Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 1: Everything New (Full Breakdown)

Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 1 came out on September 22, 2026, and its biggest change is that Java Edition now uses Vulkan as the default game renderer. It also adds sulfur caves below pre-Caves & Cliffs worlds when you upgrade them, and lets brown and red mushrooms be placed in any light level. On top of that, it fixes 29 bugs, including the auto-jump when you press against a block in water.

Keep in mind this is a snapshot, a test build released ahead of 26.4 itself. Features can still change before the full update.

26.4 Snapshot 1 at a glance

Change	What it means for you
Vulkan is the default renderer	"Default" in Graphics API now acts like "Prefer Vulkan"
Sulfur caves in old worlds	Upgrading pre-Caves & Cliffs worlds adds sulfur caves below old chunks
Mushrooms in any light	Brown and red mushrooms can go on any block with a solid top face
Server address properties	Server Address fields can carry extra info, like id@host
New server settings	allowed-connection-ids, status-contact-details, enable-legacy-status
Simpler transparency shaders	New OIT method, slightly better performance on some devices
29 bug fixes	Water auto-jump, ceiling item frames, minecart sounds and more
New pack formats	Data pack 122.0, resource pack 98.0

No new blocks, items or mobs come with this snapshot. The ice caves, frostbite, ice balls and Freezing effect announced for the Fourth Drop 2026 aren't in this changelog.

Vulkan becomes the default renderer

The headline change is in the Graphics API video setting. If you leave it on "Default", the game now treats that the same as "Prefer Vulkan".

The game also no longer switches your graphics API on its own when it detects a crash at startup.

The Order-Independent Transparency (OIT) shaders got simpler too. The old wavelet-based math was swapped for a depth bin method, giving slightly better performance on at least some devices and fewer floating point precision issues on average. Shader pack makers should check the renamed and removed OIT shader defines.

Sulfur caves now generate under old worlds

If your world dates from before Caves & Cliffs, upgrading it in this snapshot now also generates sulfur caves below your old chunks. A new biome tag, #generated_in_below_zero_retrogen, holds the biomes that generate below those older worlds.

This matters for music fans. The Bounce disc from 26.2 is found in minecart chests in mineshafts inside sulfur caves, at about a 42% chance. Our Bounce music disc guide covers how to hunt for it.

Mushrooms can be placed in any light

Brown and red mushrooms can now go on any block with a solid top face, no matter how bright it is. That brings Java in line with Bedrock (MC-311773).

Spreading still works the old way. A mushroom only spreads if the light at the new spot is below 13, unless the block under it overrides the light rule, like mycelium does.

Server address changes

Any Server Address box can now take extra properties after the address, a bit like a web link. Typing <id>@<host> is read as <host>?_id=<id>.

Server owners get three new settings:

• allowed-connection-ids: if filled in, players without a matching _id in the address can't see the server status or join.
• status-contact-details: a human-readable way to contact the server owners, sent with the server status.
• enable-legacy-status: lets owners turn off the old pre-1.7 status and ping handling. It's on by default.

Don't treat the connection id as a password. The packet that carries it isn't encrypted.

For normal players, a plain address still works the same way. You type play.jukezone.net to join JukeZone, just like before.

Data pack and technical changes

These mostly affect pack makers and command builders:

• Noise settings: the default_block field is gone. The default is always air.
• Placed features can only place within a 3×3 chunk area.
• cuboid: xz_size and y_size now mean the real size, so an xz_size of 2 gives a 2×2 cuboid.
• /fillbiome now fills biomes with block accuracy.
• A new minecraft:mod_list packet lets clients tell servers about mods. The vanilla client sends it empty.

Bug fixes worth knowing

Mojang fixed 29 issues. These are the ones you'll notice most:

• No more water auto-jump. You no longer jump by yourself when pressing against a block in water (MC-8959) or bounce when jumping into water next to a wall (MC-50749).
• Mobs stop jumping on their own when pushed to the edge of water or lava, or when falling into water from certain heights.
• Lush caves and dripstone caves: their poorly defined generation was fixed (MC-262252).
• Ceiling item frames now drop below the block instead of on top of it (MC-123848).
• Minecart sounds are no longer distorted (MC-311836).
• Dyed wolf armor shows cracks on the colored parts again (MC-311859).
• The End platform no longer regenerates when you travel there in Spectator mode (MC-311818).

Finding it in the launcher

In the Java launcher, this snapshot is listed as 26.4-snapshot-1. A server download is available too, and the minimum Java version is Java SE 25.

Snapshots are test builds, so back up any world before you open it in one.

When does 26.4 come out?

26.4 is the Java side of the Fourth Drop of 2026, announced at Minecraft LIVE in September 2026. It's planned for the fourth quarter of 2026, alongside Bedrock Edition 26.70. Bedrock players get experimental features for the drop first, in Bedrock 26.60. No exact release date has been given yet.

For what came next, read our 26.4 Snapshot 2 breakdown. To see the newest release and snapshot at any time, check the Minecraft update tracker. Want to talk about the drop with other players? Join the JukeZone Discord.