Everything We Know About Minecraft’s First Update of 2026

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.