Minecraft Snapshots Testing New Features In 1 21 5 Pre Release1

During Minecraft Live, the next big Minecraft update or drop is revealed to the community. At past events, we’ve had the likes of the Caves and Cliffs update, The Wild Update, and the Trails and Tales update – each of them overhauling the base game with new Minecraft biomes, blocks, and mobs. Since these updates come with so much new content, they need to be tested out first, and that’s where Minecraft snapshots and Minecraft Preview come in. Use them to test out new experimental features before anyone else, and feedback to Mojang if you have any issues. It’s a win-win situation.

Minecraft 1.21.5 pre-release 1

We’re definitely getting closer to the full release of the Minecraft Spring drop as we move into pre-releases for the update with pre-release 1 on March 11, 2025. Pre-releases are the middle step before a full update launch, between snapshots and release candidates. Looking at the previous update, only two weeks separated the first pre-release and the update, suggesting the next Minecraft update release date could be just days away.
The first Minecraft Live 2025 takes place on March 22, 2025, and the release date will no doubt be revealed during the show. Given that this is 11 days after pre-release 1, we can speculate a realistic release date for Minecraft 1.21.5 of around March 25, 2025.

How to install a Minecraft snapshot

Play the latest Minecraft snapshot straight from the Minecraft Launcher. Click the installation dropdown to the left of the green ‘Play’ button and select ‘latest snapshot’ from the list. Hit play, and set up a new world as normal. You can load into existing worlds, but you should back them up first in case it gets corrupted. If you load into an existing world, it’s worth remembering that some features won’t be available in loaded chunks, and you might need to explore the further reaches of your world.

How to turn on experimental features

As standard, snapshots only include bug features and technical changes. To play with new experimental features, including future content changes, you must turn on experimental features. This should be done when you create the world, as they cannot be turned on or off later. To enable experimental features:

Go to create a new world as normal On the main world creation page, click ‘Experimental Features’ Turn on any toggles you wish to see in your world, such as 1.21 features, or even long-awaited bundles! Start your world

How to change Minecraft snapshot

You can also play old Minecraft snapshots, too. This requires a few extra steps and is the same as loading into old versions of Minecraft. To install and play an old Minecraft version or snapshot:

Open the Minecraft Launcher Click the ‘Installations’ tab For snapshots, ensure that the ‘snapshots’ box is checked Click ‘New Installation’ Scroll down the dropdown list for your desired Minecraft version Name your installation Click ‘Create’ Select the ‘Play’ tab at the top of the Launcher Find your installation in the dropdown Hit ‘Play’!

Again, you should always back up any existing worlds you load into with this installation, just in case it crashes and you lose progress. There are probably not many reasons you would want to revisit an old snapshot unless it’s to test something that was changed or never made it to the game. If you are unsure which snapshot you’re looking for, there are full changelogs available at minecraft.net.
Now you know how to test the latest features with Minecraft snapshots, go and have fun with them! If you’d rather wait until the full release of these features and enjoy the experience as a whole, but are still looking for something new to do with your Minecraft world, why not try out some of our favorite Minecraft texture packs and Minecraft maps. Or perhaps even a completely new game like Minecraft – but do come back for the next update!