THE SHORT ANSWER
Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 4 released October 13, 2026, adding crevasses and brittle ice to cold biome generation, plus support for two new languages. Earlier snapshots in the 26.4 series introduced Vulkan as the default renderer, render-distance fog improvements, a celestial occluder, an F3 debug screen redesign, ice caves with icicles, and a new frozen zombie hostile mob.
- Crevasses and brittle ice generate in cold biomes, creating new traversal hazards.
- Two additional languages now supported in the game menu and UI.
- Snapshot 4 is the fourth test build for the 26.4 feature update; earlier snapshots shipped Vulkan-by-default rendering, fog and celestial occluder improvements, an F3 screen redesign, ice caves, and a frozen zombie mob.
- Java Edition players can opt in via the launcher's snapshot profile; Bedrock is unaffected.
What changed in Snapshot 4
Mojang released the fourth Java Edition snapshot for the upcoming 26.4 update on October 13, 2026. The headline additions are crevasses and brittle ice, both tied to cold biome generation. Crevasses appear as deep, narrow fissures in snow-covered terrain, while brittle ice forms thin surface layers that can crack under player weight, adding environmental risk to mountain and ice-spike biomes.
The snapshot also adds full localization for two previously unsupported languages. Mojang did not name the languages in the changelog, but the launcher now lists them in the language selector and all menu text, subtitles, and tooltip strings are translated.
Context: the 26.4 snapshot series so far
Snapshot 1 (late August) switched the default rendering backend to Vulkan on compatible hardware, promising steadier frame pacing and lower CPU overhead. Snapshot 2 followed with a redesigned F3 debug screen, a new celestial occluder that sharpens the transition between sky and distant terrain, and improved render-distance fog that scales more naturally with the view-distance slider. Snapshot 3 introduced ice caves — subterranean networks lined with glittering icicles and ice crystals — plus a new hostile mob: a frozen zombie variant adapted to extreme cold, which inflicts a slowing chill effect on hit.
Snapshot 4 rounds out the current test cycle by focusing on surface-level terrain hazards and accessibility via language support.
How to test
Java Edition owners can enable snapshots in the Minecraft Launcher: open Installations, toggle "Snapshots," create a new profile selecting "Latest snapshot (26.4-snapshot-4)," and launch. Worlds opened in this build should be backed up first; snapshot saves are not guaranteed to load in future releases or in stable 26.4.
Bedrock Edition does not receive these snapshots; its parallel beta program is on a separate version track.
What remains unclear
Mojang has not announced a target date for the full 26.4 release, nor confirmed whether additional snapshots will follow before the feature freeze. The studio also hasn't detailed whether crevasses and brittle ice will generate in existing chunks when updating a world, or only in newly generated terrain. Players reporting bugs or feedback should use the official bug tracker or the feedback Discord linked from the launcher.