Snapshot Schedule
How Mojang releases snapshots, pre-releases, and release candidates before each major update.
Expected
26.4 Snapshot 2
The Tuesday Cycle
April Fools snapshots aside, 23 of the 30 snapshots in 2024 came out on a Wednesday. In April 2025 the day moved to Tuesday: 22 of the 33 snapshots that year landed on one, and so did 21 of the 28 released in 2026 up to mid-September. The launcher's patch notes put most of them between 11:00 and 14:00 UTC. Mojang doesn't announce dates in advance, so a week can still slip.
The names changed with 26.1. Until November 2025 a snapshot was named after its year and week: 25w46a was the first snapshot of week 46 in 2025, and a quick fix in the same week got a b, like 25w36b. Since 26.1 Snapshot 1 on December 16, 2025, a snapshot is named after the version it leads to plus a number, so 26.2 Snapshot 8 shows up as 26.2-snapshot-8 in the launcher. The one week-style name since then is 26w14a, the April Fools snapshot of April 1, 2026. Releases now carry the year too: 26.1 was the first game drop of 2026, and hotfixes add a third number, as in 26.1.1 and 26.1.2.
Weeks without snapshots usually happen during holidays (Christmas, summer break) or when the team is focused on internal work. Occasionally, a snapshot may ship on Thursday or be skipped entirely.
From Snapshot to Release
Development Snapshots
Weekly builds with new features, changes, and experimental content. Expect bugs.
Pre-Releases
Feature-complete builds focused on bug fixes and polish. 26.1 had 3 of them, 26.2 had 6 and 26.3 had 3.
Release Candidates
Meant to be the last build before the release unless a game-breaking bug turns up. 26.1 went through 3 and 26.2 through 2.
Full Release
The stable version pushed to all players. Of the 18 releases since the start of 2024, 10 came out on a Tuesday.
Expected Timeline
The dates listed here are our own estimates, not announcements. Mojang doesn't announce snapshot dates in advance, so the pattern above is the best guide.
Dates marked as "estimated" or "speculated" are based on past patterns and are not official Mojang announcements.