candidate 1 in 2020.

A preview is a development version of the game that is only played by a select group outside of Mojang. Preview versions have been given to Hat Films to film the update trailers for Beta 1.6, Beta 1.7, and Beta 1.8. There was also a preview version of Beta 1.8 that was playable by attendees at PAX Prime 2011.

A test build was a development version of the game. The only released test build was Beta 1.6 Test Build 3.

Builds were development versions used in Pocket Edition, available on Android. Once the Pocket Edition Alpha phase was complete, the name "alpha" was then reserved for development versions for Pocket Edition 1.0.0 and 1.1.0.

Development versions in Bedrock Edition are known as betas (Android) and Previews (other platforms). Betas are separate updates to the same Minecraft app where the player can opt in for in the app store. Previews are updates to a separate app, Minecraft Preview, allowing the player to have both installed at the same time.

Since the release of the Better Together Update to Bedrock Edition, development builds subsequently took the form of "beta" builds, released for Android, Xbox, and Windows 10. Minecraft Preview gradually replaced this on most platforms.

Beta/Preview versions increment a 3rd digit of the version number, starting on 20, and incrementing by 1 (barring skips) with each new beta/Preview.

Betas/Previews are released on Tuesday, barring delays. "Hotfix betas/Previews" are similar to release hotfixes, which can release at any time and only for certain platforms.

Mojang often releases joke updates on April Fools' Day. These are usually formatted as Java Edition snapshots, and are made from one of the latest builds of the game. These often have a theme and a special name that matches that theme. Features added in these snapshots (or updates) are not mentioned in the change logs for future snapshots (or updates), since they are not considered to be § Development versions.

The Seecret Updates were a series of ten Java Edition updates released by Notch during the Infdev and Alpha development stages of Minecraft, often without announcement. They were named after the day of the week on which they were released. All of the updates were released on Fridays, except Seecret Saturday, released on September 18, 2010, which was a Saturday.

These are not to be confused with § Development versions.