Minecraft April Fools Updates from 2010 to 2022

Mojang's April Fools tradition has covered fake stores, joke snapshots, fake old versions, infinite dimensions, and one update that made carrying blocks a full-time job. By 2022, the tradition had grown from a scrapped gag into one of Minecraft's strangest annual rituals.

Minecraft April Fools Timeline

2010: Minecraft 4D

The tradition started with a joke that never actually released. Notch planned to announce a fake version called Minecraft 4D, but the video was not finished in time. Even without a public release, the idea helped set the stage for future April Fools experiments.

2011: Minecraft Store

Minecraft's first successful April Fools joke was the Minecraft Store. It pretended to sell overpriced in-game items and content, mocking microtransactions in other games. Nothing could be purchased, but clicking through the store triggered easter eggs such as flashing lights and flying velociraptors.

The joke looks a bit different now that Bedrock Edition has plenty of real purchasable content. Time is a comedian with a long setup.

2012: Mars Effect

In 2012, the joke moved away from Minecraft itself. Notch announced a fake game named Mars Effect, poking fun at Bethesda's lawsuit over Mojang using the title Scrolls, which Bethesda argued was too close to The Elder Scrolls.

An archived version of the Mars Effect website can still be viewed through the Wayback Machine archive.

2013: Minecraft 2.0

Minecraft 2.0 was the first real joke snapshot. It included fake and experimental features, with a few ideas later reaching the actual game. Coal blocks and tinted glass both eventually appeared, although not at the same time.

Other features stayed behind, including burnt-out torches and TNT half slabs. The snapshot also included diamond chickens, redstone bugs, ponies, and friendly pink withers. A full feature breakdown is available on the Minecraft Wiki page for Java Edition 2.0.

2014: Villager Skin Takeover

Mojang kept the 2014 prank simple. Villagers took over the Minecraft skin servers, temporarily forcing players into villager skins. Element Animation also released a partnered animation where the responsible villagers apologized for the incident.

2015: Love and Hugs Update

While players waited for Minecraft 1.9, Mojang released a joke version named 1.10 because the number sounded better. The Love and Hugs update removed damage, replaced dungeons with houses, turned swords into hearts on sticks, and brought back the friendly pink wither.

The update also hid a QR code in the snow of a superflat world, teasing 1.9 as the combat update. More details, including the instantly sinking obsidian boats, are listed on the Minecraft Wiki page for Java Edition 15w14a.

2016: Trendy Update

The 2016 Trendy Update tried to make Minecraft more fashionable, in the most Minecraft way possible. It added USB chargers, ankle monitors, VR headsets, smartwatches, and mobs carrying OBEY signs.

Some joke items were genuinely interesting. The VR headset, for example, displayed a 3D map of nearby surroundings when equipped. The full list is on the Minecraft Wiki page for Java Edition 1.RV-Pre1.

2017: Mine and Craft Digital Leisure Device

In 2017, Mojang announced a fake handheld console called the Mine and Craft Digital Leisure Device. It was presented as a portable way to play Minecraft and briefly appeared on the official Minecraft website, but the console was never real.

2018: DOS Textures

Minecraft had already used temporary holiday texture changes before, but 2018 brought the first April Fools texture swap. Players logging in found DOS-style textures, advertised as cleaner and smoother. Whether that meant realism was removed or perfected depended entirely on the viewer.

2019: 3D Minecraft

The 2019 joke presented Minecraft 3D as a lost version from April 1, 1994, rediscovered for modern players. It leaned heavily into 1990s PC game references, especially Doom.

The snapshot looked intentionally dated and included key cards, a boss mode, cheat codes, and adjustable screen sizes. Cheat codes and other details are documented in the Minecraft 3D game manual.

2020: Ultimate Content Update

The Ultimate Content Update in 2020 added an absurd number of dimensions and biomes, including the library dimension and slime dimension. It also introduced infinite blocks and the infamous Swaggiest Stairs Ever block.

The name fit because the snapshot was packed with content. The Minecraft Wiki page for Java Edition 20w14 Infinity covers the dimension and biome list in detail.

2021: Minecraft Plus

Minecraft Plus was Mojang's 2021 April Fools project. It was an app for Minecraft-themed screensavers on Windows and web browsers, including one based on glow squids.

The project remained available from the Minecraft Plus website.

2022: One Block at a Time

One Block at a Time changed Minecraft by removing inventories and making players carry items above their heads one block at a time. It was a joke snapshot, but it also created a very different style of play.

The update still had plenty of nonsense. Barrels could be thrown onto players' heads, elder guardians could be fished up, and bedrock was mineable in survival if the player had around ten minutes to spend breaking a single block.

Why These Updates Matter

Minecraft's April Fools releases are jokes first, but they often test strange ideas in public. Some features later become real, some stay trapped in snapshot history, and some are probably best left there. TNT half slabs know what they did.