The first Minecraft drop of 2026 reshapes one of the most familiar parts of the game: baby mobs. Until now, they were simply shrunken versions of their adult counterparts with oversized heads. While iconic to Minecraft, the decision to finally address this makes a lot of sense. Baby mobs now have their own custom models, paired with new baby-specific sounds and adjusted bounding boxes.

• The full lineup includes:
• Cows (and Mooshrooms)
• Pigs
• Sheep
• Chickens
• Rabbits
• Ocelots
• Wolves
• Cats

On Bedrock Edition, every baby mob also gets its own spawn egg. Just like on Java, Bedrock players can now use spawn eggs on adult mobs to spawn babies. This gives players more control than ever, especially when building farms, zoos, or custom environments.

Then there are craftable name tags. Before this drop, name tags were locked behind chest loot RNG, making them annoying to stockpile. Villager trading later made them easier to obtain, but at the cost of emeralds. Now, they’re even simpler. One metal nugget and some paper is all it takes, with gold, iron, or copper all working as valid options.

It feels like Mojang is doubling down on Minecraft’s cozy, comforting identity. This is a stark contrast to more scary themed updates like The Deep Dark and The Garden Awakens. You can already try these features through snapshots and experimental toggles, and while there’s no official name or release date yet, there’s still room for more to be added. As the first drop of 2026, it sets a tone that’s cute and cuddly. Minecraft, a game that turns 17 years old this year, shows no signs of slowing down and continues to deliver meaningful updates year after year.

When you spawn into Vernearth, you’re immediately floating in space. Literally. Big planets hang in the distance, stars surround you on all sides, and you’re standing in a custom hub that feels more like a sci-fi movie than Minecraft. A floating flame guides you forward toward a fantastically designed hub that transports you to the server’s survival world. This isn’t your typical Minecraft server.

Dropping into this hub feels more like entering a metal concert than logging into a survival world. Custom models everywhere, LED-style screens that Minecraft desperately needs in vanilla, and a distinct lack of traditional tutorial hand-holding. You’re thrown into “Oblivion,” the main survival realm, spawning in a starting village every time you log on until you claim land.

Here’s where Vernearth gets interesting: the terrain generation is genuinely impressive. We’re talking custom biomes with hanging rock formations, colour-shifted water using what appears to be Biome Painter, and naturally generated concrete powder creating salt-flat aesthetics. One location featured layered cliffs that looked like something from an amplified world. You’ll find yourself stopping for screenshots constantly.

The custom mob reskins add character. Chameleons, deer, and rats roam the landscape alongside reskinned villagers and modified trees. These big trees just beg for the Vein Miner mod.

Now for some concerns. The repetitive login messages about claiming land can get annoying quickly. The coin system from daily streaks exists, but good luck figuring out where to spend them. We tried. The tutorial throws information at you but doesn’t explain core mechanics like how different worlds connect or what those war tokens actually do beyond “buy legendary weapons.”

With only six players online during our visit, performance was smooth, but the server holds over a thousand Discord members.

If you’re into modded Minecraft and want something that feels like a passion project from someone who clearly loves both Slipknot and blocky adventures, Vernearth is worth checking out.ne who clearly loves both Slipknot and blocky adventures, Vernearth is worth checking out. 

Server: Vernearth
Platform: Java Edition
Access: Free (server address available through Slipknot community channels)
Note: Family-friendly despite the metal aesthetic – NSFW content is prohibited

Half a million people have already lost themselves in the fields and festivals of Azuma, and now PlayStation and Xbox players finally get their chance. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is making the jump to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on February 13, 2026, and if you’ve been waiting for a game where you can spend hours perfecting your village layout, wooing a literal god, and purifying corrupted lands with sacred dance powers, this might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

While the game launched on Switch and PC back in June 2025, the PlayStation and Xbox versions aren’t just straight ports. You’re getting all the free post-launch content baked right into the base game from day one. Marvelous Europe is also throwing in the Rune Factory 4 Hero Outfit Bundle as a bonus for all digital versions.

The game drops you into Azuma, a sprawling Japanese-inspired world where you play as an Earth Dancer, essentially a mystical farmer with combat skills and the power to literally dance corruption away. But you’re not just tending your own plot of land, you’re rebuilding entire villages from the ground up, strategically placing buildings to bring people back and restore the land. You can recruit the villagers you’ve befriended to fight alongside you or help manage your growing empire.

What caught my attention is the sheer variety packed in here. You’ve got monster collecting, village construction, exploration across seasonal-themed areas, dynamic combat with new weapons like bows and talismans, and the classic Rune Factory romance options where you can court gods and mortals alike. The anime-style graphics look gorgeous, with each village drawing from different aspects of Japanese culture and festivals.

The digital editions start at €59.99 for standard, €69.99 for Digital Deluxe with the Seasons of Love and Festive Attire bundles, and €79.99 for Super Digital Deluxe that adds a soundtrack and art book. Physical editions for PS5 will be up for pre-order soon. If you’re planning to dive deep, you could easily sink a hundred hours into perfecting your villages, maxing out relationships, and hunting down every secret tucked away in those seasonal landscapes.