Minecraft's visuals have remained largely unchanged since the game's inception in 2009; apart from pre-release changes before 2011, Mojang has opted to refine rather than evolve.
That doesn't mean there haven't been plans to overhaul Minecraft's official visuals without relying on the third-party shaders and texture packs that many Minecraft players love, but cancelations, delays, and lack of communication have only led to disappointment and frustration in the community.
That changes today, with Mojang Studios announcing the first step it's taking in updating Minecraft's visual identity during Minecraft Live. The "Vibrant Visuals" update is coming, and it's just the beginning.
What is the "Vibrant Visuals" update for Minecraft?
"Vibrant Visuals" is an upcoming update for Minecraft that will enhance and evolve the game's iconic art design.
It's an update Minecraft players have been requesting for many years, especially since the onset of the latest generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
Mojang Studios has already been quick to state that this will purely be a visual upgrade; it'll transform how players experience Minecraft, but it won't affect any actual gameplay mechanics or systems.
Upgrades to lighting and shadows won't affect how and where hostile mobs spawn, for example, or impact the way light sensors work.
Interestingly, Mojang has also admitted that this is merely the first step in a multi-phase plan to fulfil the studio's vision for Minecraft's future.
Minecraft certainly won't be moving away from its legendary blocks, but a fresh coat of paint across modern gaming platforms could help reignite interest in the long-running franchise, which has remained relevant because of the power of the "Minecraft" brand rather than any innovation or ambitious update cycle for the base game.
As for exactly what's changing, the upgrade includes updated textures, directional lighting, volumetric fog, and much more. Lighting, shadows, and reflections all enjoy the greatest, most dramatic improvements.
When will the Vibrant Visuals update release for Minecraft?
The Vibrant Visuals upgrade is obviously a major milestone for Minecraft, and it's coming to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on "compatible devices" first (we don't know exactly what devices that'll include yet).
When? In the coming months, but Mojang hasn't given us a more specific timeline yet. It is planned for Java Edition, too, but that'll come after.
Mojang Studios intends for this update to be easily accessed on many devices, as it'll be a simple toggle in Minecraft's settings. "Vibrant Visuals" will be backward compatible with all your old worlds, too, so you don't have to worry about losing your favorite builds.
On top of that, the visual upgrades will run entirely local, not server-side, so it's player-independent — you can enable the upgraded graphics, even if other players in your world do not.
A change too long in the making
The timeline for players requesting or expecting official visual upgrades for Minecraft is years long, and I won't rehash it in its entirety.
It's enough that I had to clarify that the recently released, native PlayStation 5 version of Minecraft does not feature ray-traced visuals, or specify that the latest Minecraft redesign was only for its official artwork, not for the game itself.
After seeing the visuals for myself, I'm sold. The Vibrant Visuals upgrade is exactly what I wanted to see from Minecraft, and combined with the upcoming Minecraft game drops arriving this year, may be enough to get me to spend another couple dozen hours in the blocky game.
I don't believe for a moment that this announcement will instantly appease the entire community or erase years of pent-up aggrievances, but this is certainly a colossal step forward for Minecraft.
You could even say this represents the beginning of a new era of Minecraft to take us through the next 15 years. I'm excited for it, but how do you feel about the Vibrant Visuals reveal?
