Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 Adds Packed Ice Bricks and New Advancement

New Block Set: Packed Ice Bricks

Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 brings a complete packed ice brick family to Java Edition. The set includes packed ice bricks, cracked packed ice bricks, packed ice brick stairs, packed ice brick slabs, packed ice brick walls, and chiseled packed ice bricks. These blocks give builders a cleaner, more structured alternative to raw packed ice while keeping the same frosty aesthetic. All variants craft from packed ice, so the resource chain stays familiar.

Audio Updates for Ice Blocks

Ice blocks now have distinct new sounds. Walking on, breaking, and placing packed ice, blue ice, and regular ice each trigger updated audio cues. The changes aim to make frozen surfaces feel more distinct underfoot and help players identify block types by ear in dark caves or blizzards.

New Advancement: "Frostwork"

A new advancement called "Frostwork" unlocks when players craft any packed ice brick variant. It sits in the "Husbandry" tab and serves as a breadcrumb for the new block set. The advancement icon uses the chiseled packed ice brick texture.

Gameplay Tweaks

Beyond the headline additions, the snapshot includes minor gameplay adjustments. Packed ice bricks share the same slipperiness as packed ice (0.98), so they behave identically for boat highways and item transport. They also inherit packed ice's light level transparency, meaning they don't block beacon beams or sunlight. No changes to mob spawning or redstone behavior were noted.

Availability and Testing

Snapshot 5 is available in the launcher under "26.4-snapshot-5" for Java Edition players who enable snapshots in their installation settings. As with all snapshots, worlds opened in this version may not be compatible with future releases or the final 26.4 update. Mojang recommends backing up worlds before testing. The next snapshot or pre-release will likely address community feedback on the new block textures and sound balance.