What you need to know
- Mojang and Microsoft have decided to get in on the April Fool's Day fun.
- Instead of a lame joke or fake product that will never be released, Mojang's is one you can play right now.
- It's a limited time snapshot for Minecraft: Java Edition, that turns a nether portal into an infinite world generator.
- Just write some words in a book and toss it in, then be taken to a very random world.
Most companies should probably just avoid April Fool's jokes this year, but some companies are taking the chance to have some lighthearted fun. Mojang is no exception, with a new snapshot rolling out for players on Minecraft: Java Edition right now. This snapshot is different than usual, and doesn't feature anything from the Nether Update. Instead, nether portals pull double duty as a gateway to your favorite fiery dimension, as well as to essentially infinite random worlds in Minecraft.
All you have to do is write some words in a book (presumably this will work similarly to Minecraft's seed generator, in that you can be "random" but there is a process to it,) and toss your newly completed novella through the nearest nether portal. The portal should shift colors slightly, and when you walk through it you should be transported to...something. We're not really sure what to expect here, since Mojang's examples are bizarre and creepy, and I'm sure Mojang chose the more demure of the lot to show off.
There's sure to be a lot of fun here, as this one individual who discovered the "F" dimension found out for themselves. Mojang says there are over two billion possibilities, although I'm not sure anyone will actually be able to quantify that. Either way, there are a mind-boggling number of strange worlds to explore, if you dare.
The snapshot is available now, and is appropriately titled "20w14infinite." If you're interested in trying it out, you can check out our guide on how to play Minecraft: Java Edition snapshots and jump in starting right now. Be warned, though, that this will likely be pretty buggy, and may chug along pretty slowly on anything but the best hardware. There's no indication this is anything but an April Fool's Day joke, so the snapshot probably won't stick around for very long, and might not be very optimized. You can also take a gander at Mojang's announcement post for some more information.
In the meantime, I'll be waiting around for Minecraft Dungeons to finally let me play it, now that it's been delayed until May 26, 2020.
Available everywhere you play.
Minecraft is a veritable, inarguable and complete success. It has sold copies in the hundreds of millions, has a huge following of dedicated players, and lets you unlock your every creative desire. It's also available on every platform imaginable, including Xbox One, Windows 10, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. Play with anyone, and play anywhere.
