Minecraft Snapshot Update Adds More Content From Upcoming Game Drop

Minecraft has received its third Java snapshot for build version 26.2, allowing players to test out a number of previously unavailable content additions. Minecraft developer Mojang Studios is now largely focused on updating the game’s cave content roster, enhancing it with both visual improvements and surprisingly involved mechanical additions, and the latest Java snapshot continues to build in that same direction.

Though not every single new content reveal can be as intriguing as Minecraft‘s baby mob update, there’s something to be said about building out the basics alongside the flashy novelties. Using weekly snapshot releases, Mojang has over the past years allowed eager players to test out all-new gameplay mechanics and chunks of content at their own pace, with the caveat that some of it may well be unbalanced and/or broken. That trend continues in what may appear to be a somewhat uneventful new release.

Minecraft Update Makes Change to Clouds

The most recent snapshot update for Minecraft introduces a few quality-of-life upgrades and makes a neat change to the generation of cloud patterns.

Minecraft 26.2 Snapshot 3 introduces Sulfur Spikes and More

Minecraft 26.2 Snapshot 3, published on April 14 by Mojang’s dedicated Java team, introduces Sulfur Spikes as the headliner for this particular content drop. Sharp yet beautiful, Sulfur Spikes serve the dual purpose of adding more depth to the game’s sulfur caves biome, as well as potentially hurting explorers unlucky enough to stand beneath them when they break away. Exploring caves in Minecraft has historically been a bit of a dull experience outside of resource troves and combat encounters, even after the big Caves & Cliffs update, so Mojang is looking to add some variety to the experience via the upcoming Chaos Cubed update.

Beyond the fancy Sulfur Spikes, this snapshot also comes with a number of quality-of-life boons and bug fixes that should make players’ lives easier. The Minecraft boats can no longer pick up Sulfur Cubes just by coasting close to them, for example. Similarly, the issue where magma cubes would stop dropping magma cream has been resolved. Mojang has also pushed out some updates to the Nautilus creature, suggesting it may get a once-over as part of Chaos Cubed as well.

Chaos Cubed is going to feature the entire host of content released as part of the recent snapshots, as well as the full selection of Cinnabar and Sulfur building blocks. Sulfur caves, pools, and springs will serve as the three new biome-level additions, while the curious Sulfur Cube will be the new mob. Mojang’s own take on this theme isn’t too far removed from fan-made Minecraft sulfur biomes, but the Sulfur Cubes’ apparent flexibility will be the real point of interest, as they take on a variety of behaviors and properties depending on what they eat.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

While Minecraft 26.2 Snapshot 3 is one of the smaller of these content drops, this is an unavoidable side effect of how Mojang handles pre-release content. Mojang’s game drop strategy for Minecraft has been paying off since its introduction in late 2023, and some releases simply have to be less exciting than others. Still, it’s understandable if some players aren’t overly enthused by this release and hope that something bigger is on the horizon for the next snapshot.

Minecraft 26.2 Snapshot 3 Patch Notes

New Features

Sulfur Spike

Is a new block that generates naturally on Sulfur blocks inside the sulfur caves biome
Forms a stalactite if placed on the ceiling or a stalagmite if placed on the floor
Can be combined to form longer stalactites & stalagmites
Stalactites and stalagmites merge if the tips are next to each other, unless you press shift while placing
Stalagmites will break if they’re not attached to something below
Stalactites fall down if not attached to something above
Being hit by a falling stalactite hurts, and they are sharp!
Thrown Tridents break Sulfur Spike

Changes

The Potent Sulfur block no longer crafts back into Sulfur blocks
Updated the textures for the following blocks:
- Chiseled Cinnabar
- Chiseled Sulfur
- Cinnabar
- Cinnabar Bricks
- Polished Cinnabar
- Polished Sulfur
- Sulfur Bricks

Sulfur Cube mob

Can no longer be picked up by Boats

Sulfur Cube mob

Can no longer be picked up by Boats

Sounds

Updated sounds for Nautilus jets and Nautilus recovers

Technical Changes

The Data Pack version is now 102.0
The Resource Pack version is now 86.0

Data Pack Version 102.0

Block Entity Data

The minecraft:bed block entity has been removed

Predicates

Entity Predicates

Entity predicate format has changed from a structure with multiple optional fields to one similar to data component maps.

For example, previously effects was an optional field:

{
    "effects": {...}
}

In this version it has become a component-like sub-predicate entry:

{
    "minecraft:effects": {...}
}

The main functional changes are:

All keys in entity predicates are now identifiers
- Since identifiers can be written without namespace (default to minecraft namespace), existing field names are still valid
- Exception: field type has been renamed to minecraft:entity_type
Unrecognized sub-predicate components are now rejected (previously unknown fields were ignored)

Existing type-specific sub-predicates have been renamed and moved to top-level.

minecraft:lightning to minecraft:type_specific/lightning
minecraft:fishing_hook to minecraft:type_specific/fishing_hook
minecraft:player to minecraft:type_specific/player
minecraft:raider to minecraft:type_specific/raider
minecraft:sheep to minecraft:type_specific/sheep
minecraft:slime to minecraft:cube_mob as it now includes Sulfur Cubes in addition to Slimes and Magma Cubes

For example:

{
  "type_specific": {
    "type": "minecraft:player",
    "looking_at": {
      "type": "minecraft:ender_dragon"
    }
  }
}

becomes

{
  "minecraft:type_specific/player": {
    "looking_at": {
      "minecraft:type": "minecraft:ender_dragon"
    }
  }
}

Added minecraft:entity_tags entity sub-predicate

This predicate matches entity tags (i.e. ones set with the /tag command).

Fields:

any_of – optional list of strings, if present the matched entity must have at least one of the listed tags
all_of – optional list of strings, if present the matched entity must have all the listed tags
none_of – optional list of strings, if present the matched entity must have none of the listed tags

World Generation

Overworld Features

Adjusted Feature Type lake
- Added field can_place_feature – Block Predicate, describes which blocks this feature can be placed on
- Added field can_replace_with_air_or_fluid – Block Predicate, describes which blocks this feature can replace with air or the provided fluid block
- Added field can_replace_with_barrier – Block Predicate, describes which blocks this feature can replace with the provided barrier block

Tags

Block Tags

Added #speleothems for blocks which are speleothems like Pointed Dripstone and Sulfur Spike

Resource Pack Version 86.0

Block Sprites

Added new Block textures:
- block/sulfur_spike_down_base.png
- block/sulfur_spike_down_frustum.png
- block/sulfur_spike_down_middle.png
- block/sulfur_spike_down_tip.png
- block/sulfur_spike_down_tip_merge.png
- block/sulfur_spike_up_base.png
- block/sulfur_spike_up_frustum.png
- block/sulfur_spike_up_middle.png
- block/sulfur_spike_up_tip.png
- block/sulfur_spike_up_tip_merge.png
Beds now use block models and textures, replacing with the respective bed’s color’s name
- block/bed_down.png
- block/bed_head_north.png
- block/_bed_foot_east.png
- block/_bed_foot_south.png
- block/_bed_foot_up.png
- block/_bed_foot_west.png
- block/_bed_head_east.png
- block/_bed_head_up.png
- block/_bed_head_west.png

Item Sprites

Item Models

The minecraft:bed special model type has been removed

Fixed bugs in 26.2 Snapshot 3

MC-229057 – Picking up an axolotl with a lead attached destroys the lead
MC-277744 – Blocks with emissive textures don’t emit much light when held by endermen
MC-302496 – Glowing dragon fireballs no longer show the glowing outline
MC-307177 – Enabling JFR profiling causes the client to crash on startup
MC-307227 – Using an empty Offers NBT tag to disable trades doesn’t work after a relog/data merge
MC-307289 – Polished sulfur is named “Polished Sulfur Block”, which is inconsistent with all other polished stone blocks
MC-307291 – The game crashes when an entity with the friction_modifier attribute set to 2.5 moves
MC-307298 – Sulfur cubes with blocks inside them produce footstep sounds when moving across the ground
MC-307300 – Magma blocks held by sulfur cubes are not emissive
MC-307315 – Frogs try to eat large magma cubes now
MC-307316 – Magma cubes no longer drop magma cream
MC-307340 – The bottom face of slimes’ outer layer z-fights with the ground
MC-307347 – Releasing a sulfur cube from a bucket and killing it does not cause it to drop its held block
MC-307357 – Sulfur cubes don’t emit light when holding a glowing block
MC-307371 – The #sulfur_cube_archetype/fast_flat item tag contains pumpkin twice
MC-307405 – When picking up a leashed sulfur cube with a bucket, the lead disappears
MC-307420 – The game now renders fluid faces that should not be rendered
MC-307473 – The block breaking texture on bamboo stalks is now always displayed centered
MC-307483 – Emptying a sulfur cube bucket underwater doesn’t place the sulfur cube at the targeted block