A new Minecraft update adds a number of new features to Bedrock Edition, including the long-requested Spectator Mode. Mojang's wildly popular survival sandbox launched back in 2009, and it continues to receive regular updates from the dutiful developer. These Minecraft updates can make small changes like giving the Warden enemy a new laser attack, but they can also add entirely new ways to play the game.
Minecraft has intimately involved players in the development process since its days as an early access title. While massive expansions like the Caves & Cliffs Update are still released, making massive changes to world generation and adding new content, the community is often given small snapshots leading up to any big change. This lets the community test out new features and provide feedback, which often results in a more effective end result. For example, a snapshot of Minecraft: Java Edition recently gave the unstoppable Warden a ranged sonic attack, making the powerhouse even more unstoppable. Before that a Minecraft snapshot added the new Recovery Compass, an item which points players towards the spot where they died and dropped their items.
A recent Minecraft update, Version 1.18.30, has added Spectator Mode as an experimental new Bedrock feature. The mode, which lets players fly around the map without interacting with the environment, was added to Minecraft: Java Edition on PC back in 2014. However, the Bedrock Edition of the game on consoles and mobile devices has yet to receive the feature. The version of Spectator Mode included in 1.18.30 is apparently still in progress, with Mojang warning players not to rely on it heavily. Minecraft: Bedrock Edition will apparently get Spectator Mode after the 1.19 Wild Update, so fans may be waiting a while before they can freely fly around the block-based survival sandbox.
Spectator Mode is an exciting new feature that console players have been asking for, and a Minecraft snapshot showing off the Wild Update promises even more amazing features in the future. The game's next big expansion will add Mangrove Swamps and the Deep Dark, two new biomes that will shake up the game's already colorful landscapes. Mangrove Swamps are marshland areas filled with frogs and overgrown trees, with chest-equipped boats aiding exploration through shallow water. The Deep Dark, meanwhile, is a deadly underground ruin filled with the new Sculk element and patrolled by the terrifying Warden.
While PC gamers have enjoyed Spectator Mode for years, Minecraft fans on consoles and mobile devices have been missing this fun feature. The 1.18.30 update finally gives them a chance to use it, though Mojang warns that this version of Spectator Mode may be unstable. The full mechanic will release after 1.19, but until then Minecraft fans outside of PC can at least test out the high-flying feature.
Minecraft is available on all consoles.
Sources: Minecraft, Minecraft/Twitter