Minecraft 'The Wild Update' is launching in 2022 with the Deep Dark biome, frogs, and much more

What you need to know

• Before we've even seen the official release of 1.18 'Caves and Cliffs Update' Part Two, Mojang Studios has revealed what's next.
• 'The Wild Update' is the next major release for Minecraft, and was revealed during Minecraft Live 2021.
• The release will be smaller than the Caves and Cliffs Update, focusing on improving existing features and adding a few meaningful new ones.
• The Deep Dark biome, a new swamp biome and kind of tree, frogs, and much more are arriving with 'The Wild Update' in 2022.

The height of Minecraft Live 2021 has to be the announcement of The Wild Update, which is officially the next major release for Minecraft across all devices. Following the absolutely colossal (and still not fully released) Caves and Cliffs Update, The Wild Update will understandably be on a smaller scale than its predecessor. Still, Mojang Studios is still delivering a handful of awesome new features and improvements when The Wild Update officially arrives sometime in 2022.

The focus of The Wild Update is embracing Minecraft's Overworld, as well as placing emphasis on improving existing features and how players interact with Minecraft's wilderness. It will also bring players the Deep Dark, which has officially been delayed out of the Caves and Cliffs Update to receive additional changes and improvements. There's certainly plenty to be excited about with The Wild Update.

The Wild Update is the latest in a long line of releases for Minecraft, which stands firmly as one of the greatest games ever made, and certainly one of the best Xbox games. It'll be interesting to see how The Wild Update resonates with the Minecraft community, and how it (and the Deep Dark) inspires new Minecraft toys and gifts.

Some of the features in Minecraft's The Wild Update include:

• Aims to make exploring and interacting with the Overworld more immersive. We don't have all the details on how The Wild Update intends to accomplish this goal, right now, but Mojang Studios apparently intends to focus on the quality of existing features while also introducing brand-new mechanics.
• New mangrove swamp biome. One of the new biomes being introduced in The Wild Update is a different variety of swamp, which features the mangrove tree.
  • Mangrove trees have huge roots, and drop a new kind of wood when harvested
  • You can also find mud blocks in mangrove swamps, which can be crafted into mud bricks and other fun building blocks
• Frogs and tadpoles. The Wild Update will add a new mob that many players will probably be ecstatic about: frogs. The first mob that actually has a different form when it's a baby (tadpoles), the frog will be a friendly addition to Minecraft's busy ecosystems. Frogs also love to eat fireflies, another new addition to Minecraft in The Wild Update.
• The Deep Dark. Finally, the Deep Dark, which was originally intended to arrive with the Caves and Cliffs Update, is now coming with The Wild Update (complete with several improvements and additions).
  • The Deep Dark will be a dark and dangerous place, filled with the ruins of ancient civilizations and cities
  • Here, players will be able to find plenty of treasure and loot, and the unique sound-detecting sculk block
  • The Deep Dark is defended by the Warden, though, a deadly mini-boss mob that hunts players down by detecting vibrations through sound
• A focus on parity. It's worth noting, as well, that Mojang Studios has a renewed focus on parity between different editions of Minecraft. While it's an ongoing battle (the Caves and Cliffs Update sees major improvements to parity), Mojang will continue to work on parity between Bedrock and Java Editions with The Wild Update.

There's probably plenty more we don't know about in The Wild Update for Minecraft, but we'll have to wait longer to see it. It's likely Mojang Studios won't begin testing early builds of The Wild Update or sharing new features until well after the release of 1.18 Caves and Cliffs Update Part Two, especially since the release window for The Wild Update is simply "2022." Still, this looks to be a great follow-up to Minecraft's most ambitious update yet, and should, hopefully, bring lots of improvements and alterations with it.

If you want to learn more about everything this release includes, our ultimate guide to The Wild Update is available and will be constantly updated as we learn more information.