Mob
Happy Ghast
A friendly Ghast that can be ridden by up to four players with a Harness, the first rider steering. It is tempted by Snowballs and regenerates faster in rain, snow or at cloud height.
Minecraft 1.21.6 “Chase the Skies”
Released on 17 June 2025, Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.6 Chase the Skies adds the Happy Ghast, a flying mount for up to four players, along with the Dried Ghast block and the Harness. It also brings the Locator Bar, which shows other players' direction, and clouds that reach the horizon.
Released 17 Jun 2025 19 new blocks & items Resource pack format 63 Data version 4435
Key takeaways
- New mount: the Happy Ghast carries up to four players once fitted with a Harness.
- Life cycle: a Dried Ghast kept in water for about 20 minutes hatches a Ghastling, which grows up in about 20 more minutes.
- Locator Bar: a new HUD element shows other players as coloured indicators in place of the experience bar.
- New music: the disc Tears and five background tracks, all by Amos Roddy.
- Recipe changes: Leads now use String instead of a Slimeball, and Saddles can be crafted.
Headline features
The changes you will notice first, with the pages that go deeper.
Items
Harness
Comes in 16 colours and is crafted from 3 Leather, 2 Glass blocks and 1 Wool block. Shears remove it when nobody is riding.
White HarnessBlack Harness
Gameplay
Locator Bar
Shows players within a 120 degree field of view as coloured markers. Operators change colours with /waypoint, and the locatorBar game rule turns it off.
Items
Music Disc Tears
Dropped when a Ghast is killed by a Fireball deflected by a player. Five new background tracks by Amos Roddy join it.
Official video
Published by Mojang on the official Minecraft YouTube channel.
Clicking loads the video from YouTube (youtube-nocookie.com).
Everything new in 1.21.6
compared with 1.21.5 · from the game files19Blocks & items
1Entities
New entities
Happy GhastHarness × 16 · 16 colours
Other blocks & items × 3
What changed
ItemsLeashes can tie two mobs together, snap at 12 blocks instead of 10 and can be cut with Shears.
ItemsSaddles are crafted from 3 Leather and 1 Iron Ingot; Shears remove Saddles, Horse Armor, Harnesses and Carpets from mobs.
GameplayFirework Rockets used while gliding with Elytra now only act as a boost.
MobsHorses, Donkeys and Mules can be fed Carrots to heal, grow and improve their temper.
GraphicsFog was reworked and gets denser in rain; clouds extend to the horizon, with an option to reduce them.
AudioMusic keeps playing while the game is paused, with new frequency settings and a new UI sound category.
TechnicalData pack version 80 and resource pack version 63; new /version, /waypoint and /dialog commands.
Mods & loaders for 1.21.6
Mods must be rebuilt for each version. Counts from the files published on Modrinth and CurseForge, in our catalog.
| Loader | Mods with a 1.21.6 file | Latest build |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | 193 | 0.20.1 |
| NeoForge | 165 | 21.6.20-beta |
| Forge | 74 | 56.0.9 |
| Quilt | 69 | · |
Popular mods Sodium · AvailableJust Enough Items (JEI) · Not yetFabric API · AvailableLithium · AvailableIris Shaders · AvailableOptiFine · Available
213 mods in our catalog have a 1.21.6 file → 233 texture packs and 49 maps in our catalog support 1.21.6.
How to play 1.21.6
- 01
Open the Minecraft Launcher and select Minecraft: Java Edition.
- 02
Go to Installations, create a new installation and choose version 1.21.6.
- 03
Back up your worlds before opening them in a new version.
From first snapshot to release
7 snapshots, 4 pre-releases and 1 release candidates over 70 days.
- 25w15a08 Apr 2025
- 25w18a29 Apr 2025
- 25w21a20 May 2025
- 1.21.6-pre128 May 2025
- 1.21.6-rc112 Jun 2025
- 1.21.617 Jun 2025
Minecraft 1.21.6 FAQ
When was Minecraft 1.21.6 released?
On 17 June 2025, for Java Edition. Named Chase the Skies, it is the second game drop of 2025, after Spring to Life (1.21.5).
How do you get a Happy Ghast in 1.21.6?
Find a Dried Ghast in a Nether Fossil or craft one from 1 Soul Sand and 8 Ghast Tears. Placed in water, it hatches a Ghastling after about 20 minutes, which grows up in about 20 more, faster if fed Snowballs.
Do 1.21.5 mods and packs work in 1.21.6?
Not without an update: the data pack version goes from 71 to 80 and the resource pack version from 55 to 63, and the shader and fog systems were restructured.
Which Java version does Minecraft 1.21.6 need?
Java 21, the requirement since 1.20.5. It is included with the Minecraft Launcher.