By Lauren Morton
Contributions from Philip Palmer
Minecraft 1.20 is "Trails and Tales," and it's all about storytelling and creativity.
Jump to:
- Release Date
- New Blocks and Mobs
- Archeology
- Cherry Blossom biome
- Other Features
As we'd all been anticipating, Minecraft 1.20 will be the next major Minecraft update coming in 2023. Along with all the features announced—including the mob vote winner, new biome, new blocks, and more—it's finally got a name all its own, as Minecraft 1.20 will be "Trails and Tales" and it's all about "storytelling and world building" according to Mojang in their name reveal video (opens in new tab). Despite the full features list having been revealed, we still don't have a release date to hang our hats on.
Best of Minecraft
Minecraft update: What's new?
Minecraft skins (opens in new tab): New looks
Minecraft mods (opens in new tab): Beyond vanilla
Minecraft shaders (opens in new tab): Spotlight
Minecraft seeds (opens in new tab): Fresh new worlds
Minecraft texture packs (opens in new tab): Pixelated
Minecraft servers: Online worlds
Minecraft commands:All cheats
We learned early about what Mojang chose as themes for the 1.20 update, namely "self expression, creativity, and intrinsic motivation." That last part is something that I got to hear quite a bit about from Minecraft's game director Agnes Larsson and gameplay designer Nir Vaknin when I interviewed them in 2022. They don't want Minecraft to feel clingy, they've said, and always want players to keep coming back because they're feeling inspired, not because they feel forced by the crafting grind.
It's no surprise then that several of the new features for 1.20 are centered around building: new aesthetic blocks and a functional bookshelf. We're also getting a nod towards adventure with the new camel mount and archaeology—both found in the deserts.
With the features list complete now, we've got a sense of what Minecraft 1.20 is all about. Here are all the details about the next update we know so far:
Release Date
Is there a Minecraft 1.20 release date?
Minecraft 1.20 will launch sometime in 2023, though Mojang has not given a specific date yet. Since Mojang has explained that features in the update are closer to complete development, it feels likely that we will see the new version launch a year after the latest one, sometime in the summer of 2023.
Even though the full update will not launch for a while yet, we've already gotten to start messing with the new features with the latest snapshots introducing them.
Image
1
of
3
Minecraft 1.20 snapshots have already begun
You bet your blocks there are Minecraft 1.20 snapshots to be had! In fact, the first snapshot for Minecraft 1.20 brought in camels and all the rest of the new stuff available right now for Java edition. As a bonus, this snapshot's experimental features also include bundles, which we've been waiting quite some time to see implemented.
You can find more details on how to enable the early Minecraft 1.20 snapshot features above, but you'll find it in the Installations tab of Java edition as snapshot 22w42a, or you can check out the new snapshot 23w07a which brings in the latest in archaeology, cherry blossom biomes, and the sniffer mob.
New Blocks and Mobs
All the Minecraft 1.20 new blocks we know about
So far, the new blocks for Minecraft 1.20 we've seen are mostly centered around personalizing builds and telling stories through new discoveries & contraptions. There's the new bamboo and cherry blossom wood types, the functional chiseled bookshelf, patterned pots, and hanging signs too.
- Hanging signs: they'll come in wall, ceiling, and narrow hanging varieties.
- Bamboo wood: a full set of wood blocks made from bamboo including doors, stairs, trapdoors, and planks.
- Raft: the bamboo version of a boat is actually a flat raft you can ride on.
- Bamboo mosaic: A new decorative block type just for bamboo.
- Chiseled bookshelf: A functional bookshelf that you can place up to six books on.
- Suspicious sand: found nearby desert temples, you can use the new Brush tool to clear it out to find pottery shards, bones, Sniffer eggs, and more.
- Cherry blossom wood: another full set of wood blocks from the new cherry blossom biome, they're a beautiful pink hue.
- Patterned pot: unearthed with archaeology, you can put together the shards you find to make beautiful storytelling pots to decorate with.
The chiseled bookshelf is particularly neat thanks to its redstone signal capability. It will give off a redstone signal based on how many books it currently holds, which Mojang suggests could power some very cool secret doors. The shelf doesn't have an inventory UI, Mojang says. That means you'll place books on the shelf by clicking on it with a book in hand or taking a book by pointing with your reticle and clicking with an empty hand.
The Minecraft 1.20 new mobs are the cameland sniffer
So far there are two new mobs coming in Minecraft 1.20: the Minecraft camel, which Mojang chose itself as a new desert-dwelling mount, and the Minecraft sniffer, which won last year's community mob vote.
Camels will be found hanging out in desert villages walking, sitting, and flopping their little ears. They are indeed a new type of mount, which is part of their coolest feature: They seat two players. That means you can bring a friend along for a trek between bases without needing two different mounts. Camels also have a special horizontal dash ability for crossing ravines.
The sniffer is an extinct overworld mob that you'll have to resurrect by finding their eggs via archaeology. They're very large and slightly turtle-shaped with mossy backs, a large yellow snout, and floppy pink ears. Once hatched, sniffers will use their big yellow snouts to dig ancient seeds out of the ground for you to plant.
Minecraft 1.20 archeology feature
Originally announced for the Minecraft 1.17 Caves & Cliffs update back in 2020, Archaeology ended up being postponed (opens in new tab) along with Bundles—which were also supposed to come with Minecraft 1.17. But now, Mojang has confirmed Archaeology is coming for 1.20.
You'll be able to find a new type of sand—amusingly called "suspicious sand"—near desert temples. You can then work up the new brush tool to whisk away all the suspicious sand in an attempt to unearth everything from pottery shards, hidden tools, and bones, to sniffer eggs, which are the most adorable consolation prize imaginable.
Minecraft 1.20 new biome: Cherry blossoms
Though we didn't expect one, we got surprised with Minecraft's announcement of the cherry blossom biome coming to the 1.20 update. A gorgeous landscape of pink flower petals was the perfect pink announcement for Valentines day.
"These beautiful new trees fill the horizon with a stunning shade of pink," Mojang says. "Of course these new trees can also be broken down and crafted into a full wood-set, including the newly introduced hanging signs and cherry tree saplings to grow more of the lovely pink trees."
You'll also be able to find pigs, sheep, and bees hanging out in the biome, attracted to the blossoms and likely frolicking underneath the branches. Branches that will no doubt conceal countless creepers who also enjoy blossoms, and giving you hugs.
Other Features
Minecraft 1.20 is introducing armor trim
With snapshot 23w04a Minecraft introduced armor trims, colorful customization for all your armor pieces. You can find smithing templates out in the world and then bring them back to a smithing table to modify your armor. You can also just pop into a nearby village to steal theirs as well, just in case you want to look fly on the fly.
So far, the feature looks pretty spiffy—and just what netherite armor needs to look a bit less bland, with the gold that Mojang uses as an example with it being fit for a king.
Does the Minecraft 1.20 update have a name?
At long last, we've got a name for the cryptic Minecraft 1.20 update, and Mojang has titled it the "Trails and Tales" update, stating "this update is all about self expression, storytelling, and worldbuilding. And it's the journey, your trails, that tie it all together."
Are bundles coming with Minecraft 1.20?
Revealed way back in October 2020, bundles are a simple item that allows you to store multiple item types inside a single inventory slot. Since then, they've been held back from updates, including 1.17 and 1.18—showing up as experimental features that were removed before proper release.
But once again, bundles have slipped in as an experimental feature for snapshot 22W42A. This time, bundles have their own data pack you can enable separate from the other 1.20 features. Despite Mojang saying that the new biome was the last of the major features, you never know if bundles will finally show up.
PC Gamer Newsletter
Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors.
Lauren Morton
Associate Editor
Lauren started writing for PC Gamer as a freelancer in 2017 while chasing the Dark Souls fashion police and accepted her role as Associate Editor and Chief Minecraft Liker in 2021. She originally started her career in game development and is still fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long books, longer RPGs, multiplayer cryptids, and can't stop playing co-op crafting games.
With contributions from
- Philip Palmer
See comments
FAQs
What will the Minecraft 1.20 update be? ›
Drumroll, please!! We will get the Minecraft 1.20 Trails and Tales update in 2023, which includes the much-awaited archaeology features, two new mobs – camel and sniffer, a new biome, an armor and shield customization feature, and much more. You can scroll down and read more about all of the new features.
What is the 1.21 Minecraft update? ›The Desert Update is a major Minecraft Update released on May 23, 2023. It overhauls the Desert Biome and adds a lot of new content announced in Biome Vote featured in MineCon LIVE 2018. It includes 40 new Blocks, Items, Armor, and a new type of Tool, 4 new Mobs, and a Boss.
What will come out of the next Minecraft update? ›The next Minecraft Update is named Trails and Tales.
We shall see this update in early Spring or sometime in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2023. We do know that it has Archeology, Cherry Biomes, Sniffer Mob, Camels, Armor Trims, and Suspicious sand.
As yet, there is no official Minecraft 1.20 update release date, but we expect Tales and Trails to launch around Summer 2023, following a pattern of previous updates.
Is 1.20 out on bedrock? ›The 1.20. 0.20 Preview for Minecraft Bedrock Edition has arrived, bringing with it a number of experimental features, customizable shields, and more!
What will the 1.25 Minecraft update be? ›The 1.25 Chemical Update gives a use to most of the elements introduced in 1.21 "Substance Update". It is also a big jump in advancement from 1.24 "Lunar Update". The new update introduces UV dye, 17 colored torches, and much more!
What is the Minecraft 1.24 update called? ›Minecraft 1.24, also just known as The Update that Changed the World II, is a major update released on July 27, 2025.
What is Minecraft 1.20 2023? ›The next major update, Minecraft 1.20, was revealed as "Minecraft Trails & Tales" at Minecraft Monthly on March 2, 2023. This update has something for everyone: new ways to build and interact with your world, exciting new mobs like Sniffer, and biomes like Cherry Biome that reflect different cultures and environments.
What Minecraft update will be in 2024? ›Minecraft Annual 2024 Reviews | Toppsta
This year's annual includes updates such as the new skins, Legends, the 1.20 update and Dungeons Fauna Faire, as well as a desert build and survival challenge, a treasure hunt, fun games to play in Survival mode and fun new builds to create.
Minecraft 2.0, also known as the MC Grand Revamp, is a major update released on February 14, 2023.
Did Minecraft add camels? ›
Minecraft 1.20 has finally revealed more features: the cherry blossom biome, which will be added into the game along with bamboo blocks, a new bookshelf, archeology, and two new mobs, the sniffer and camel.
What is Minecraft 1.20 0? ›1.20.0, the first release of Trails & Tales, is an upcoming major update to Bedrock Edition set to release sometime in 2023. The update was announced at Minecraft Live 2022 on October 15, 2022, and its name was revealed at Minecraft Monthly on March 2, 2023.
What will 1.20 add bedrock? ›Minecraft 1.20 will introduce players to a brand new Cherry Blossom wood set and a new Bamboo wood type, along with the Hanging Signs and Chiselled Bookshelf blocks. Learn more about these new blocks below.
Is Minecraft 1.20 out on Java? ›1.20, the first release of Trails & Tales, is an upcoming major update to Java Edition set to release sometime in 2023.
How do I enable 1.20 experimental features? ›You may need to activate experimental features in the game to test the latest Minecraft features. Enter the “Create New World” or “Edit World” setting. If you are creating a new world, go to the “Game” setting, scroll down to “Experiments” and click on the toggle you want to activate.
What is the 1.50 update in Minecraft? ›1.5, the first release of the Redstone Update, is a major update to Minecraft (Java Edition), released on March 13, 2013, which added a number of new redstone-related blocks and a new decorative block – the block of quartz.
What is the 1.30 update called in Minecraft? ›The 1.30 "Galilean Update" is the successor of the two most recent updates 1.29 "Independence Update" and 1.28 "Circuitry Update". It is the 3rd celestial update after 1.24 and 1.27. This update adds 6 reasonable dimensions (Jupiter Float, Ganymede, Callisto, Io, Europa, Rings).
What will 1.99 be in Minecraft? ›1.99 is a major update to Java and Bedrock editions released on November 18th, 2057, on Minecraft's twelfth anniversary. Because of the size of 1.17 and 1.19, after 1.19's release, all Minecraft Lives were released in April, and Minecraft Festival 2049 was postponed.
What is the Minecraft 1.40 update called? ›1.40, the first release of the History Update, is a major update to Java Edition that it was announced on May 19, 2035 and was released on July 20, 2036.
What is the Minecraft 1.29 update? ›This update overhauls the Jungle by adding two new biomes, two new mobs (Jungle Protector and the Whisperer from the 2025 mob vote), and a multitude of new blocks, including two variants of Limestone, as well as Cobalt which acts as a magnet and wallpaper.
What is the 1.26 update in Minecraft called? ›
The 1.26 "Extreme Force Update" is an update that focuses on integrating Force powers into Minecraft.
Is Minecraft 1.21 coming out? ›1.21, also called the Horizons Update is a 2024 update first announced in Minecraft Festival 2023.
What will the 1.22 Minecraft update be? ›The update that was introduced on January 26th, 2025, adding different worlds (such as the Realm of Dragons, the Space Realm, and the Reverse World). It follows 1.19, 1.20, and 1.21.
What is the Minecraft 1.41 update going to be? ›The newest patch for Sony's console labeled 1.41 apparently fixes quite a few issues. The patch landed this week and brings with it a number of different bug workarounds such as a fix for dead bushes not dropping sticks, zombie pigmen not dropping gold ingots, and blazes not dropping glowstone dust.
What is the Minecraft update 2028? ›1.24, a.k.a Enchantments update is a major update released on May 25, 2028 for Minecraft: Java Edition. It is also released as 1.24 Bedrock Edition. There's only 20 snapshots and 3 Pre-releases because the Mojang staffs are so lazy... (They added some really good stuff, though...)
What is the Minecraft 1.33 update going to be? ›The Eternal update adds more content to the nether including a post Ender Dragon dungeon and boss in the shape of the Eternal Bastion and Dread Lord. It also adds a new tier of diamond upgrade items: spectral items.
What will Minecraft be like in 2025? ›1.25, the first release of the Beginning Update, is a major update to Minecraft: Java Edition that will be released on April 18, 2025. Major additions included the Beginning dimension, new achievements, New music, increased world height, and new mobs including The Warper and Wailorps.
Will there be a Minecraft 2? ›"The way that we've decided to expand — and I think 'Dungeons' is the first example of that — is a way that we're trying to keep our community together," Chiang said. "That's why our updates our free. We don't want to ask [players] to move from 'Minecraft 1' to 'Minecraft 2. ' We want them to just enjoy 'Minecraft.
What will Minecraft 2.0 be like? ›Two new blocks and four new plants added. One new block is "Cloth", an old version of wool that has 16 colors. Customized controls are added. Survival mode.
Has Minecraft added sharks? ›There are actually quite a few sharks, but none in vanilla Minecraft, as Mojang stated that they will not add them as there should be no hostile mobs based off of real animals.
What do frogs eat in Minecraft? ›
How to Feed Frogs in Minecraft. Feeding the frogs in Minecraft is pretty easy. If a small slime or a small magma cube comes close to a frog, the frog will eat it immediately. Meanwhile, you can feed slimeballs to a frog by right-clicking or using the secondary action key while holding a slimeball.
Will Minecraft add cherry blossom trees? ›Minecraft 1.20 update will include a lot of brand new stuff for you to play around with, including a new biome known as the Cherry Blossom biome. As the name suggests, this biome is characterized by its stunning cherry blossom trees with iconic pink leaves.
What is trails and tales update? ›The much-awaited Minecraft 1.20 Trails & Tales update promises to bring a whole new level of self-expression and creativity to the popular game. First revealed during Minecraft Live 2022, the update will feature several new blocks and materials, including the Cherry log, which can be turned into Cherry planks and wood.
What does the 1.20 snapshot add? ›The last of Minecraft 1.20's content has been announced, and the snapshot is now live to try it all out! Today we explore all the new features added in Minecraft 1.20 snapshot 23W07A, including the sniffer, archeology, and the cherry blossom biome that just recently made its debut!
Can you clone a cherry blossom? ›Thank you. Cherry tree can be propagated by stem cuttings or grafting. Stem cuttings refer to any stem that is cut to produce a new plant. This new plant will be identical to the “mother plant”.
Do cherry blossoms wither? ›In general, the entire blooming period can last around two weeks, but the best time to watch for the cherry blossoms is normally between four and seven days after peak bloom starts. However, the blossoms can keep going for up to two weeks, weather and other conditions permitting.
Do cherry blossom trees have gender? ›Cherry trees are hermaphrodite, meaning the male and female reproductive parts are found in the same flower. Flowers, measuring 8–15mm across appear in April and are white and cup-shaped, with five petals. They hang in clusters of two to six.
Why was Farlands removed? ›They removed the Far Lands by accident, as the Adventure Update changed worldgen, which also caused the Far Lands to stop spawning as a side effect.
Is the sniffer in Minecraft yet? ›The 1.20 Minecraft update, recently named the Trails & Tales update is introducing a variety of elements, from new biomes, features, blocks, and mobs. One such mob, along with the ridable Camel is the Sniffer.
Is Minecraft adding a new dimension? ›Announced at Minecraft Festival 2022, 1.20 adds a lot of new things, including new features to the nether and the end, and adding a new dimension based on a popular mod called the Aether.