Minecraft 1.21.1 debuted for Java Edition on August 8, 2024, as a hotfix update to fix a few critical exploits that were being used to intentionally crash multiplayer servers.

Minecraft snapshots are ways to play experimental versions of the game. These are most often released ahead of major updates.

Rather than enrolling in a dedicated beta program, Minecraft: Java Edition allows you to select a slice of pre-release software for you to try.