Mojang released Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 on October 20, 2026, bringing a bunch of new winter-themed content to Java Edition. But what makes this snapshot worth checking out? Well, not only does it bring new blocks, but it also adds a new advancement, ambient sounds, gameplay tweaks, technical changes, and plenty of other things for players to explore.
So, if you’re excited, here’s everything you need to know about Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5, including all the new features and how to install it safely.
What’s new in Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5?
Packed Ice Bricks
The highlight of Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 is Packed Ice Bricks. This is a new building block that gives players more ways to decorate their builds. Unlike regular packed ice, these bricks aren’t slippery, which makes them quite useful for designing houses. You can craft them by putting down four Packed Ice blocks in a 2×2 crafting grid.
The set comes with four variants for you to use:
- Packed Ice Brick Slab
- Packed Ice Brick Stairs
- Packed Ice Brick Wall
- Chiseled Packed Ice
You can also make the slabs, stairs, walls and chiseled block in a Stonecutter. To collect them, use a pickaxe (no Silk Touch needed, unlike other ice blocks), or even your bare hands, though that’s slower. So, collecting them shouldn’t be much of a hassle.
New advancement: What goes around comes around
There’s also a new Adventure advancement called “What Goes Around Comes Around”. In order to obtain it, you need to kill a Frostbite with an Ice Ball. These projectiles can be easily obtained by defeating Frostbites, which spawn in ice caves and cold biomes. You can also encounter them when regular zombies get submerged in powder snow, which gives you another way to find these mobs.
Ice now has ambient sounds
Tired of Minecraft’s icy environments feeling a bit too quiet? Mojang has added ambient sounds for regular Ice blocks to make these areas feel even more alive. However, the sounds only have a chance of playing under certain conditions. An Ice block must have at least eight Ice blocks surrounding it horizontally, a Water block underneath, and an Air block right above it.
Mob projectiles can break blocks in Adventure mode
Mobs have also received a small change in Adventure mode. Their projectiles can now break certain blocks, including Decorated Pots, Chorus Flowers, and Speleothems. This could prove to be trouble if you’re trying to protect a build from hostile mobs. However, you can prevent this behavior by setting the mob_griefing gamerule to false.
New “Prefer DXGI Present” video setting (Windows)
Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 also introduces a new Prefer DXGI Present option, which can be found in the Video Settings menu. It’s available exclusively for Windows players, and it lets the game attempt to use DirectX to present the game. This means systems can benefit from better Variable Refresh Rate compatibility, improved IME support, and faster Alt+Tab switching when playing in fullscreen mode. Keep in mind that it’s off by default, Mojang labels it experimental, and not all hardware supports it.
Is Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 available on Bedrock?
Unfortunately, Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 is not available on Bedrock. Bedrock has its own separate testing track, with Preview 26.70.21 playable right now, which brings its own set of features and changes, including Packed Ice Bricks.
How to install Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 (Mac and Windows)
In order to install Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 on your Mac or Windows PC, you’ll first need Java Edition. Once that’s done, follow these steps:
- Open the Minecraft Launcher on your Mac or Windows PC and log in to your account.
- Head to the Installations tab at the top of the launcher and enable Snapshots.
- Click New Installation, enter a name for your build, and select 26.4-snapshot-5 from the version dropdown menu.
- Choose Create, select your installation, and press Play to launch the snapshot.
Once you hit Play, the launcher will automatically download the files needed to run the snapshot. However, make sure to back up your existing worlds before playing, as snapshots are experimental versions that can contain bugs or corrupt your existing worlds. Also, if you’re using the Vulkan renderer, avoid resizing the game window, as this snapshot has a known issue that can crash the game.
When will Minecraft 26.4 release?
As of now, there’s no exact release date for Minecraft 26.4. However, it’s expected that the update will arrive right before the end of 2026, as it’s being projected as the final game drop of the year. Until Mojang announces the official date, players need to wait for further snapshots and a pre-release version to get a better idea of when the next version will launch.
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