The latest Minecraft Live event is here to shed light on the near future for the Minecraft universe, and that of course means content updates for the titular game.
Similar to the last Minecraft Live in Sept. 2024, Mojang Studios has shared details on the next two game drops, or smaller themed updates heading to Minecraft: Java Edition and Minecraft: Bedrock Edition in the coming months.
The more imminent release will be dubbed “Spring to Life,” and it should help the Overworld feel more diverse and alive. Another update heading to players later this year won’t be quite so lively, though, and will feature the Nether’s most annoying mob.
What will the “Spring to Life” Minecraft update include?
First, we have the newest update for Minecraft, the “Spring to Life” game drop. This update builds on the theme we’ve noticed in recent Minecraft snapshots and Minecraft Preview builds with greater diversity in the world.
Even better, we know when it’s coming. The Minecraft “Spring to Life” update will arrive on , 2025 for players on all platforms, so it’s not too far away.
Here’s what the game drop will include, split into two broad categories:
- New mob variants. First, the teaser we saw in the Minecraft Live announcement trailer (along with our own speculation) came true, as the Spring to Life update is all about greater diversity in the Overworld ecosystem.
- New ambient features. More subtle than new mob variants, Minecraft’s Overworld is getting some new ambient features to make environments feel more lively.
- Some of this we’ve already seen in previews, like decorative leaf litter piles on the ground near trees and updated ambient sounds
- However, we’re also getting a new decorative plant with firefly bushes, which seem to be Mojang’s answer to removing fireflies from the Minecraft “Wild Update” that featured frogs
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There are likely some smaller improvements and additions that weren’t explicitly mentioned as a part of this update, but it’s obvious this is a more modest game drop focused on quality-of-life improvements rather than revolutionary game changes.
What Minecraft update is coming after Spring to Life?
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Mojang didn’t go so far as to give us a release date or even a name, but we do have the first details for the game drop arriving shortly after Spring to Life. This update will be less colorful and friendly, though, as it’s taking us back to the Nether and giving us some interesting updates to an infamous mob.
Here’s what we do know will be in this update:
- Two new Ghast variants. Minecraft’s screaming cat ghost, also known as a Ghast, is getting two new variants!
- We’re getting the Ghastling, which I can only imagine is a baby Ghast
- There’s also the Happy Ghast, which could either be great or deeply horrifying, depending on the kind of smile it wears
- More Ghast-related additions. On top of the new variants, we’re getting two new Ghast-related items.
- There’s the Dried Ghast block, which could be a decorative block made from… preserving a baby Ghast? Creepy
- Then there’s the Ghast Harness, which makes it sound like we’ll be able to ride Ghasts… That could be what the Happy Ghast does
This update is understandably shrouded in more mystery than Spring to Life given that it’s further out. I’m really intrigued to learn more about this game drop, though, and to see if there will be any other additions or changes included as a part of it.
More modest updates for the world’s biggest game
I’m torn on how I feel about Minecraft’s new approach to updates. On one hand, Mojang committing to more transparent and frequent communication does wonders for setting reasonable expectations and avoiding disappointment when distant promises aren’t met or are altered.
It’s also great to see Minecraft more regularly get injections of additional content or noticeable improvements, rather than waiting many months for a single major release.
On the other hand, though, every game drop we’ve seen so far has been quite modest in scope, and there’s been no hint that Mojang is also working on major, all-encompassing updates to Minecraft for the future.
I’d feel much better about the adorable Spring to Life and the mysterious Ghast-related game drops if I also knew that these smaller updates were being released alongside development for bigger plans, but we simply don’t know at this point.
Either way, I’ve no complaints about the actual content we’ve seen from these game drops — it’s all good stuff that I’m excited to see in the game.
