Minecraft:Snapshot

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A list of snapshots per year.

A snapshot is the term used to describe development versions for Template:JE updates. Every major update, and many minor updates, have snapshots released roughly weekly for player feedback on in-development features and changes.

Purpose

Snapshots are unstable development versions for updates, which focus on adding features and new content to the game. Once an update is feature complete, the update cycle moves from the snapshot phase to the Minecraft:pre-release phase.

Availability

Template:For Snapshots are available in the Minecraft:Minecraft Launcher under the default "Latest snapshot" profile.

Naming

Since December 2025

Current snapshots are named using the scheme XX.X Snapshot Y. For example, the first snapshot for version 26.1 is Minecraft:Java Edition 26.1 Snapshot 1.<ref>Template:Mcnet</ref><ref>Template:Mcnet</ref> An exception to this naming convention after this date was the 2026 April Fools' update, 26w14a, which used the former naming scheme.

Before December 2025

Snapshots released before December 16, 2025 used a unique naming format, unrelated to the 1.x version numbering used elsewhere. Snapshots used the format "YYwWWn". YY was the two-digit year, "w" simply stood for "week", WW was the two-digit week number within the year, and n was a unique letter identifier—starting with "a", then "b", and so on—which incremented when there was more than one release in a given week. For example, Minecraft:18w10d was the fourth snapshot ("d") released in the 10th week of 2018. The highest letter reached is "e", a tie between Minecraft:12w30e, Minecraft:13w47e and Minecraft:15w35e. The naming convention was only broken by Minecraft:13w12~ and April Fools' snapshots.

Release schedule

Modern snapshots are set to be released on Tuesdays.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref> Prior to Minecraft:Minecraft LIVE - March 2025, they were released on Wednesdays, barring delays.<ref>Template:Snap</ref> The day had been Thursday until the release of Minecraft:14w25a on June 18, 2014, in the middle of development for 1.8.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref><ref name="mojang">Template:Cite</ref> Subsequent snapshots may occur on any day thereafter or even on the same day.

April Fools' Day snapshots can be released on any day of the week, depending on what day April 1st falls on. April Fools' Day snapshots have been released on Monday (2024), Tuesday (2025), Wednesday (2015, 2020, 2026), Friday (2022), and Saturday (2023) in the past.