👁 Image This article is about the annual content updates to the game. For updates released under the new schedule, see Game drop.
A major update[1] is a type of named update containing a large number of features or changes to features related to a theme. Tricky Trials was the last major update, before the release schedule switched to the game drop system. One to two of these were released yearly, with larger major updates taking a full year to be released. Prior to Update Aquatic, different editions of the game had different major updates.
👁 Image Screenshot containing features from Tricky Trials, an example of a major update.
Major updates are loosely planned up to two years in advance at the earliest, give or take, depending on community feedback.[2] While the game is currently using the game drop release formula, there are plans for more major updates in the future.[3][dubious]
Typically, these include new biomes or structures as the highlights, and most of the features fit into an overarching theme as described by the update's name. For example, Tricky Trials adds a single new structure, and almost every new feature in the update is directly related to the trial chambers or is an actual part of them.
Major updates are updates that increment the second number of the version. For instance, while Java Edition 1.4.2 was the official release of the Pretty Scary Update, the update incremented the second number from 1.3 to 1.4.[1]
Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition were replaced with Bedrock Edition through a software update. This means they were mostly the same game, just under different names.
Legacy Console Edition however uses completely different software and has its own version history and updates.
Minecraft Education uses the same codebase as Bedrock Edition, but has extra features. Therefore, it also has its own version history and extra updates.
This section lists named updates for Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition only.
Ever since the Update Aquatic, Java Edition and Bedrock Edition have shared all of their major updates. This means each major update since Update Aquatic has been available on both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, and newer updates are usually released to all editions and platforms at around the same time.
