Minecraft Vibrant Visuals upgrade: Old vs new graphics compared

Minecraft will get a visual upgrade in the coming months. Fans have been asking Mojang Studios to overhaul its dated texture and lighting system. While there are mods that can completely change how the blocky world looks, players wanted better lighting and visuals natively.

The Minecraft Live event just wrapped up and it included some great announcements and greater surprises. The star of the show was the Vibrant Visuals graphics update being developed by Mojang Studios. Here’s what makes this visual upgrade so great.

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Minecraft Vibrant Visuals upgrade is monumental

Comparing the old graphics with the Vibrant Visuals upgraded graphics (Image via Mojang Studios)

The best part about this upgrade is that it is actually a visual update from the ground up. Mojang Studios did not just introduce a texture pack with better contrast or shadows. Developers focused on every visual aspect of the game, improving the shadows, volumetric lighting, reflections, subsurface scattering, and a lot more.

What this means is every part of the game will look beautiful and better than its current visual state. As seen in these comparison images, players can notice how drastically the lighting of the world has improved. The shadows are great, the clouds look better, and the world feels more dynamic.

The water in Minecraft gets a massive visual improvement with the upgrade (Image via Mojang Studios)

Perhaps the best way to see the impact of this upgrade is by comparing the changes in water. The water looks much more realistic and better with the upgrade. While graphics have never been a strong suit of Minecraft, the water has been one of the dullest components of the game. It looks like a blue overlay with no definition.

The upgrade adds texture and realistic reflections to it. One can see how the light from the sun glides and blends with water, creating a beautiful reflection that is expected from a game in 2025.

Furthermore, shiny surfaces and light ice will look great with the Visual Vibrant upgrade. Since the ambient lighting will also improve, exploiting the blocky world in the night, especially in biomes such as the Nether, the Pale Garden, and the deep dark will be a visual experience. Mobs such as spiders and warden will also benefit from the upgrade.

The Vibrant Visual upgrade will be first released for the Bedrock Edition and then for Java. The developers have not provided any information about the exact release date, but we can expect the beta version in the coming months.