What is the latest version of Minecraft?

Minecraft has millions of monthly concurrent players despite being over a decade old. One of the reasons it is so famous even today is because Mojang Studios constantly updates the game, bringing loads of new features since it was released in 2011.

Here is a brief look at the latest versions of Minecraft's Java, Bedrock, and Education Editions.

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The latest versions of Minecraft: Java Edition, Bedrock Edition, and Education Edition, and how to download them

Latest Java Edition version: 1.20.4

Latest Bedrock Edition version: 1.20.61

Minecraft Java Edition

Java Edition is MInecraft's oldest iteration (Image via Mojang)

Java Edition was the first version released by Mojang Studios, all the way back in 2011. It is considered the original version of the sandbox game since it was publicly released as a beta in 2009.

On November 11, 2011, version 1.0.0 was released to the public during the Mojang Studios Minecon event. Since then, the developers have not stopped updating the game, adding mobs, biomes, items, blocks, gameplay mechanics, and much more. Even though Java Edition supports third-party features as mods, the vanilla experience holds a special place, making updates all the more important.

Currently, the Minecraft Java Edition is on the 1.20.4 version. It comes under the major 1.20 version, named the Trails and Tales update. Mojang Studios is now working on the next major 1.21 update, which will be released in 2024.

Java Edition's latest snapshot version is 23w51b, under the 1.20.5 development.

To download the latest version of Java Edition, players must head to the official game launcher and open the drop-down menu beside the "play" button. There, they must look for the "latest version" or "latest snapshot," depending on what they want to play.

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Minecraft Bedrock Edition

Bedrock Edition is compatible with most devices (Image via Mojang)

Bedrock Edition was the sandbox game's second iteration and was based on the C++ programming language. Although development started in 2011, it was fully released in November 2016.

Bedrock Edition was special since it was available on loads of other devices apart from Mac, Windows, and Linux. It was available on platforms such as Android, iOS, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo. Although it had no mod support, the content on its official marketplace kept players somewhat entertained. Of course, the main content in the base game kept coming with updates.

Currently, the Bedrock Edition is on the 1.20.51 version. The version numbers might be different, but similar to Java Edition, it comes under the major 1.20 version.

Bedrock Edition's latest beta preview version is 1.20.60.23, which comes under the 1.20.60 development.

To download the latest version of Bedrock Edition, players need to head over to their device's Store app and find the game. If an update is pushed by Mojang Studios, an update button will show, which will download all the new content.

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Minecraft Education Edition

Education Edition is specially designed for school use (Image via Mojang)

In 2016, Mojang Studios also released a special Education Edition specifically directed toward school use. It has several unique features completely different from regular Java and Bedrock Editions, like classroom collaboration, exclusive blocks, and items.

It is available on Windows, macOS, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, and iPadOS and has a slightly different update cycle than the other two traditional editions.

Currently, the latest version of Minecraft Education Edition is 1.20.13.

Players can download the Education Edition, which is the same as the Bedrock Edition, by going to the device's Store app and searching for it. If there is a new version available, they can easily update it.