Minecraft 1.22

Minecraft 1.22 is the next major scheduled game update. It will introduce more animal variants and enhance the vegetation across all biomes.

Previously, the game received one major update per year along with smaller versions focused on fixing issues. Now, the update is divided into two smaller parts called "drops."

Spring Drop 2025

The first part of the update aims to improve the "livability" of the Overworld. Let's take a closer look at the most exciting changes coming in this update.

• Atmospheric Improvements
• Game Pause
• Switching camera perspective
• Firefly Bush
• Animal variations
• Leaf Litter
• Wildflowers
• Cactus Flower
• Dry Grass
• Bush

Atmospheric Improvements

• Increased vegetation density across all biomes.
• Leaf blocks now generate falling leaf particles.
• Donkeys now spawn naturally in savanna biomes.
• Sheep color distribution now depends on the biome they spawn in:
  • Temperate Biomes:
    • Common: White sheep
    • Uncommon: Black, Brown, Gray, Light gray sheep
    • Rare: Pink sheep
  • Cold Biomes:
    • Common: Black sheep
    • Uncommon: Brown, Gray, Light gray, White sheep
    • Rare: Pink sheep
  • Warm Biomes:
    • Common: Brown sheep
    • Uncommon: Black, Gray, Light gray, White sheep
    • Rare: Pink sheep
• Increased vegetation density across all biomes.
• All leaf blocks now emit falling leaf particles.
• Sand and terracotta blocks now feature ambient particles.

Game pause

• A full pause feature has been added to the game.
• A corresponding indicator appears on-screen when the game is paused.

Switching camera perspective

• Mobile players can now switch camera perspectives.
• This feature can be enabled or disabled in the settings.

Firefly Bush

Found in swamps and near rivers.

• In the dark, glowing firefly particles appear around the bush, within a radius of up to 5 blocks.
• Using bone meal on it generates another firefly bush nearby, if space allows.
• Emits a faint glow with a light level of 2.
• Breaks instantly, no tool required.
• Can be used in a composter, with a 30% chance to add a layer.
• Appears naturally in groups of 2–5 bushes.

Animal variations

New variants of pigs, cows, and chickens have been added, depending on their spawning biome:

• Temperate Pigs, Cows, and Chickens:
  • Spawns by default in biomes without snowy or tropical variants.
• Snowy Pigs, Cows, and Chickens:
  • Spawns exclusively in certain cold biomes.
• Tropical Pigs, Cows, and Chickens:
  • Spawns exclusively in certain warm biomes.
• When bred by a player, offspring randomly inherit the variant from one of their parents.
• Snowy chickens lay Blue Eggs.
• Tropical chickens lay Brown Eggs.

Leaf Litter

A new decorative leaf-litter block found in forests, dark forests, and wooded badlands.

• Up to four layers of leaves can occupy one block space.
• Can be placed in four different orientations.
• Created by smelting any leaf block.
• Can be used as fuel for smelting.
• Tinted based on the biome it’s placed in.

Wildflowers

A new decorative flower found in plains and birch forests.

• Up to four flowers can occupy the same block space.
• Can be crafted into yellow dye.

Cactus Flower

A new type of flower can be found in deserts and badlands, occasionally growing on cactuses.

• Can be placed on cactus blocks and other blocks with center support.
• Has a chance to grow naturally on cactus blocks.
• Can be used in the composter.
• Can be crafted into one pink dye.

Dry Grass

Found in deserts and all types of badlands.

• Has short and tall variants.
• Can be placed on sand, terracotta, and dirt blocks.
• Can be used in the composter.
• Sheep can eat it to regrow wool.
• Can be used as fuel.

Bush

Found across multiple biomes, including plains and forests.

• Tinted based on the grass color of the biome it's placed in.
• Can be used in the composter.

Winter Drop 2025

• The second part of the update is expected to release by the end of the year.
• The theme and content of this update remain a secret.

When will Minecraft 1.22 be released?

Will the "Winter Drop" become the transition point to version 1.22? There's no official confirmation yet, but without it, version numbering could become more chaotic.

If everything goes according to plan, the "Winter Drop" will serve as the concluding part, merging all changes into a unified version—1.22. Its release is expected at the end of 2025.