Mojang Studios has released "26.4 Snapshot 4," a snapshot that serves as a test version of the Java Edition of "Minecraft."
Just Place a Chest on Top of a Jukebox to Create a Playlist
This snapshot introduces a playlist feature for jukeboxes. If you place a single chest directly above a jukebox, the records inside it will play in sequence. Trap chests and various types of copper chests can also be used.
The playback order follows the arrangement of the slots; empty slots and items other than records are skipped, and once the end is reached, the jukebox loops back to the beginning. After each record finishes playing, the record in the jukebox is replaced with the next record from the chest.
You can skip to the next song by removing the record currently playing, and if there are no records in the chest, the jukebox will repeat the song currently playing.
The new “Brittle Ice” block can be found in the “Ice Caves” underground biome, which will be added in the next game update. It naturally generates only as part of “crevasses”—cracks that form in the Ice Caves.
This block begins to crack when a player or mob steps on it and eventually shatters. However, Frostbite (a new type of zombie) can walk across it without breaking it. In addition to being able to harvest the block with Silk Touch, it can also be generated when water flows into a Blue Ice block, causing any water blocks horizontally adjacent to the Blue Ice to turn into Brittle Ice.
The official news notes that playlists have made it easier to host dance parties, while jokingly urging players not to dance on Brittle Ice.
Additionally, dedicated sound effects have been added for ice-type blocks, and adjustments have been made so that zombies, drowned, and husks no longer take damage from freezing. Details on these changes, including various bug fixes, can be found in the official patch notes.
Currently testing for the “Holiday Drop,” the final game drop of the year
These new features are currently being tested in preparation for the “Holiday Drop,” which will be the final game drop of 2026.New features introduced in previous snapshots include ice caves, Frostbite—a variant of the Frozen Zombie—as well as ice snowballs, ice crystals, icicles, and freezing potions.
Details about the Ice Caves and other features were announced during the “Minecraft LIVE” stream on September 27.
You can play the snapshot by enabling it in the “Launch Options” tab of the Minecraft Launcher. Since test versions may corrupt world data, players are advised to back up their data or run the snapshot in a folder separate from their main world.
The “26.4 Snapshot 4” for the Java Edition of Minecraft is now available via the Minecraft Launcher.
