Release Java Edition Major update

Minecraft 1.16 “Nether Update”

Released on 23 June 2020, Minecraft Java Edition 1.16 Nether Update rebuilds the Nether with four new biomes, Bastion Remnants and Ruined Portals. It adds Piglins, Hoglins, Zoglins and Striders, Netherite gear made from Ancient Debris, and new blocks such as the Respawn Anchor, the Lodestone and the Target.

Released 23 Jun 2020 101 new blocks & items Resource pack format 5 Data version 2566

See everything new Are my mods ready?

Key takeaways

New biomes: Crimson Forest, Warped Forest, Soul Sand Valley and Basalt Deltas, while the old Nether biome is renamed Nether Wastes.
New mobs: Piglins trade for gold, Hoglins can be bred, Zoglins appear when Hoglins enter the Overworld, and Striders carry players across lava.
Netherite: Ancient Debris is refined into Netherite Scrap, and four scrap plus four Gold Ingots make a Netherite Ingot that upgrades diamond gear.
New structures: Bastion Remnants in four types in the Nether, and Ruined Portals in the Overworld and the Nether.
New blocks: Blackstone, Basalt, Crying Obsidian, Soul Soil, Chains, Shroomlights and the Pigstep music disc, found only in bastions.

Headline features

The changes you will notice first, with the pages that go deeper.

Biome

Four new Nether biomes

Crimson and Warped Forests grow huge fungi instead of trees, Soul Sand Valley has soul soil, basalt pillars and fossils, and Basalt Deltas are volcanic terrain covered in drifting ash.

Crimson Forest Warped Forest Soul Sand Valley

Mob

Piglins, Hoglins and Striders

Piglins barter for gold and attack players who are not wearing any. Hoglins are bred with Crimson Fungus, and Striders can be saddled and steered with a Warped Fungus on a Stick.

Piglin Hoglin Strider

Items

Netherite

Netherite Ingots upgrade diamond gear at the Smithing Table. Netherite items float in lava and beat diamond on durability, toughness and knockback resistance.

Ancient Debris Netherite Scrap Netherite Ingot

Blocks

Respawn Anchor, Lodestone, Target

The Respawn Anchor holds up to four Glowstone charges. A compass linked to a Lodestone points to it, and a Target gives a stronger redstone signal the closer a hit lands to its centre.

Respawn Anchor Lodestone Target

Official video

Published by Mojang on the official Minecraft YouTube channel.

Nether Update: Official Trailer

Clicking loads the video from YouTube (youtube-nocookie.com).

Everything new in 1.16

compared with 1.15.2 · from the game files

101Blocks & items

4Entities

4Biomes

1Enchantments

New entities

Biome Basalt Deltas

Biome Crimson Forest

Biome Soul Sand Valley

Biome Warped Forest

Entity Hoglin

Entity Piglin

Entity Strider

Entity Zoglin

New effects & enchantments

Soul Speed

Warped Planks × 22

Warped Planks

Potted Warped Fungus

Potted Warped Roots

Stripped Warped Hyphae

Show all 22

Warped Pressure Plate

Warped Wall Sign

Warped Fungus on a Stick

Crimson Planks × 20

Crimson Pressure Plate

Show all 20

Crimson Wall Sign

Potted Crimson Fungus

Potted Crimson Roots

Stripped Crimson Hyphae

Stripped Crimson Stem

Block of Netherite × 12

Netherite Ingot

Netherite Scrap

Polished Basalt × 11

Polished Basalt

Polished Blackstone

Polished Blackstone Bricks

Polished Blackstone Brick Slab

Polished Blackstone Brick Stairs

Polished Blackstone Brick Wall

Polished Blackstone Button

Polished Blackstone Pressure Plate

Polished Blackstone Slab

Polished Blackstone Stairs

Polished Blackstone Wall

Soul Campfire × 6

Soul Wall Torch

Other blocks & items × 30

What changed

MobsNeutral mob anger is now persistent and can spread to nearby mobs of the same type. New gamerules: universalAnger (off) and forgiveDeadPlayers (on).

MobsZombie Pigmen are renamed Zombified Piglins, with reworked anger behaviour.

ItemsHoes accept Efficiency, Fortune and Silk Touch, and the new Soul Speed enchantment is only obtainable by bartering.

GraphicsNew Fabulous! graphics option, and Entity Distance can be set from 50% to 500%.

CommandsNew /locatebiome command, and /spawnpoint now works in any dimension.

TechnicalAttribute names move to snake_case (generic.max_health), UUIDs are stored as four integers, and data packs can be picked at world creation.

AccessibilityNew Line Spacing and Chat Delay options. Chat also supports RGB hex colours and custom fonts.

Source: official Java Edition 1.16 changelog

Mods & loaders for 1.16

Mods must be rebuilt for each version. Counts from the files published on Modrinth and CurseForge, in our catalog.

Loader	Mods with a 1.16 file	Latest build
Fabric	27	0.20.1
NeoForge	7	·
Forge	26	·
Quilt	8	·

Shader loaders	Shaders with a 1.16 file	Latest build
Iris	66	·
OptiFine	62	·

45 mods in our catalog have a 1.16 file →

119 texture packs and 35 maps in our catalog support 1.16.

How to play 1.16

01
Open the Minecraft Launcher and select Minecraft: Java Edition.
02
Go to Installations, create a new installation and choose version 1.16.
03
Back up your worlds before opening them in a new version.

From first snapshot to release

19 snapshots, 8 pre-releases and 1 release candidates over 139 days.

20w06a05 Feb 2020
20w14a02 Apr 2020
20w22a29 May 2020
1.16-pre104 Jun 2020
1.16-rc118 Jun 2020
1.1623 Jun 2020

All 28 test builds →

Minecraft 1.16 FAQ

When was Minecraft 1.16 released?

On 23 June 2020, for Java Edition. The update is named the Nether Update, and the 1.16.1 hotfix followed the next day, on 24 June 2020.

How do you make Netherite in 1.16?

Mine Ancient Debris in the Nether and smelt it into Netherite Scrap. Combine four scrap with four Gold Ingots to get a Netherite Ingot, then upgrade a diamond item with it at a Smithing Table.

Which Java version does Minecraft 1.16 need?

Java 8. The game only moved to Java 16 with 1.17, and the Minecraft Launcher installs the right runtime automatically.

Do 1.15 resource packs and mods work in 1.16?

Mods need a build for 1.16. Resource packs need checking: walls changed in 1.16, so a pack made for 1.15 is not fully compatible.