Everything you need for installing and playing Snapshots with Minecraft Java Edition.

Minecraft has come a long way since its initial release to players many decades ago. Mojang continues to improve the game and bring in more changes. While you can wait to experience these changes in official updates, if you'd rather try out updates early, you can enable Snapshots in your Minecraft launcher. In this guide, we'll breakdown how to play Snapshots in Minecraft Java Edition.

How to play Snapshots – Minecraft Java Edition

Follow these steps to get the latest Snapshot updates from Mojang to see how they are constantly improving the game.

First, launch up Minecraft Java Edition via the Minecraft Launcher.

Once you've done this, locate the Installations tab at the top. Click this to open another panel.

From the Installations panel, locate the Versions area in the top bar. Find the Snapshots box and tick it.

Now you can see the latest Snapshot in drop-down menu at the Installations tab. Click the Play Button to load the Snapshot.

Make sure to back up any saves or worlds before you play a Snapshot version. If you really want the Snapshot to be available, then we recommend that you create a new save file. Snapshot versions may corrupt your original saves. You can check out the latest update and patch notes by clicking the Patch Notes option on the top of the Minecraft Launcher.

To make sure that you are playing the latest Snapshot, load the game and look at the version in bottom right-hand.

Now that we have shown you how to play Snapshots with Minecraft Java Edition, go back to our Minecraft hub and get even more helpful information. You can also follow Shacknews Twitter for the latest content, right on your timeline.

Joshua has a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Creative Writing. He has been exploring the worlds of video games for as long time as he can remember. He loves everything, from large-scale RPGs to tiny, indie gems, and everything in between.