Minecraft Update details the first 2026 drop with redesigned baby mobs, new models, and custom sounds across passive creatures.

The Minecraft update set to open 2026 has been teased ahead of schedule, with Mojang revealing a core visual change that affects nearly every passive creature in the game. The announcement closes out the 2025 update cycle and offers the first concrete detail about what players can expect next year. Rather than introducing new blocks or mechanics, the focus is on how baby mobs look and sound, altering a long-standing design approach that has remained largely untouched since the game’s early years.

The information was shared through the official Minecraft news blog, where Mojang confirmed that baby mobs will no longer be simple scaled-down versions of adult models. Until now, younger animals used the same geometry as their adult counterparts, reduced in size and paired with oversized heads. The upcoming drop replaces that approach with entirely new designs. Baby mobs will feature single pixelated eyes and, in some cases, completely distinct models. One example shown was a yellow, blocky chick that no longer resembles a miniature chicken.

The redesign applies broadly across the overworld’s passive mobs that players can breed. This includes ocelots, all eleven kitten variants, rabbits, standard farm animals, and wolf pups. Each baby mob receives textures and models built specifically for its juvenile form, rather than inheriting adult assets. The changes build on Mojang’s recent work with biome-specific mob variants, which were introduced as part of the Spring to Life drop released in March of the previous year.

According to game director Agnes Larsson, the goal was to give each creature a clearer identity at every stage of its life cycle.

“Unique textures and models that give each baby mob their own adorable look and identity.”— Agnes Larsson

Visual changes are only part of the update. Mojang has also reworked audio for baby mobs, addressing a long-standing inconsistency where young animals emitted high-pitched versions of adult sounds. The new designs ship with custom audio tailored to each species, ensuring that kittens, puppies, and other young animals sound distinct rather than distorted.

Audio designer Sandra Karlsson explained that the team aimed to reflect real-world differences between adult and juvenile animals while staying within Minecraft’s established sound palette.

“I wanted to capture the uniqueness of a kitten meow and a puppy yapping to let them have their ‘own’ personalities and bring more life (and cuteness!!) to the Minecraft universe.”— Sandra Karlsson

The change may seem cosmetic, but it subtly alters how players interact with passive mobs. Baby animals are a constant presence in farms and breeding setups, and their redesigned appearance and sounds may encourage players to treat them less as temporary resources and more as part of the living world. Mojang has not stated whether this will tie into any mechanical changes, such as breeding behavior or growth, and there is no indication that gameplay balance is being adjusted alongside the visual overhaul.

At this stage, Mojang has not provided a name or release date for the first Minecraft 2026 drop. If the studio follows last year’s cadence, the update could arrive around March, but that remains speculative. For now, the baby mob redesign stands as the sole confirmed feature of the upcoming Minecraft update, with additional details expected to surface gradually over the coming months.

Read also, Mojang has released a Stranger Things-themed DLC for Minecraft that lets players explore Hawkins and the Upside Down, covering major events from the show’s first four seasons. The content is available on the Minecraft Marketplace for most modern platforms, excluding Nintendo Switch due to memory limitations.