Summary
- Mojang releases Minecraft preview update 1.21.90.27, with various fixes graphical bugs in Vibrant Visuals and tweaks several mobs.
- Several technical issues and bugs were addressed, but the developers at Mojang are working to sort out other issues found in Minecraft.
- The preview update is live on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and iOS platforms, while the Android version gets a beta version of the preview build.
Mojang released its May 2025 preview update for Minecraft on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and iOS platforms ahead of a larger and fully featured update. The new Minecraft preview update makes several adjustments and bug fixes based on feedback accrued after the various Vibrant Visuals preview updates were released.
Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals series of updates involves several graphical upgrades, including volumetric lighting, water caustics, and pixel-aligned shadows. Vibrant Visuals also brings changes to Minecraft's biomes and environments, which were heavily requested by fans of the game for many years. Not only is Vibrant Visuals compatible with older worlds, but it offers a variety of enhancements for a more immersive Minecraft experience, including biome-specific color grading and fog density. Although the rollout of Vibrant Visuals wasn't ideal, preview updates have been released to fix some of the lingering issues involving rendering and effects.
Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals Update Makes a Case for One Long-Requested Feature
Vibrant Visuals are changing Minecraft's entire aesthetic outlook, and there's an opening for Mojang to make an even bigger change.
Mojang released Minecraft preview and beta update 1.21.90.27 on May 27 with a number of changes and additions to the game, including bug fixes for Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals-related features. The preview build is live on Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, and iOS platforms, while the beta build is available on Android with the ability to join and leave it. The update brings graphical bug fixes for ambient lighting levels in the Nether and fog settings in warm and humid biomes in Vibrant Visuals, while some black screen issues in the Android version were fixed. In addition, Vibrant Visuals is no longer tinted green on Android devices, but some sky and weather-related changes from Vibrant Visuals have been temporarily reverted as the developers work to remedy some issues.
Moreover, an issue that caused items in hand to not animate properly in Minecraft was fixed. A number of different mob types in Minecraft were also updated and tweaked, including Ghastling and Happy Ghast. Ghastling's speed has been reduced, and Happy Ghast's player detection area is now a single box. Happy Ghast will also no longer jitter when a player is detected on the edge of its detection area. Leash positions for a variety of mobs were also fixed, and entities can now be leashed to a Glow Squid.
Like the previous experimental Minecraft update, the latest preview update is rounded out by a few technical fixes. There was also a temporary rollback of opaque settings for blocks, which will receive additional fixes at a later date. A fix will now properly display icon textures whenever its associated item is held in hand, and the default control schemes for all cameras have been fixed. Since the update is still based on a build that's a work-in-progress, there will still be some issues that are unaddressed, but Minecraft players are able to visit the game's official feedback website and bugs page in order to report their findings.
Minecraft Preview Update 1.21.90.27 Patch Notes
Features and Bug Fixes
Graphical
- Fixed ambient lighting levels in the Nether in Vibrant Visuals
- Fixed fog settings in warm and humid biomes in Vibrant Visuals
- Fixed black screen issues on some Android devices when in Vibrant Visuals
- Vibrant Visuals is no longer tinted green on Android devices (MCPE-220308)
- Temporarily reverted weather-related changes to sky color in Vibrant Visuals while some issues are sorted out.
Items
- Resolved an issue that caused items held in hand to not animate properly (MCPE-219652)
Mobs
- Updated Ghastling speed to slow it down. Chill, friend, you have time to take in the sights.
- The Happy Ghast's player detection area has been reverted to a single box: it now extends 2 blocks above its top, 1 block below, and 1 block to each side
- The Happy Ghast no longer jitters when a player is detected at the edge of its detection area
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Fixed the leash attach positions for the following mobs:
- Allay (MCPE-220035)
- Glow Squid
- Ocelot (MCPE-220034)
- Parrot
- Snow Golem (MCPE-220041)
- Squid (MCPE-220039)
- The correct leash physics simulating four ropes is now used when a Mule is leashed to a Happy Ghast (MCPE-219640)
- Entities can now be leashed to Glow Squid, just like regular Squid (MCPE-220040)
Technical Updates
Blocks
- "alpha_test_to_opaque", "alpha_test_single_sided_to_opaque", and "blend_to_opaque" will not shift to "opaque" in the distance. This is a temporary rollback of functionality that will be fixed later.
Items
- Fixed items with empty icon textures displaying as garbled pixels when held in hand
Gameplay
- Fixed the default control schemes for all cameras
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- LWJGL, PROPRIETARY ENGINE
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
