Best Minecraft Updates of All Time (2023)

While the game itself is really chunky and offers more than enough content to sink your teeth into, new Minecraft updates are always super exciting. Seeing certain older parts of Minecraft be revitalized, or new things being added that help to freshen up the game, is naturally pretty exciting. These updates have come in various shapes and sizes, and have had anywhere from very small to massive amounts of impact on the game as a whole. Here are all the best Minecraft updates of all time, in order of their release.

The Best Minecraft Updates That Have Ever Released

Adventure Update 2 (1.0)

I’d be doing all of you a disservice if I didn’t kick things off with the update that launched Minecraft officially. This update brought us the End to Minecraft and Enchantments as its two major additions, and both these additions are now cornerstones of Minecraft’s early game experience. While both have received various changes since their launch, the impact of their addition can be immediately felt.

Pretty Scary Update (1.4)

While the update might seem like it makes the game much scarier, the fear aspect of Minecraft wouldn’t come until much later with the 1.19 Deep Dark update. Instead, this update would bring changes that would drastically change Minecraft. The Wither brought the next boss to Minecraft and the ever-wonderful beacons, and Anvils helped to repair and rename items to add that bit of personal flair. Command Blocks were what seriously changed the game though, changing Minecraft maps from fun little adventures to entirely new experiences that drastically changed the game.

One great example of this is with a Minecraft map I played recently, called Doomed: Demons of the Nether. This map remade parts of the modern Doom games and made them playable in Minecraft, with a surprising amount of polish. Had it not been for this update and Command Blocks, that wouldn’t have ever been close to possible.

Redstone Update (1.5)

For similar reasons to Update 1.4, 1.5 helped to revitalize an aspect of the game that deserved a ton of love. In this case, it was Redstone contraptions. Suddenly, Redstone went from being a fancy way to open doors to a system with tons of possibilities. Thanks to the addition of Hoppers, Redstone Blocks, and things of the sort, making major machines like automatic sorting systems became possible. Just take one look at the videos from Mumbo Jumbo on YouTube and you’ll immediately understand what’s possible.

The Update That Changed the World (1.7)

While Minecraft’s world generation up to this point wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the most exciting thing either. Thankfully, 1.7 brought a complete overhaul to the way world generation worked while adding a ton more biomes for you to explore. The additions of new fish, new types of wood, and a ton of flowers were merely the cherry on top. You could even consider this the 1.17/1.18 Cave update, only for above ground.

Update Aquatic (1.13)

Besides the Ocean Monuments introduced a few updates ago, the Ocean was actually a really boring place and more of an obstacle between Point A and Point B. While the Ocean still isn’t overly exciting, it sure is pretty to look at after this update. Thanks to all new kinds of wildlife, ruins beneath the waves, and those beautiful coral reefs, the waters are better than they’ve ever been.

Village and Pillage (1.14)

While some aspects of this update are less impactful such as the Bamboo Forests, the complete overhaul of Villages more than makes up for it. Not only are there the new Raids that can help you score cheap trades and the Totems of Undying, but the new trade system has turned a near-useless mechanic into something almost mandatory. That, and the new textures are a nice addition, even if I’m using my own texture pack anyway.

Nether Update (1.16)

The complete revamp of the Nether realm has made for some incredible vistas, tough threats, and even better loot. Raiding Bastions can be a very dangerous experience, though the rewards within make it somewhat worth it. The new types of wood are a nice additive as well, as are their beautiful forests. To top things off, the addition of Netherite brought the first new type of armor to Minecraft since the addition of Diamonds all those years ago. Crazy to think how far we’ve come.

Caves and Cliffs Part 2 (1.18)

If you clicked on this article, then you knew this was coming. The Caves and Cliffs update (the actual one) brought with it a complete redoing of the cave systems in Minecraft. Once merely a neat way to save time digging for Diamonds, caves are now these massive mega structures that house endless mobs but also endless vistas full of cool things to see. While not part of this list, the Ancient Cities and Deep Dark added in 1.19 only further added to this. It’s an incredible update through and through, even if Deepslate can be painful to mine through.

Related: Minecraft Bedrock 1.19: Best Y Level for Diamonds

That’s everything we have for the biggest updates introduced to Minecraft! While other updates like the 1.9 update have brought great things to the game as well, these updates were easily the best of the best. While on the topic of updates, check out our guide on where Camels spawn in Minecraft 1.20.