A future Minecraft update will let you get killed by creepy trees, and you can play it early starting today

Mojang Studios just showed off The Pale Garden during Minecraft Live, and you can already test it early.

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What you need to know

What you need to know

It has only been a few days sinceMojang Studios revealed the next two Minecraft content updates, or “Game Drops,” during the latestMinecraft Liveshow. There was definitely a theme for the new updates, with the second (and more major release) debuting an eerie new biome home to one of the most terrifying mobs ever added to Minecraft: The Creaking. You don’t have to wait months — or even weeks — to play with the creepy new features, either.

Mojang Studios has announced that the first Minecraft: Java Edition snapshot for The Pale Garden biome and its tree-like inhabitants is now available for interested players to dive in and play, and Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on other platforms is coming in the near future. Here’s what you need to know about the snapshot and what this upcoming Game Drop will bring toMinecraftlater this year.

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Everyone can get killed by The Creaking later this year, but you can do it early

Everyone can get killed by The Creaking later this year, but you can do it early

During Minecraft Live 2024, Mojang Studios announced the “Bundles of Bravery” Game Drop coming to all Minecraft players in the coming weeks — but that update only includes Hardcore Mode for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (it was already in the Java Edition) and the new portable and customizable bundles. The more interesting update is a few months out, and it doesn’t quite have a name yet.

However, Minecraft: Java Edition Snapshot 24w40a is already here (with a full changelog onMinecraft.net) with the new features available for any interested player to test early. Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Previews and betas on Windows PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Android, and iOS will get the same features soon, but those players will have to wait a little longer. So, what does this terrifying new Game Drop include?

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You can go download the 24w40a snapshot in the Minecraft Launcher on Windows PC starting today and check out all of these new features. Honestly, I’m hoping that Mojang Studios gives us more reason to visit The Pale Garden in the first place, especially at night, as right now there doesn’t seem to be any incentive. Perhaps we’ll see unique rewards and treasures that you can only find in The Pale Garden, and right now Mojang is just focused on the foundational features.

Either way, this quick turnaround is great to see, and will hopefully help Mojang flesh out these features before they’re fully released as part of the “Winter Drop” for Minecraft on all platforms later this year.

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Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.