How to download Minecraft 1.18 Experimental Snapshot 3 for Java Edition

Today, Mojang released the third experimental snapshot for Minecraft's upcoming Caves and Cliffs update. Developers have returned from their breaks and have started working on the 1.18 update.

Minecraft 1.18 is arguably the biggest update in the game's decade-long history. The entire overworld is going through a major renovation in Caves and Cliffs Part two. Players will find cave biomes, sub-mountain biomes, and new cave generation called noise caves.

Players can already test out the new world generation in Minecraft experimental snapshots. This article guides players on how to download Minecraft experimental snapshot 3.

Download Minecraft Experimental Snapshot 3

Unlike other snapshots, players cannot download experimental snapshots directly from the Minecraft launcher. The only way to play these snapshots is by manually installing them. Due to this, non-technical players may get confused when trying to install the experimental snapshot.

Interested players can follow these steps to download Minecraft Experimental Snapshot 3:

Step 1: Download experimental snapshot

The first step is to download the required file for Minecraft Experimental Snapshot 3. Click here to download the .zip file. After downloading it, open File Explorer and type "%appdata%" without quotations marks. Go to the .minecraft folder and then open the versions folder.

macOS users have to use the Go menu. Select "Go to Folder" in Finder and enter ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft. Linux users can find it by using ~/.minecraft or /home/<your username>/.minecraft/.

Step 2: Unpack the folder

Unzip file (Image via Mojang)

Players will have to unpack the downloaded .zip file into the versions folder. Players can use any application like WinRAR or 7-Zip to unpack the .zip file. Make sure the unpacked files are under versions in a separate folder like other versions.

Step 3: Install the experimental snapshot

Open Minecraft Launcher and go to "Installations" tab. From there, select the "Modded" option and click on "New Installation". Type any suitable name for the snapshot and select the version unpacked in step 2 under VERSIONS. Lastly, click on Create.

Hit Play (Image via Mojang)

After clicking on Create, the experimental snapshot will get installed. Players can then select Minecraft Experimental Snapshot 3 and play the snapshot. These snapshots do not support old worlds, so players will have to make a new world.