Every Minecraft Update Ranked

1 year ago 313

Minecraft was born in 2009 and transformed over the years through many major updates. Today we gathered all these updates to rank them from worst to best.

#19 1.10 Frostburn Update

The Frostburn Update added very little to the game. Apart from sound changes, it added polar bears, husks, and strays (snow versions of skeletons and zombies) none of which are particularly exciting. And that is pretty much it.

This is probably one of the more underwhelming updates of Minecraft. Since it came out only a few months after The Combat Update we can’t complain much, but we have to put it as low as the last spot.

#18 1.2 Jungles & Iron Golems

The jungle is probably one of the least favorite biomes in Minecraft. It’s hard to navigate through and the only attraction there (before Village & Pillage came out) were Ocelots that you can tame to get yourself a cat. Although we wouldn’t deny that having a jungle in an open-world sandbox is a must. It is.

Iron Golems and Zombie Sieges were the fun side of the update. Occasionally a horde of zombies can spawn and attack the village, while you and the golems can fight them back. Overall it is a nice smaller update but it can’t compete with some of the bigger ones.

#19 1.3 Trading & Temples

Did you know that you couldn’t trade with villagers at the very beginning? Trading and emeralds were introduced in the 1.3 update that allows you to buy and sell stuff to the villagers.

While this trading was mediocre compared to what we have now, a much more fun part of the update was the desert and jungle temples. Both biomes used to be quite empty, but now you have a chance to find something decent and have a bit of an adventure.

Fun fact: to this day we haven’t found a single jungle temple when playing Survival.

#16 1.1 Spawn Eggs

Another fairly small update, the Spawn Eggs update added… well… spawn eggs. 20 of them to be exact, for every mob in the game. And from that update forward, every time a new mob is added, a corresponding spawn egg is also added to the game.

This made the Creative experience much better for players who want to test things out with mobs or who just want to build a house and fill it with creepers.

#15 1.8 Bountiful Update

Technically, the most notable addition of the 1.8 update was the Ocean Monuments. But if we look back at it, it’s probably everything but the monuments. It was all the small things added along with them.

Things like rabbits, sheep mutton (finally), new blocks including granite, andesite, diorite, and new variants for wooden fences, doors, and gates. This was more of a quality-of-life update for Minecraft players which is why it’s not the worst, but not the best.

# 14 1.4 Pretty Scary Update

A terrifying three-headed skeleton monster that can destroy everything in its way. It does sound pretty scary. Wither skeletons and the Wither itself is a worthy addition to Minecraft as it is a second boss that you can slay.

But the scariest part of the update was in fact, something else. Command blocks. Command blocks allowed players to execute multiple commands and do things that wouldn’t be possible in the regular game. And that was the beginning of many interactive maps and servers in Minecraft.

#13 1.5 Redstone Update

This is the update that empowered the “Redstone Wizards”. Players that can build crazy mechanisms and machines using Redstone and related blocks.

The update itself didn’t add that much. It contained the comparator, hopper, dropper, daylight sensor, trapped chest, weighted pressure plates, and block of Redstone. As well as a few lighting and texture changes.

#12 1.6 Horses

Horses. That’s it. While there were mostly technical changes to the game like the new launcher and the introduction of resource packs, the main focus for players was the ability to tame, breed, and ride horses. And we are not going to lie, horses are a great way of transportation compared to legs.

#11 1.12 World of Color Update

This artwork almost hurts our eyes to look at. In 1.12, Mojang primarily updated the color palette of most colored blocks and then added a few new ones. Colored concrete and glazed terracotta are blocks that both come in 16 colors. In the case of terracotta, each color means a unique pattern on the block.

Although maybe not the most important update in Minecraft history, World of Color made the game much more vibrant for builders and Creative enjoyers.

#10 1.11 Exploration Update

This is the first time we get a look at Illagers, the angry version of villagers. The update added Woodland Mansions that the Illagers live in along with three types of Illagers: Vindicator, Vex, and Evoker.

Mansions are challenging places to conquer and to make exploring easier, the update added fan-favorites Totem of Undying and Shulker Box. Those are just a few things making this update relatively compact, but extremely valuable for Minecraft players and explorers.

#9 1.19 The Wild Update

The Wild Update was initially a part of the Caves & Cliffs series but because of the amount of content across all three updates, it became a standalone version.

It added a Mangrove swamp biome in the Overground and a new underground biome, the deep dark, that has a chance of spawning the ancient city. A place filled with treasure but protected by the Warden.

The Warden is a very unique mob because it’s blind and reacts only to sounds. If you step, jump, or mine, the Warden, or the vibration sensors around the biome will spot you and try to get rid of you. The Wild Update is a unique adventure with the right amount of spookiness.

#8 1.16 – Nether Update

The Nether was never a fun place to explore unless you found a fortress. There was nothing in the Nether. Just red rocks and lava all around. With 1.16, Nether finally became a place where you can spend more time in.

5 new biomes including forests and soul sand valley, and new structures like bastion remnants or the ruined portals in the Overworld. Each biome has a ton of new blocks that you craft into decorations for your home.

The Nether is now filled with its native inhabitants – Piglins (no offense Zombie Pigmen). Even better, they will not necessarily try to kill you, and will even barter if you have some shiny gold on your hands.

Don’t forget that this update also added Netherite which you can use to craft a new set of armor and tools that is now the strongest one in the game beating diamonds.

#7 1.15 Buzzy Bees

New buzzing and hard-working friends now live in the world of Minecraft. Bees make honey and honeycombs, and you can even make beehives to make your own bee farm.

1.15 was this small because the main point of the update was to rewrite the rendering code and fix bugs and issues that were in the game. It is the first update to focus mostly on fixes and that is something we all have to appreciate.

#6 1.13 Update Aquatic

Titled in the reference to the movie “The Life Aquatic”, the 1.13 update is one of our favorites. It complements the Bountiful Update nicely with a ton of underwater additions. There are Coral Reefs, Dolphins, Fish (as mobs), Underwater Ruins, and Shipwrecks with Treasure Maps to make you feel like Nathan Drake.

The update really made the ocean a beautiful place to enjoy while sailing. The one part we probably don’t like as much about this update is the Phantoms. They make sense as you have to sleep like a normal human, but come on.

#5 1.9 The Combat Update

The Combat Update took a while to come out but boy was it worth it. It overhauled the combat system making it more challenging for players to fight.

It added the “off-hand” for dual-wielding, 14 new arrows, an attack cooldown, and heavily nerfed armor. Some may say it’s a bad thing, but changes like this make the game and combat much more diverse and strategic.

The second half of the update gave a makeover to the End. After beating the Ender Dragon you can travel to the outer islands of the End filled with cities, ships, and trees.

Finally, probably the fan-favorite part of the update is the Elytra Wings. An endgame item that allows you to fly can easily make this one of the best Minecraft updates.

#4 1.17/1.18 – Caves & Cliffs

Versions 1.17 and 1.18 were both parts of the same update called Caves & Cliffs. This update completely changed the mining experience for players. Even if we don’t talk about the new height and depth limits, deepslate, or the updated ores, we have to talk about new biomes.

The underground now has multiple biomes and cave forms. When mining you are very likely to find a huge cave system that can have you exploring for ages (don’t get lost). But the best part is the lush and dripstone caves that add so much life to the darkness of the underground.

A few extra biome changes were made to the mountains. They look much more like actual mountains and blend in with the environment much better thanks to the 5 sub-biomes that were added. Each sub-biome has certain conditions for the generation to make the mountains look more natural.

#3 1.7 The Update that Changed the World

The name speaks for itself, this update changed the Minecraft world more than any other update out there.

It introduced a new world generator that made the world much more diverse and fun to explore. Especially when along the generator there were 11 new biomes added including Mesa, Taiga, Flower Forest, and Savanna (our favorite).

Can you imagine how boring the world was before this update?

Some new customization items were added as well to make your own home a bit livelier. Namely Stained Glass and, if you are a flower person, 10 new flowers that are not only good for decoration but can be used to easily get your hands on the dyes of multiple colors (blue, pink, orange, etc).

#2 1.14 – Village & Pillage

This update marked a new era for emerald-loving villagers. We finally had more than just the same bland villages all over the world.

The villages (both buildings and villagers) are now different depending on the biome they are in. When trading, you can now get rare items more often and level up the relationship with villagers to unlock better trades.

Pillagers and raids are the other side of this update. Pillagers are a kind of Illagers that spawn near the village and if you kill their flagbearer they will raid the village you are in. They aren’t the most pleasant to deal with, but Illagers became a core part of Minecraft, especially in other games like Minecraft Dungeons.

This update also added foxes and pandas. They are cute. That’s all.

#1 1.0 – Adventure Update 2

This list probably wouldn’t exist if the game never left Beta. This is why the best Minecraft update is Adventure Update 2, also known as 1.0 or the official release of Minecraft.

This version added many features that we all consider to be a natural part of the game. Villagers, Enchanting, Breeding, Potions, Nether Fortresses, and the Hardcore mode.

Finally, Adventure Update 2 added The End and what some may call the “campaign” of Minecraft. Players could head to The End, slay the Ender Dragon and complete the game. And watch 10 minutes of credits after.