Minecraft Version History: Every Major Update, 2009 to 2026
Minecraft's first public build came out May 17, 2009 and 1.0 on November 18, 2011. Every major update in order, from Classic to the 2026 26.x drops.
Minecraft has been updated continuously since its first public build on May 17, 2009. Version 1.0 came out on November 18, 2011, followed by a big themed update roughly once a year until 1.21 in 2024. Since then Mojang has released smaller “game drops” several times a year, and in 2026 it switched to year-based version numbers (26.1, 26.2, 26.3).
Dates below are Java Edition release dates. Bedrock has received the same content since around 2019, usually on the same day for recent drops.
The early years (2009-2011)
| Phase | When | What it was |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | May 2009 | Creative building only. Still free to play in a browser: see Minecraft Classic |
| Indev and Infdev | Late 2009 to mid 2010 | Survival, crafting and infinite worlds start to take shape |
| Alpha | June 2010 | Survival multiplayer, the Nether arrives in the Halloween Update |
| Beta | December 2010 | Weather, beds, hunger, villages, strongholds |
| 1.0 | November 18, 2011 | Full release at MINECON: the End, the ender dragon, enchanting, brewing |
The story of how it began in Stockholm is on where Minecraft was developed.
The big themed updates (2012-2024)
| Version | Name | Year | What it added |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 to 1.4 | Various | 2012 | Jungles, iron golems, witches, the wither, beacons |
| 1.5 | Redstone Update | 2013 | Comparators, hoppers, droppers, Nether quartz |
| 1.7 | The Update that Changed the World | 2013 | Dozens of new biomes, new fish |
| 1.8 | Bountiful Update | 2014 | Ocean monuments, slime blocks, rabbits; still a favorite PvP version |
| 1.9 | Combat Update | 2016 | Attack cooldown, shields, elytra, end cities |
| 1.11 | Exploration Update | 2016 | Woodland mansions, totems of undying |
| 1.12 | World of Color | 2017 | Concrete, glazed terracotta, parrots |
| 1.13 | Update Aquatic | 2018 | Oceans rebuilt, drowned, dolphins, tridents |
| 1.14 | Village & Pillage | 2019 | New villager trading, pillagers, raids |
| 1.15 | Buzzy Bees | 2019 | Bees, honey, many fixes |
| 1.16 | Nether Update | 2020 | New Nether biomes, piglins, netherite, bastions |
| 1.17 and 1.18 | Caves & Cliffs | 2021 | Axolotls, goats, copper, then new caves, mountains and world height of Y -64 to 320 |
| 1.19 | The Wild Update | 2022 | Deep Dark, the warden, mangrove swamps, frogs, allays |
| 1.20 | Trails & Tales | 2023 | Archaeology, cherry groves, camels, sniffers, armor trims |
| 1.21 | Tricky Trials | 2024 | Trial chambers, the breeze, the mace, the crafter |
1.13 is worth knowing about if you play old maps: it renamed most block IDs and rewrote commands, so many pre-1.13 command-block maps break in newer versions. Playing them on the right version is covered in how to play old versions.
The drops (late 2024 onward)
| Drop | Java | Released | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bundles of Bravery | 1.21.2 | October 22, 2024 | Bundles; Hardcore arrives on Bedrock |
| The Garden Awakens | 1.21.4 | December 3, 2024 | Pale garden biome, the creaking, resin |
| Spring to Life | 1.21.5 | March 25, 2025 | New farm animal variants, wildflowers, firefly bushes |
| Chase the Skies | 1.21.6 | June 17, 2025 | The happy ghast, harnesses, the locator bar |
| The Copper Age | 1.21.9 | September 30, 2025 | Copper golem, copper tools and armor, shelves |
| Mounts of Mayhem | 1.21.11 | December 9, 2025 | Spears, nautiluses, zombie horses that spawn naturally |
| Tiny Takeover | 26.1 | March 24, 2026 | Baby mob redesigns, golden dandelion, craftable name tags |
| Chaos Cubed | 26.2 | June 16, 2026 | Sulfur caves, the sulfur cube |
| Wilderness Bound | 26.3 | September 15, 2026 | Dappled forest, poplar wood, abandoned camp |
The fourth drop of 2026 (Java 26.4) is in testing with ice caves and the frostbite mob. Our latest version page has the current details and explains the new numbering.
Why version history matters for guides
Mechanics move between versions. Villager trading changed completely in 1.14, ore heights changed in 1.18, combat timing in 1.9, and name tags became craftable in 26.1. A farm tutorial from 2019 might not work in 2026. That’s why pages on this site say which version they were checked against; if a guide you find elsewhere doesn’t work, check its version first.
If you want to try features before they land, snapshots and previews explains how.
Common questions
When did Minecraft come out?
The first public build came out on May 17, 2009, and the official full release, version 1.0, on November 18, 2011. By November 2026 that makes Minecraft 17 years old from its first build and 15 from its full release.
What was the biggest Minecraft update?
Caves & Cliffs (1.17 and 1.18, 2021) changed the most, rebuilding world generation, caves and mountains and extending the world down to Y -64 and up to Y 320.
Why did Minecraft stop using 1.x version numbers?
Since late 2024 Mojang has released several smaller drops a year, and from 2026 it numbers them by year and drop instead. 1.21.11 in December 2025 was the last 1.x version, and 26.1 came next.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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