How to use the spectator mode in Minecraft

Yesterday, Mojang announced the latest Beta for Minecraft Bedrock Edition. The Beta is the latest in a long line of updates and snapshots (for Java Edition) that gets players closer to the highly anticipated 1.19 update.

Yesterday's Beta included tons of really cool features. Echo shards have been added, which will be used to craft a recovery compass. This compass will point players to the last place they died, which is an excellent way to ensure crafters never lose their loot.

Interestingly enough, it also contains a feature that is not planned for the 1.19 update despite the version for the Beta being 1.19.0.24. The feature in question would be spectator mode.

Here's how to use the mode and what players need to know about it.

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Spectator mode - How Minecraft players can use it and things to know

Spectator mode is a specific game mode that allows players to fly around and observe the world without ever interacting with it. This mode is not part of vanilla Minecraft for Bedrock Edition but is sort of available in Java Edition.

One way to access it is by dying in hardcore mode. This may seem antithetical to the purpose of the hardcore mode because it is, but it is one way to enter the spectator mode. Hardcore is a Java Edition mode that Bedrock players can emulate but do not actually have access to.

Spectator mode (Image via Mojang)

The other ways of accessing the mode involve commands. "/gamemode spectator" will turn on spectator mode. Pressing F3 and N at the same time (with cheats enabled) will also change the mode. F3 and F4 can be used to switch over to spectator mode as well.

In Bedrock Edition, spectator mode is not available without external add-ons and is not very well run. It has a lot of bugs, which is probably why Mojang added it to the update yesterday.

This is what they said:

"The first iteration will not be finished in time for 1.19, so we will be moving it to an Experimental Toggle in an upcoming beta. Until we have a more polished version for you, please consider that any content or maps built on this feature will not be supported as this feature will change and evolve."

Obviously, Mojang intends on adding the mode to the Minecraft Bedrock Edition in its entirety but hasn't been able to yet. The feature is available in the experimental features section, but it could have significant issues.

It may be best to simply wait for Mojang to work out all the bugs and release the mode in a full update.