For over a decade now, Minecraft players have been treated to April Fools' Day jokes either in the form of developer announcements or temporary game updates to help celebrate the holiday. Starting in 2010, the tradition has carried on every year, including 2023. Some Minecraft April Fools pranks have been so well-received that they ended up becoming an official part of the game, as well. As a result, many Minecraft players look forward to the holiday, eager to see what new content Minecraft's developers will be releasing, even if only for a limited time.
It's unknown whether future Minecraft updates will implement April Fools' Day features the way previous updates have. For the time being, only one future update for Minecraft has been confirmed by the game's developers. The Minecraft 1.20 Trails & Tales update is set to come out at some point during 2023 and will introduce new decorative blocks and resources for customization in the game. As for the far-out future of Minecraft, more updates will undoubtedly be revealed over the next year or so. Here are all the April Fools' Day additions that have occurred across the lifespan of the game so far.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2010 - Minecraft 4D
2010's April Fools' Day joke for Minecraft wasn't actually included in the game at all. The original creator of Minecraft, Markus “Notch” Persson, tweeted out on his account in 2010 that he was planning to release a "Minecraft 4D" announcement trailer as a holiday surprise for Minecraft players. However, his plans were impeded due to his moving into a new house that same month. Despite the prank itself never coming to fruition, it set a precedent that Minecraft has followed ever since.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2011 - Minecraft Store
On April Fools' Day 2011, Minecraft players were greeted by locked chests. Using these items would prompt them to visit the Minecraft Store, a fake site created for the holiday. The store contained a multitude of microtransactions, none of which were available to purchase. Given the later addition of actual microtransactions to Minecraft, many fans look back on the Minecraft Store update with a sense of irony.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2012 - Mars Effect
In 2012, another hoax website was created by now-removed Minecraft creator Notch, this one promoting a new video game seemingly intended to serve as a Minecraft sequel. The space-based game was humorously titled "Mars Effect," a nod to BioWare's sci-fi RPG Mass Effect. That in and of itself referred to a lawsuit that had only recently been settled between Bethesda and Mojang in response to a Mojang game titled Scrolls, which, according to Bethesda, bore too much resemblance to The Elder Scrolls. Scrolls was later renamed Caller's Bane.
Mars Effect was eventually revealed to be in the works under the title 0x10c. Set to be developed as a new Minecraft game, 0x10c would have allowed spacecraft customization, planet exploration, and global multiplayer. However, the space sandbox was canceled in 2013 due to creative blocks. Although the concept is technically still considered merely shelved, it's unlikely that Mojang will pick it back up. Instead, interested Minecraft players can look for a similar space exploration experience in games like Starbound and No Man's Sky.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2013 - Minecraft 2.0 Update
Minecraft Java Edition 2.0 was announced for 2013's April Fools' Day. The update's changelog added several new items to the game, a few of which were later officially implemented in subsequent updates. Blocks of coal are one such example. The horse mob was introduced to Minecraft as part of the April Fools joke ahead of their official debut later that year. Minecraft 2.0 also altered quite a few of the game's features temporarily just to create a fresh experience for players.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2014 - Minecraft Villager Skins
Mojang Studios posted on the company's official blog that Minecraft's iconic villagers had taken over the game's skin servers on April Fools' Day 2014. As a result, every Minecraft player's skin was replaced with a villager's. Additionally, they could not change their skins back until the joke wrapped up the following day. Other changes included new villager sounds and updated in-game music.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2015 - Minecraft Love & Hugs Update
Minecraft version 15w14a, which was exclusive to the Java Edition of Minecraft, served as a fake announcement for a theoretical Minecraft version 1.10, jokingly titled the Love & Hugs update. Released on April Fools' Day 2015, 15w14a was a snapshot for Minecraft Java Edition, effectively serving as a preview of a future update for the game. There have been many snapshots released over the years, but it's relatively rare for Mojang to put out hoax snapshots of updates that aren't really coming to Minecraft. Like 2013's Minecraft 2.0 update, 2015's prank temporarily added several new items and features to the game.
The love meter was the most significant change to come with Love & Hugs, which in turn was one of the bigger updates in Minecraft. Upon filling up the love meter sufficiently, players would be allowed access to a Minesweeper-based minigame. Visually, much of the game itself was overhauled. Clouds and particle effects were replaced with hearts, many structures and biomes were temporarily altered, and mobs behaved in entirely new ways. Beyond that, the snapshot included a hint towards the actual upcoming Minecraft update, the Combat Update.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2016 - Minecraft Trendy Update
The next April Fools' Day pre-release was released the following year. Minecraft Java Edition 1.RV-Pre1 served as a preview for Minecraft version 1.RV, supposedly titled the Trendy Update. Although it was just part of an April Fools joke, the preview allowed players to try out several new update items in Minecraft. Virtual reality goggles, USB chargers, and smartwatches were a few additions that came to Minecraft just for the day.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2017 - Mine & Craft Digital Leisure Device
Bucking the trend of the previous two years, April Fools' Day 2017 brought with it another hoax announcement on the Minecraft website itself. This time, it introduced a gaming console designed to resemble a Game & Watch. The device would have been named the Mine & Craft Digital Leisure Device. The faux promotion for the handheld device claimed that it combined "unsurpassed electronic power" with deep simulation technology.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2018 - New Minecraft Textures
Minecraft's textures have changed quite a bit over the years, but the most drastic change came as part of April Fools' Day 2018. Mojang released an entirely new version of Minecraft's iconic visual style to mark the occasion, though it was only available for Minecraft Java Edition. As part of the prank, developers claimed that all future versions of Minecraft would use the same textures. The game's splash text was also updated to reflect the change.
The new textures were rendered in 8-bit color. Though they were otherwise unchanged from their standard appearance, the color palette limitations led to a significant reduction in visual quality. Nevertheless, some fans were excited by the change and enjoyed the retro look it brought to Minecraft. Others were glad to see things return to normal on April 2. It was one of the most extensive overhauls Minecraft has received as an April Fools joke.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2019 - Minecraft 3D
The following April Fools' Day snapshot was Java Edition 3D Shareware v1.34, otherwise known as Minecraft 3D. According to developers, it came from an old version of Minecraft left unreleased in 1994 and recovered from the rubble of Mojang Studios' old offices. As such, Minecraft 3D borrowed design cues from classic video games like Doom. A new UI was released as part of the snapshot, and various items and cheat codes were added to the game to make the prank seem more authentic.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2020 - Minecraft Ultimate Content Update
The Ultimate Content update, also known as Minecraft Java Edition 20w14∞, was released on April Fools' Day 2020. The prank supposedly added over 2 billion procedurally-generated dimensions to serve as new areas for Minecraft players to explore. Included in that count are dozens of Easter egg-filled dimensions, accessed by warping to the name of each dimension. Various other visual changes came with the Ultimate Content snapshot, leaving players with hours' worth of content to enjoy.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2021 - Minecraft Plus!
Minecraft Plus! is a Windows screensaver app released by Mojang Studios for April Fools' Day 2021. The program's screensavers reference classic screensavers from old Windows operating systems, recreated with Minecraft-inspired visuals. Minecraft Plus! is still available to download for free on Windows computers and can alternatively be run in a web browser instead. Minecraft's developers even made retro box art as part of the prank.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2022 - Minecraft One Block At A Time Update
Mojang's 2022 prank came in the form of a Minecraft April Fools snapshot labeled 22w13oneBlockAtATime. Most players shorten the name to the One Block at a Time update. For this snapshot, the Minecraft inventory was removed entirely. Instead of adding items to the inventory, players could physically pick them up and hold them in their hands or above their heads. Blocks and mobs could be thrown, and the Ender Dragon could even be ridden if players managed to get close enough to punch it.
Minecraft April Fools' Day 2023 - Minecraft The Vote Update
Following up on the various mob and biome votes that Mojang has held to determine update priorities, the Vote update introduces voting to the game itself. Fans playing this April Fools snapshot encountered frequent vote prompts, the results of which will change the world around them in generally silly ways. Whether turning off gravity or enabling a Midas touch, the Vote update introduces a unique level of barely-controlled chaos to the game. This system was an exciting shake-up for long-time players, many of whom are just as eager to see what Minecraft prank will be released next year.
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