Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials Update’ FAQ: Release date, features, mobs, snapshots, and other questions answered

Here’s everything you need to know about the major Minecraft 1.21 content update.

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•What is it?•Release date•Update name•Armored Paws update•New mobs•New features•Snapshots & previews•Platforms

Minecraft isn’t just the best-selling video game of all time, it also counts among the most long-lived, thanks to 15 years of constant support fromMojang Studios. That impressive stream of updates isn’t ending any time soon, with another major release slated to hitMinecrafton all platforms later this year. The Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ content update is finally here, and it’s filled with new features, blocks, mobs, and more.

Like many past updates for one of thebest Xbox games, Mojang developed the 1.21 release alongside the community through early snapshots and previews ahead of its full release. That means there’s more info available than for the average video game update; here’s everything you need to know about theMinecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update, including when it officially dropped and what you can expect from it.

June 13, 2024 —Updated now that the Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update is officially available to download.

What is the Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update?

Best answer: The Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update is the long-running survival-crafting game’s major content update for the 2024 year.

Minecraft Liveis the perfect opportunity for Mojang Studios to discuss the future of Minecraft, andMinecraft Live 2023was no exception. That’s where the developer took the wraps off theMinecraft 1.21 update and showed off its first confirmed features, including the hostile Breeze mob, the challenging Trial Chambers, and the innovative Crafter block.

Mojang once again shows it knows how numbers work, as the Minecraft 1.21 update directly follows theMinecraft 1.20 ‘Trails & Tales’ update released in Summer 2023, this time with a focus on adventure and challenge. Mojang wants to make exploring Minecraft’s Overworld more interesting and exciting, while also delivering some long-requested features.

When did Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ release?

Best answer: The Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update officially released on June 13, 2024, and is launching nearly simultaneously across all versions and platforms.

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After months of active development time and community testing, we finally found outwhen the next Minecraft update was releasing. Mojang Studios announced thatthe Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update was dropping onJune 13, 2024, exactly in line with my early summer predictions. As expected, there aren’t any last minute feature additions or surprises with the Tricky Trials update, and its final changelog is essentially set in stone apart from final fixes and polishing.

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The Tricky Trials update released nearly simultaneously for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and Minecraft: Java Edition, meaning players across Xbox, Windows PC, PlayStation, Switch, Android, and iOS platforms are able to enjoy the new update at the same time (with a slight time advantage for Java Edition players). Mojang Studios spent some time finalizing the update through pre-release and release candidate test builds, but there weren’t any last-minute issues that delayed the update.

Around the release of any major Minecraft update, there’s always the chance that it’ll take several hours (or even days) for the update to appear on your device, so it’s best to have patience and regularly check for updates.

What is the Minecraft 1.21 update be called?

Best answer: The official title for the Minecraft 1.21 is the ‘Tricky Trials Update,’ reflecting the update’s focus on adventures and challenge. Mojang Studios revealed this through Apr. 2024’s Minecraft Monthly episode.

Following backlash from the controversial Minecraft 1.17 and 1.18 updates, Mojang Studios made some notable changes to how it develops and announces new Minecraft updates. Most notably, the developer now only announces new features when they’re already far along in development (and usually close to being released to Minecraft insiders for testing). Additionally, Mojang doesn’t officially name an update until it’s essentially feature complete.

So, over six months after the update’s initial reveal, Minecraft 1.21 finally has a name. Revealed during the Minecraft Monthly episode for Apr. 2024, Minecraft 1.21 is officially the ‘Tricky Trials Update,’ referring to the new Trial Chambers and Ominous Trials being introduced in the update.

What is the Minecraft ‘Armored Paws’ update?

In something of a surprise move, Mojang Studios spun out multiple features expected to arrive with the Tricky Trials Update and released them as their own, separate named update. The ‘Armored Paws’ update (1.20.5 for Java Edition and 1.20.80 for Bedrock Edition) add three major features to the game, namely Armadillos, new Wolf variants, and Wolf Armor. TheMinecraft Armored Paws Update officially released on Apr. 23, 2024for all platforms.

It did make the Tricky Trials Update smaller, but I personally am a fan of Mojang dropping features as they’re ready rather than holding them back for a future, larger release. Below, you can find information on the Armored Paws features that were originally part of the Tricky Trials testing.

What new mobs are coming in Minecraft 1.21?

Best answer: Two new mobs arrived in the Minecraft ‘Tricky Trials’ update. There’s the Breeze, a hostile wind-centric mob found in the new Trial Chambers, and there’s the Bogged, a new Skeleton variant that fires poisonous arrows.

One of the most anticipated parts of any Minecraft content update is whether there will be new mobs added to the game’s growing roster. In the case of the Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Mojang Studios has addedtwonew mobs with Minecraft 1.21. Another new mob (and variants for another) were actually released as part of the Armored Paws Update detailed above. Let’s go over the two mobs and why you should care about them:

What features are being added in Minecraft 1.21?

Best answer: The headlining feature for the Minecraft ‘Tricky Trials’ update is absolutely the new Trial Chambers, followed closely by the Redstone engineer’s dream, the Crafter. There are also other small features like Copper Bulbs, new building blocks, and more.

Many players may be clamoring over the new mobs in the Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update, but there are plenty of other features that were added. Two in particular stand out above all the rest (the Trial Chambers and Crafter block), but there are a decent number of other small features and mechanics in the update. Unfortunately, one thing you won’t find are any new biomes.

How can I test the Minecraft 1.21 update early?

Best answer: The main 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ is now available, but Mojang Studios will continue to test future versions through Minecraft: Java Edition snapshots and the Minecraft Preview. There’s also the experimental features section in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, but that’s normally reserved for the next major content update.

Mojang Studios historically develops all Minecraft updates alongside the community, collecting feedback on new features, existing bugs, and requested changes. It’s no different with the Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update, which was in testing as part of the Minecraft: Java Edition snapshots andMinecraft Preview(the beta version of the Bedrock Edition) sinceOctober of last year. Mojang regularly released new builds since then with more features and plenty of changes, polishes, and tweaks.

Of course, now the update is available for everyone to download, so there’s not much testing to be done. However, if you want to test all future Minecraft 1.21 versions, you’ll need to download Minecraft Preview on Xbox, Windows PC, and mobile devices (the Android version requires opting into the beta), or download the latest Minecraft: Java Edition snapshots through the Minecraft Launcher. Bear in mind that these early builds tend to be less stable and bug-prone than the public version, and your worlds and progress willnotcarry over to the main game.

What platforms get Minecraft 1.21?

Best answer: The Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update came to all modern versions of Minecraft, including Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on Xbox, Windows PC, PlayStation, Switch, and mobile devices, as well as Minecraft: Java Edition on Windows PC, macOS, and Linux.

Minecraft is available on practically every modern gaming platform, and that means practically everyoneis able to explore the new features included in the Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update. To be precise, though, only Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and Minecraft: Java Edition will be updated — older versions of Minecraft that are no longer supported (like older console-specific spin-offs) aren’t going to be included in the fun, of course.

That means the Tricky Trials Update released on Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch consoles, Windows PC, and Android and iOS mobile devices via the Bedrock Edition. It was also released for Windows PC, macOS, and Linux computers via the Java Edition. All platforms for each version got the Minecraft 1.21 ‘Tricky Trials’ update nearly simultaneously, but there was a small difference between Bedrock and Java Edition releases.

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.