Java Edition version history/Development versions

Starting in the period between Beta 1.7.3 and Beta 1.8, Mojang began to publicly release testing versions of full updates in order to get major feedback, especially for bug reporting, so that the official update is considerably more stable. While these versions were public, they were not auto-installed by the game and are completely optional.

In Beta, these versions went under the tag of "Pre-Release", candidates subject to release for 1.0.0 as "RC#", and post-1.0.0 were given a name under a special syntax (see below).

To install a development version, simply download the minecraft.jar file, place "minecraft.jar" in your .minecraft/bin/ directory and run Minecraft as usual. For GNU/Linux, some extra work needs to be done to get the 1.3 snapshots going.

Note: This is not a page for reporting bugs; they should be posted on the relevant Known bugs page instead.

Weekly Snapshots
The format for the snapshots is YYwWWx.

YY is the two-digit year, WW is the two-digit week number within the year, and x is a unique identifier, starting with "a", in case there is more than one release per week, and "w" simply stands for "week".

Minecraft 1.2 Snapshots/Pre-Releases
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" !width="75"|Version !width="90"|Date of Addition !Additions Summary !width="80"|Download
 * 1.2.5 Pre-release || March 30, 2012 ||
 * 1.2.5 Pre-release || March 30, 2012 ||


 * Added shift clicking support in furnaces.
 * Added method to easily acquire blocks you have selected in the world in Creative mode using the "pick block" key.
 * Made the Direct Connect dialog remember the last IP for the current session.
 * Made cats less eager to sit on things.
 * Made cats less patient.
 * Made punching a TNT block with flint and steel in hand destroy and drop a TNT block (right-clicking will activate the TNT).

Client Server
 * 1.2 Preview || February 29, 2012 ||
 * 1.2 Preview || February 29, 2012 ||


 * Added a new type of Stone Brick, called Circle Stone Brick, which is only accessible in Creative Mode.
 * Pressing now displays what biome you are currently in. Also, raw, sky & block brightness values called rl, sl & bl respectively.
 * Slabs can now be placed upside-down.
 * Added mechanical sounds for Iron Golems
 * When crafting Slabs, you now get 6 instead of 3
 * When crafting Ladders, you now get 3 instead of 2
 * Removed camera controls accidentally added in 12w08a
 * Two new blocks have been added to the terrain.png file. They look similar to Sandstone but instead they contain hieroglyphics. These blocks have not been added to game yet. ( NewSandstoneGrid1.png, NewSandstoneGrid2.png )

Client Server
 * 12w08a || February 23, 2012 ||
 * 12w08a || February 23, 2012 ||


 * Added Iron Golem, a new utility mob.
 * Defense for Villages.
 * Removed some Canadian English stereotypes.
 * Multiplayer no longer says "Go camping with your buddies, eh?"
 * Added upside-down stairs.
 * Many changes to the world and lighting system
 * Lava ponds and flat stone areas generate on the surface more frequently.
 * Fixed the End and Caverns generation.
 * Redstone torches and Torches can be placed on the top of Glass
 * Added camera controls (These were accidentally added. Jeb noted them as "deadmau5 camera" controls and will likely be removed again in an upcoming snapshot.)
 * Pressing causes the player to get "stuck" to the camera until F6 is pressed again. This allows players to appear to phase into blocks.
 * Pressing causes the camera to freeze in its position, allowing to see the player model rotating in third person view.
 * Scrolling the mouse wheel (which also scrolls the inventory) rotates the forward, left, right, and back directions
 * Pressing, , , , , , , , and  change the camera positioning in a variety of ways, While pressing two functionally connected keys at the same time (example:  + ) will revert that view back to normal (but  +  doesn't work).

Client Server
 * 12w07b || February 15, 2012 ||
 * 12w07b || February 15, 2012 ||


 * Fixed the bug when hitting a block on fire the block gets destroyed
 * Fixed crash when mobs were spawned above block 255.
 * Fixed sheep animation in SMP.

Client Server
 * 12w07a || February 15, 2012 ||
 * 12w07a || February 15, 2012 ||


 * World file format changed to format called Anvil.
 * World height is now 256 blocks instead of 128 blocks.
 * Up to 4096 block IDs can be used.
 * Multiplayer light calculations no longer cause affected blocks to be transmitted to the clients, instead the clients will recalculate the light on their own.
 * This means that chunk errors can not be fixed by placing a torch anymore
 * Villagers will repopulate villages based on how many houses there are available.
 * The player may add houses to villages, provided they are enclosed with a roof and wooden door.
 * Some nights in villages will be worse than others. Referring to Zombie Invasions
 * Added Redstone Lamp.
 * Decreased chance for the rare mob drops.
 * All animals use the new AI system now.
 * Animals can now move their heads when walking.
 * Baby animals will now follow wheat.
 * Fixed wolf AI (They no longer teleport huge distances when the player is hit).
 * Fixed zombies breaking Iron Doors.

Client Server
 * 12w06a || February 9, 2012 ||
 * 12w06a || February 9, 2012 ||


 * Many minor bug fixes and tweaks.
 * Creepers no longer explode after death.
 * Villagers can no longer open iron doors.
 * Cats, Ocelots, Zombies, Wolves, and Skeletons no longer spin in circles on non-full-height blocks.
 * Cobwebs will prevent the player from receiving fall damage.
 * Doors have been changed to properly detect if they are open or closed. Double Doors in existing maps will need to be updated.
 * Placing two Pressure Plates directly in front of doors and stepping on them will open them correctly.
 * When stepping on a single Pressure Plate only the door on that side will open.
 * When stepping on both Pressure Plates both doors will open.
 * Villager's AI has been improved.
 * Villagers socialize with each other and passive mobs.
 * Villagers go inside for shelter when it's raining.
 * Villagers run away from Zombies.
 * When a player is targeted by a hostile mob, it will continue to track the player despite being attacked by other mobs.
 * Zombie's AI has been improved.
 * On Hard difficulty and Hardcore Mode, zombies break down Doors.
 * On normal and easy Difficulty, zombies attack but will not break down Doors.
 * Zombies chase and attack Villagers.
 * Zombies attack doors when attempting to escape sunlight.
 * Added new sounds.
 * Cats meow, cry, howl, purr and hiss.
 * Doors make banging sounds when Zombies attack them.
 * Better movement for mobs in Water.
 * Most Mobs move slower.
 * Cave spiders swim extremely fast with the water stream towards the player, but seem to be almost not moving against the water stream.
 * Zombie Pigmen swim fast in water.
 * Added rare Item drops for mobs.
 * Zombies have a rare chance to drop an Iron Ingot, Iron Helmet, Iron Shovel, or Iron Sword.
 * Skeletons have a rare chance to drop a Bow or an Enchanted Bow.
 * Zombie Pigmen have a rare chance to drop a Golden Helmet, Gold Ingot, Golden Sword, or an Enchanted Golden Sword.
 * Pressing to hide the HUD additionally disables hitbox outlines on blocks and the block breaking animation.
 * Monster Spawners now show correct mobs in multiplayer.
 * Snow Golems take damage from rain and water.
 * Redstone Dust can now be placed over Glowstone.

Client Server
 * 12w05b || February 3, 2012 ||
 * 12w05b || February 3, 2012 ||


 * Fixed shift-clicking the result from crafting only giving half the items and consuming all leftover materials.
 * Cats will now sit if right-clicked with an empty hand.
 * Death screen has a slight delay before buttons become active, to avoid accidentally clicking buttons when killed.
 * Creepers have a slightly improved AI.
 * NPC Villagers now have the ability to open and close doors.
 * Creepers will run away from tamed Cats and Ocelots.

Client Server
 * 12w05a || February 2, 2012 ||
 * 12w05a || February 2, 2012 ||


 * There were actually two versions of this snapshot, and the original version is no longer available. The second version would technically have been 12w05b, but since it was released so soon after the original 12w05a, jeb decided to simply replace 12w05a, and the version released the next day was named 12w05b. The original 12w05a had a bug where the game would crash when right-clicking a sitting cat empty-handed, and it also had some griefing in the translation. It is for these reasons that the snapshot was updated so soon.
 * Lava sounds now function.
 * Many mob-related bug fixes (and some new behaviors).
 * Ocelots are easier to tame, and Cats can be told to sit.
 * Many small bug fixes and tweaks.
 * Villagers will try to detect village houses and live in them.
 * Updated language files.
 * Removed some offensive translation text.
 * If your home bed is missing/obstructed while you are on Canadian English, it will say "Sorry, your home bed is missing or obstructed, eh?"
 * Creepers run away from cats.
 * Creepers now have new AI - they stalk the player.
 * Abandoned mine shafts now bridge over ravines
 * Enchantment tables no longer require experience in creative mode
 * You can get Dead Bushes by using shears on them.

Client Server
 * 12w04a || January 26, 2012 ||
 * 12w04a || January 26, 2012 ||


 * New jungle-specific Ocelot mob that can be tamed with Raw Fish into Cats.
 * Mobs in general have new an AI with new and improved behaviors.
 * Skeletons and Zombies burning from sunlight will flee to darkness or jump in water.
 * Mobs no longer attempt to jump over wooden fences.
 * New Items:
 * Fire Charge
 * Jungle Sapling
 * Bottle o' Enchanting (Creative Mode)
 * Spawn Ocelot (Creative Mode)
 * Updated language files.
 * Changed Dispenser and Oak Sapling textures. (Dispenser.pngGrid Sapling.png)
 * Added Desert Wells, which are newly generated structures.
 * Players are slowed when going through Vines due to their nature of being a collisionless ladder.

{| class="collapsible collapsed collapse-button-none" ! style="text-align: left" | Notable Bugs: (Complete bug list)
 * Cats, Ocelots, Zombies, Wolves, and Skeletons that get on non-full-height blocks will spin in circles.
 * Ocelots become stuck in fences when they run into them.
 * Zombies will sometimes stand still and track you only with their eyes.
 * Visible lines between rows of blocks.
 * A thrown Bottle o' Enchanting in SMP will not appear.
 * An unruly user that wrote the Afrikaans language translation put offensive text on the singleplayer button.
 * Another unruly user created a bogus language called [Ingles (Uruguay)] that contains the text "Otra razon para odiarte...", which translates to "Another reason to hate you..."
 * The left side of most mobs' heads will change to white when taking damage.
 * The left side of a Creeper's head does not have light effects applied to it. (Noticeable under light level 7.
 * The left side of most mobs' heads will change to white when taking damage.
 * The left side of a Creeper's head does not have light effects applied to it. (Noticeable under light level 7.