Release Java Edition Game drop 1 of 2026

Minecraft 26.1 “Tiny Takeover”

Released on 24 March 2026, Minecraft Java Edition 26.1 is the Tiny Takeover drop and the first release to use the new version numbering, after 1.21.11. It redesigns most baby mobs, adds the Golden Dandelion to stop them growing up and makes Name Tags craftable. It requires Java 25.

Released 24 Mar 2026 2 new blocks & items Resource pack format 84 Data version 4786

See everything new Are my mods ready?

Key takeaways

Baby mobs: new models and textures for most baby mobs, from cows and wolves to zombies and villagers, plus new baby sounds for the Wolf, Cat, Pig, Horse and Chicken.
Golden Dandelion: a new flower crafted from a Dandelion and Gold Nuggets that stops a baby mob from aging. Use it again and the mob starts growing.
Sound variants: cats, cows and chickens get one new adult sound variant and pigs get two, assigned at random alongside the classic sound.
Name Tags: craftable from 1 Paper and 1 metal nugget, and sold by the Wandering Trader for 1 Emerald.
New numbering: 26.1 replaces the 1.x version scheme. The previous release was 1.21.11.

Headline features

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

Mob

Baby mob makeover

Most baby mobs get new models and textures, including the Cow, Wolf, Fox, Axolotl, Zombie and Villager. Several have new bounding boxes, and baby Cats are now the size of baby Ocelots.

Cow Wolf Cat

Blocks

Golden Dandelion

Crafted from a Dandelion and Gold Nuggets, it keeps a baby mob at its current age until you use it on the mob again. It does not work on undead babies or baby Villagers.

Golden Dandelion Dandelion Gold Nugget

Gameplay

Copper trumpet

A Note Block placed on a Block of Copper plays a new trumpet instrument. The sound changes with the oxidation level of the copper.

Note Block Block of Copper

Items

Craftable Name Tags

Name Tags are crafted from 1 Paper and 1 metal nugget. They no longer appear in Ancient City and Woodland Mansion chests, and the Wandering Trader sells them for 1 Emerald.

Name Tag Paper

Official video

Published by Mojang on the official Minecraft YouTube channel.

TINY TAKEOVER | Official Trailer

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

Everything new in 26.1

compared with 1.21.11 · from the game files

2Blocks & items

Other blocks & items × 2

Golden Dandelion

Potted Golden Dandelion

What changed

GraphicsThe lightmap was fully rewritten. Night Vision now adds ambient light instead of scaling colours.

TechnicalJava 25 is required and the bundled runtime is the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 25. Game executables are no longer obfuscated.

PerformanceThe game allocates 4 GB of RAM by default instead of 2 GB and uses the ZGC garbage collector on compatible devices.

WorldsDimensions are now stored in a dimensions subfolder and player data in a players folder. Older worlds show an Upgrade and Play button.

TradingVillager trades are generated from the world seed. Master Librarians no longer sell Name Tags and now offer Red and Yellow Candles for 3 Emeralds.

InterfaceNew Exclusive Fullscreen option (off by default), a World Options screen and a search bar in the Game Rules screen.

CommandsNew /swing command, and /time reworked around the new World Clocks.

Source: official Java Edition 26.1 changelog

Mods & loaders for 26.1

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

Loader	Mods with a 26.1 file	Latest build
Fabric	189	0.20.1
NeoForge	183	26.1.0.19-beta
Forge	44	62.0.9
Quilt	57	·

Shader loaders	Shaders with a 26.1 file	Latest build
Iris	76	·
OptiFine	55	·

228 mods in our catalog have a 26.1 file →

199 texture packs and 43 maps in our catalog support 26.1.

How to play 26.1

01
Open the Minecraft Launcher and select Minecraft: Java Edition.
02
Go to Installations, create a new installation and choose version 26.1.
03
Back up your worlds before opening them in a new version.

From first snapshot to release

11 snapshots, 3 pre-releases and 3 release candidates over 98 days.

26.1-snapshot-116 Dec 2025
26.1-snapshot-603 Feb 2026
26.1-snapshot-1103 Mar 2026
26.1-pre-110 Mar 2026
26.1-rc-119 Mar 2026
26.124 Mar 2026

All 17 test builds →

Minecraft 26.1 FAQ

When was Minecraft 26.1 released?

On 24 March 2026, for Java Edition. It is the first game drop of 2026 and is named Tiny Takeover.

Why is it called 26.1 and not 1.22?

Mojang started a new version numbering system for Java Edition with 26.1 Snapshot 1 in December 2025. 26.1 is the first release to use it. The release before it was 1.21.11.

Which Java version does Minecraft 26.1 need?

Java 25. The bundled runtime is the Microsoft Build of OpenJDK 25, and servers must also run on Java 25.

Do mods, packs and worlds from 1.21.11 work in 26.1?

Mods and packs need an update: the data pack format moves to 101.1 and the resource pack format to 84. Older worlds open after an upgrade step, via the Upgrade and Play button.