The Trails & Tales Update

In Swedish, there is a saying that translates to “a beloved child has many names”. I like this expression because I am a self-proclaimed maximalist. More is more! But I am bringing this up today because the update that is known as Minecraft 1.20 and the 1.20 Update has received a new name! One that is less numerical and a bit more thematic. And that name is… Drumroll please… Even though it’s written in the title of this post… But we love the drama just the same… One more set of ellipses… the Trails & Tales Update!  

The name was first announced in our premiere episode of Minecraft Monthly, our new news show! Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel and keep your eye out each month for the latest updates delivered by our very own Vu Bui.

The Trails & Tales Update will be coming to a Minecraft near you later this year. We first learned of it during Minecraft Live 2022. Game Director Agnes Larsson shared that this update would make Minecraft Minecraftier than ever while focusing on self-expression, creativity, and intrinsic motivation. 

Previous updates like Caves & Cliffs and Update Aquatic have been named after a theme, and Trails & Tales is no different. The name represents the journey that Minecraft takes us on, and the unique stories that each of us bring back. Sometimes, that journey is literal, like riding towards the horizon on a camel with your best friend. Other times, it’s more metaphorical, like learning how to evade hostile mobs or working out a smart mining system. At the end of the journey, however you have chosen to play Minecraft, you will have your very own story that goes with it. We love hearing them, and we hope that Trails & Tales will encourage you to tell even more Minecraft stories that you can share with the world!  

ALL-NEW FEATURES

You can already try out the Trails & Tales features in Bedrock betas and previews, as well as Java Snapshots. Don’t hesitate to head out and sniff for seeds with the sniffer, trim your armor, dig into history with archeology, explore the cherry blossom biome, take a ride on a camel, hang your signs, play some mob heads, organize your chiseled bookshelf, and craft with bamboo! 

All of the features currently out in snapshots, betas, and previews are early versions, which is why we want to know what you think of them. Your feedback is an important part of our process. After we release an early version, we use the collected feedback to iterate and tweak each feature. Then, we continue testing before it’s time for platform submissions, certification, and finally – release time!

Please send your thoughts to the Minecraft 1.20 feedback site and report any bugs you find to bugs.mojang.com. Check out these instructions for installing snapshots, betas, and previews on your preferred platform!