Minecraft's next big release is called The Wild update, out 2022

(Image credit: Mojang)

We've not even gotten the second part of the Caves and Cliffs update yet, but Mojang has seemingly set the Minecraft train to full steam ahead. The block building sandbox's next big update, called 'The Wild', will be out sometime in 2022.

With this new update, Mojang says that it wants to celebrate the wilderness of Minecraft's Overworld by making some of its biomes have a clearer identity. An example given was the Birch Forest biome, which currently doesn't have that much going for it. The Wilds update would rejuvenate the biome, making the trees taller and more spread out with plenty of space for wildflowers and shrubs. Suddenly, one of Minecraft's most boring biomes now has a personality.

The update will also add a brand new area called Mangrove Swamp, a part of the world that will include a new mangrove wood type, a mud block that lets you make mud bricks, boats with chests, and a new frog mob. That's right, frogs are coming to Minecraft.

There are also changes with the Deep Dark biome. Originally announced for the Caves and Cliffs update, Mojang has now moved it to release as part of The Wilds update—but it sounds worth the wait. We saw a sneak peek of it during the last Minecraft Live, but saw nothing more than an eerie underground cave biome. Mojang has now confirmed that the biome is not only a cave but an entire ruined civilization of abandoned cities filled with treasures. The move of the Deep Dark also sees our creepy friend the Warden get pushed back, but it gives us plenty of time to build up the courage to face those subterranean monsters.

Mojang has expressed that The Wild update will be smaller than Caves and Cliffs—an update so big the studio had to release it in two parts—but from the sounds of it, they'll be plenty to get stuck into.

TOPICS

Rachel had been bouncing around different gaming websites as a freelancer and staff writer for three years before settling at PC Gamer back in 2019. She mainly writes reviews, previews, and features, but on rare occasions will switch it up with news and guides. When she's not taking hundreds of screenshots of the latest indie darling, you can find her nurturing her parsnip empire in Stardew Valley and planning an axolotl uprising in Minecraft. She loves 'stop and smell the roses' games—her proudest gaming moment being the one time she kept her virtual potted plants alive for over a year.