Hello, crafters! The Minecraft Java Edition 26.4 Snapshot 5 just dropped on October 20, 2026, and it’s packed (ice) full of cool new features. This test build for the upcoming 26.4 update gives us a gorgeous new building block family, a tricky combat advancement, spooky ambient sounds for icy lakes, and even an experimental graphics setting for Windows players. Let’s dive in!
Edition and Version: This snapshot is for Minecraft: Java Edition only. You can enable it by opening the Minecraft Launcher, clicking the “Installations” tab, checking “Snapshots,” and creating a new profile with the latest snapshot selected. Always back up your worlds before loading them in a snapshot — things can get wild!
Packed Ice Bricks – Your Icy New Building Pal
The star of this snapshot is the Packed Ice Brick block, plus its slab, stair, wall, and chiseled cousins. These blocks share that slippery “Fast Sliding Sulfur Cube” archetype with regular Packed Ice, meaning entities (and you!) will slide around on them. Perfect for ice castles, frozen factories, or booby-trapped hallways.
“In 26.4 Snapshot 5, we’re introducing Packed Ice Bricks, including a bunch of variants, and YES, they work in the Stonecutter!” — Java Team (Mojang)
Here’s how to get your hands on them:
- Obtain Packed Ice. You can collect it naturally in Frozen Peaks or Ice Spikes biomes with a Silk Touch pickaxe, or craft it from 9 regular Ice blocks in a 3×3 square.
- Craft Packed Ice Bricks. Place 4 Packed Ice in a 2×2 pattern in your crafting grid. This yields 4 Packed Ice Bricks — a 1:1 conversion, so no waste.
- Use a Stonecutter for variants. Toss a Packed Ice Brick into a Stonecutter, and you’ll see options for Slabs, Stairs, Walls, and Chiseled Packed Ice. The Stonecutter gives you more pieces per block than the crafting table for stairs (1 block → 1 stair, vs. 6 blocks → 4 stairs), so it’s the smart way to build!
Whether you’re stringing up frozen walkways with slabs or framing a frost-lodge with chiseled pillars, this block set opens up loads of creative possibilities.
New Advancement: “What Goes Around Comes Around”
Sharpen your aim — the Aventura advancement tree just got a chilly new challenge. To unlock “What Goes Around Comes Around,” you must kill a Frostbite using an Ice Ball. Frostbites are hostile mobs introduced earlier in the 26.4 snapshots; they lurk in Ice Caves and hurl icy projectiles at players. Ice Balls can be crafted, and this advancement tasks you with turning their own weapon against them. It’s a tricky shot, but the bragging rights are worth it!
Icy Lakes Get a Voice
Now, when you’re exploring frozen lakes, listen closely. Regular Ice blocks will emit subtle ambient sounds if they’re surrounded by at least 8 other Ice blocks horizontally, with air directly above and water below. These eerie tones breathe life into the landscape, making those vast frozen expanses feel truly remote — and maybe a little unsettling.
Experimental Video Setting: Prefer DXGI Present (Windows)
PC players on Windows will find a new toggle under Video Settings: Prefer DXGI Present. This experimental feature switches to the DXGI (DirectX Graphics Infrastructure) presentation model. According to Mojang:
“With DXGI enabled, you may see improvements with IME support, Variable Refresh Rate support, and faster alt-tabbing whilst in fullscreen mode.”
It’s off by default, but if you’ve been fighting with input method editors, screen tearing, or slow tab-outs, give it a flick. Keep in mind it’s experimental — if you run into crashes or rendering glitches, turn it off and report the issue.
Notable Bug Fixes
Snapshot 5 also squashes over two dozen bugs. A few highlights include:
- MC-312404: Frostbites no longer spawn in ordinary caves under cold biomes — they’re back where they belong in Ice Caves.
- MC-170550: The snowy shepherd’s house in villages now generates correctly instead of being a jumbled mess.
- Mobs can now break Decorated Pots, Chorus Flowers, and Speleothem blocks with projectiles. Before this, adventure map creators had to rely on other tricks; now it’s built in — unless you set the mobGriefing gamerule to false.
These fixes, along with many others, make the 26.4 update feel smoother with every snapshot.
For the Techies: Pack Versions
Data pack creators, note that this snapshot bumps the Data Pack version to 125.0 e o Resource Pack version to 100.2. If you maintain custom packs, check for changes and update your pack.mcmeta files accordingly.
What’s Next?
With this snapshot, the 26.4 update is shaping up to be a frosty delight. The full release is projected around December 2026, so there’s plenty of time for more snapshots. In the meantime, jump into 26.4 Snapshot 5, build an ice palace, bag that Frostbite advancement, and let us know what you think! If you need a refresher on installing snapshots, check out our how-to guide (link coming soon). Stay chill, and happy crafting!
