MojangAfter 16 years of Minecraft, we’re finally getting a visual overhaul, promising some major changes to multiple aspects of the game, from water to fog and lighting.
Minecraft Live 2025 revealed a variety of exciting features, from animal variants, the adorable new Happy Ghast, which can be ridden on using a Ghast Harness, and of course, the currently live Game Drop, Spring To Life, adding new sounds, blocks, and so much more.
However, while all that is exciting, the biggest announcement was by far Minecraft’s upcoming Vibrant Visuals, promising a major visual overhaul. So, here’s all we know about it, including how you can play it early.
Do we know when Vibrant Visuals is coming to Minecraft?
Unfortunately, we don’t have a solid release date for Vibrant Visuals yet.
However, we know it’ll be part of the second game drop of 2025, so certainly in this year. The last game drop before Spring To Life was June 2024, so we expect it to be around September, given the six-month gap. Though it is a larger graphical overhaul, so it could take longer.
MojangWhen we have a release date for Vibrant Visuals, we’ll update this page, so be sure to check back soon for more information.
How to test it early
Despite the lack of a release date, you can play the Vibrant Visuals early, so long as you have the Minecraft Bedrock Edition and play via the preview or beta.
That being said, Mojang hasn’t yet released the beta, but it will be coming soon, so keep an eye out and install the preview edition beforehand to be some of the first to test the new graphics.
What is it?
Essentially, Vibrant Visuals is a major visual graphics upgrade that will either upgrade, add, or impact the following features:
- Directional lighting
- Volumetric fog
- Moving shadows
- Reflective water
- Upgraded clouds
- General graphic enhancement
- Light through windows
- Reflections off metallic blocks
- Subsurface scattering for leaves and grass
- Mob and item glow, including torches
Thanks to these changes, Vibrant Visuals will introduce a heightened look for Minecraft without altering the gameplay, so regardless of whether you use it or not, your game will stay the same. Below you’ll see some examples of how the above features will be implemented.
Platforms
Minecraft’s Vibrant Visuals will only be available on the game’s Bedrock Edition initially, with future plans to add it to Java eventually.
Bedrock Edition is available on PC, Mobile, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Mac, so it’s entirely likely that if you own Minecraft, you can enjoy the Vibrant Visuals when it comes out, in either beta or its full release. Just ensure you have the Bedrock Edition.
So, that’s all we know about Minecraft’s upcoming Vibrant Visuals. While waiting to dive into the game, be sure to check out some of the best seeds to help get the most out of the new graphics, or take a look at the best Bedrock Shaders if you don’t want to wait to build your home in style.
