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Minecraft Nether Update first snapshot is available to play on Java

One of the first major looks at Minecraft's overhaul of the Nether biome is available to play on the Java client now.

TJ Denzer

February 5, 2020 6:10 PM

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It’s been a while since we last heard about the major update coming to the Nether biome in Minecraft, but Mojang is finally ready to show players a glimpse of what they can expect out of the Minecraft 1.16 Nether Update. A snapshot of the update is available to play on the Minecraft Java client, allowing players to explore the reworked biomes of the Nether, as well as discovering it's resources and denizens.

Mojang announced the 1.16 Nether Update snapshot for their Java client on February 5, 2020 via the Minecraft website. In order to play the new features of the Nether Update right now, you need to open up the Java edition of Minecraft and enable snapshots in your “installations” tab. From there, you can either grind out some Obsidian blocks to make your Nether Portal to access the new biomes or, if you don’t feel like doing that, you can go to Snapshot 20W06A and start a new creative world to see what the new features are about.

Some trees whisper in the wind, but these particular trees were screaming at us that they’d rather be called Crimson Forest and Warped Forest from now on. Fine, trees – here’s our first Java Snapshot from the all-new Nether!

↣ https://t.co/Hptl62qNVC ↢ pic.twitter.com/FAYIXli9Wt

— Minecraft (@Minecraft) February 5, 2020

The highlights of the 1.16 Nether Update include a slew of new biomes, including the Warped Forest, Soulsand Valley, and Crimson Forest. The original biome is also there and has been renamed to the Nether Wastes. There’s also unique blocks like Soul Soil. If you burn Soul Soil, it burns blue instead of orange, and it can be used to make special torches. You can also find Ancient Debris that can be farmed to make Netherite, which improves diamond gear! Ancient Debris blocks lay hidden away in the deepest depths of the Nether.

There’s still no sign of a formal launch date for the Minecraft Nether Update since we heard about in at MINECON Live 2019, but this first snapshot is a great look at the whole experience. If you play on the Java version of the game, be sure to check it out when you can and have a look at everything it has to offer. Or check out the detailed list of features on the Nether Update Snapshot 20W06A.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.