Despite the fact that Minecraft has been around for more than a decade, it’s bigger and better than ever before, and the number of players has continued to grow over the past 11 years. This is not an easy feat, but somehow Minecraft manages not only to remain relevant, but also to continue to grow, and this is largely due to the number of updates that have appeared in the game during its existence. Since its launch, Minecraft has received almost 20 major updates, each of which added new biomes, mobs, ingredients, NPCs and more.
However, not all Minecraft updates are the same. Although all major updates add a significant amount of content to the game, not all of them have lived up to the pre-release hype. But there are quite a few that have since continued to serve as a reminder of how far Minecraft has come since its launch.
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Redstone Update for Minecraft
One of the first major updates that the Java Edition for Minecraft received was called the “Redstone Update”, which was launched in March 2013. This may not be the biggest update that has ever come out in the game, but the Redstone update added blocks that have since become the main elements of almost any Minecraft building. In this update, 14 new blocks were added, including an activator rail, a weighted pressure plate and a hopper, as well as three new trolley options, including a version with TNT. This update also brought Realms to Minecraft, a subscription service that allowed players to host their own private servers.
Minecraft Water Update
Moving forward to 2018, another landmark Minecraft update was the Update Aquatic patch, which brought a lot of new content to the game, focused on its oceans and underwater areas. The Aquatic update, released in September 2018, was the first major update released simultaneously on different platforms, and brought various wooden versions of hatches, pressure plates and buttons, as well as 10 different types of coral blocks to the game. A trident was added, as well as a turtle shell that could be used as a helmet. Many new enchantments were also added, some of which gave the player increased swimming speed and unlimited breathing underwater. The game has a lot of new mobs on the marine theme, as well as new shipwreck buildings that could be searched in search of sunken treasures.
Update “Village and robbery” in Minecraft
One of the most iconic elements of early Minecraft was its inhabitants, but apart from exchanging items with the player, they didn’t matter much in the game as a whole. The Village and Pillage update changed that after being released in 2019. 14 new staircase blocks, 14 new slabs and 12 new walls were added. A bonfire was added, which could be used both as an ornament and as a device for cooking. Bamboo, scaffolding, flowers, bells and a whole range of new crafting tables have appeared with this update, as well as dyes, a crossbow and new mobs such as cats and foxes. This update has brought an unprecedented amount of content to Minecraft, which has made the game’s villagers even more visible.
Updating the Lower World of Minecraft
One of the last major Minecraft updates was the Nether update, which appeared in the game in 2020. As the name suggests, this update focused on the infamous Nether Minecraft world and added a staggering amount of content to this area. Brand new mobs such as pigs, striders and hoglins were introduced, as well as a number of new structures such as the remains of bastions and basalt pillars. In total, four new biomes have been added to the game, each with its own corresponding blocks, items and mobs. This update even brought a fresh soundtrack to the game, written by Lena Rain from Celeste.
Minecraft is already available on mobile devices, PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One.
