Updated for Java Edition 26.3 (October 2026).
The latest version of Minecraft is Java Edition 26.3 and Bedrock Edition 26.50, both released on September 15, 2026 as the Wilderness Bound game drop. Since 1.21 (June 2024), Minecraft has shipped several smaller “game drops” a year instead of one big update, and since 2026 version numbers start with the year. This page lists every drop with its Java and Bedrock version numbers, release date and headline features.
| Latest drop | Wilderness Bound, September 15, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Latest Java version | 26.3 |
| Latest Bedrock version | 26.50 |
| Drops so far | 8 since 1.21: one in 2024, four in 2025, three in 2026 |
| Next drop | The final drop of 2026 (ice caves), in testing now |
Every game drop since 1.21
| Drop | Released | Java | Bedrock | Headline features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilderness Bound | Sep 15, 2026 | 26.3 | 26.50 | Dappled forest, poplar trees, abandoned camps, new explorer maps, cushions, straw beds |
| Chaos Cubed | Jun 16, 2026 | 26.2 | 26.30 | Sulfur caves, the sulfur cube, sulfur and cinnabar blocks |
| Tiny Takeover | Mar 24, 2026 | 26.1 | 26.10 | New baby mob models and sounds, golden dandelion, craftable name tags |
| Mounts of Mayhem | Dec 9, 2025 | 1.21.11 | 1.21.130 | Spears, the nautilus, zombie nautilus, camel husk and parched, netherite horse armor |
| The Copper Age | Sep 30, 2025 | 1.21.9 | 1.21.111 | Copper golem, copper chests, copper tools and armor, shelves |
| Chase the Skies | Jun 17, 2025 | 1.21.6 | 1.21.90 | Happy ghast, dried ghast, harnesses, the locator bar |
| Spring to Life | Mar 25, 2025 | 1.21.5 | 1.21.70 | Warm and cold pig, cow and chicken variants, fallen trees, firefly bushes, leaf litter, wildflowers |
| The Garden Awakens | Dec 3, 2024 | 1.21.4 | 1.21.50 | Pale garden, the creaking, creaking heart, resin, eyeblossoms |
Before game drops, the last big yearly update was 1.21, Tricky Trials, in June 2024.
How Minecraft version numbers work now
Up to 1.21, every big update raised the middle number: 1.19, 1.20, 1.21. Once Mojang moved to several drops a year, the numbers stayed on 1.21 for a while, which is why The Garden Awakens was Java 1.21.4 and Mounts of Mayhem was Java 1.21.11. In December 2025 Mojang announced a new system: from 2026, version numbers start with the year.
- Java Edition numbers its drops 26.1, 26.2, 26.3 and so on. Bug-fix releases add a third number, and snapshots now carry the version they lead to, like “26.4 Snapshot 1”.
- Bedrock Edition also starts with 26, but releases more often, so the second number runs higher: 26.0, 26.10, 26.20, 26.30, 26.40, 26.50. Only some of those are drops (26.10, 26.30 and 26.50 so far in 2026); the others are regular updates with fixes and features in testing.
So the same drop has two different numbers, and the year prefix is the part they share. Java 26.3 and Bedrock 26.50 are the same drop, but the two editions still generate different worlds from the same seed.
What each drop added
Wilderness Bound (Java 26.3, Bedrock 26.50)
The dappled forest, a new forest of red, orange and yellow poplar trees, with shelf mushrooms and red shrubs. Abandoned camps in 18 biomes, each with its own design, and new explorer maps that lead to camps and to seven more structures. Cushions to sit on, one-use straw beds, and wool and concrete stairs and slabs. Our Wilderness Bound page has the full list.
Chaos Cubed (Java 26.2, Bedrock 26.30)
The sulfur caves, a cave biome with bubbling sulfur pools, and the sulfur cube, a mob that absorbs a block you hand it and takes on that block’s physics. New sulfur and cinnabar block sets, the music disc “Bounce” and a friends list.
Tiny Takeover (Java 26.1, Bedrock 26.10)
The first drop with the new numbers. Many baby mobs got new models and sounds, the golden dandelion stops a baby mob from growing up, and name tags became craftable from paper and a metal nugget.
Mounts of Mayhem (Java 1.21.11, Bedrock 1.21.130)
Spears, a tiered weapon that hits harder the faster you move. The nautilus, a tameable ocean mount, and its hostile zombie nautilus version. Two desert threats: the camel husk and the parched, a skeleton that fires arrows of weakness. Zombie horses began spawning naturally, and diamond horse armor can be upgraded to netherite.
The Copper Age (Java 1.21.9, Bedrock 1.21.111)
The copper golem, which sorts items from copper chests into chests and turns into a statue when fully oxidized. Copper chests, copper tools and armor, copper torches and lanterns, and shelves. The End also gained sky flashes.
Chase the Skies (Java 1.21.6, Bedrock 1.21.90)
The happy ghast, a flying mount for up to four players that you raise from a dried ghast block. Harnesses to ride it, the locator bar showing where other players are, and the music disc “Tears”.
Spring to Life (Java 1.21.5, Bedrock 1.21.70)
Warm and cold variants of pigs, cows and chickens, chosen by biome, and sheep whose wool colour depends on where they spawn. Fallen trees, firefly bushes, leaf litter, wildflowers, bushes, dry grass and cactus flowers, plus falling-leaf particles on trees that didn’t have them.
The Garden Awakens (Java 1.21.4, Bedrock 1.21.50)
The pale garden, a pale version of the dark forest, with pale oak trees, pale moss and eyeblossoms. The creaking, a mob that only moves when you aren’t looking, tied to a creaking heart, and resin for building with resin bricks.
What’s coming next
Mojang has said the next drop is the final one of 2026. It adds ice caves decorated with ice crystals and icicles, a frozen zombie variant called the frostbite, and ice balls. It has been in testing in Bedrock Preview since September 30, 2026, and the Java snapshots leading to it are numbered 26.4. It doesn’t have a release date yet; we’ll add it here, with its own guides, once it’s out.
How to check which version you’re playing
On Java Edition, the version number is in the bottom-left corner of the title screen. To play an older version, open the Minecraft Launcher, go to Installations, and create a new installation with the version you want. On Bedrock Edition, the version is in the bottom-right corner of the title screen. To join a server or Realm, your game usually needs to be on the same version as it.
Sources
Release dates, version numbers and features come from Mojang’s official release notes on minecraft.net, for example Java Edition 26.3, Bedrock Edition 26.50 and Java Edition 1.21.4, and from Mojang’s announcement of the new version numbering system (December 2, 2025). The next drop’s details come from Mojang’s testing announcement.
