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Minecraft Tick Speed Explained: Game Ticks, Random Tick Speed, and Simulation Distance

Minecraft has three different meanings of “tick speed.” Learn what randomTickSpeed changes, how its edition-specific defaults differ, and when to adjust Bedrock simulation distance instead.
Length4 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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“Tick speed” can mean three different Minecraft settings or systems: the game’s regular simulation clock, the randomTickSpeed game rule, or the distance around a player where the world processes mechanics. They are not interchangeable. In Bedrock Edition, randomtickspeed defaults to 1; the Minecraft Wiki reports a Java Edition default of 3. Neither value changes the game’s entire clock.

What does “tick speed” mean in Minecraft?

Before changing a setting, identify which kind of ticking you mean. Minecraft’s simulation clock, random block updates, and simulation distance do different jobs.

Term What it controls Where to look
Game ticks The regular simulation loop. Mojang’s Minecraft Bedrock Protocol documentation describes the simulation rate as 20 ticks per second; this is not a setting changed by randomTickSpeed. Core game simulation
randomTickSpeed The rate of random block updates governed by a game rule. Its default differs by edition. Game rule / command
Simulation distance In Bedrock, the area around the player in which game mechanics are processed, including entity behavior, mob spawning, plant growth, and fluid movement. World settings

What does random tick speed change?

randomTickSpeed is a game rule for random block updates, not a universal speed control. It does not change player movement or make every game process run faster. The exact blocks and mechanics affected can depend on edition and version, so check guidance for the version you play before relying on a particular farm or block behavior.

Bedrock Edition default and limit

Microsoft Learn documents Bedrock’s randomtickspeed as an integer game rule, with a default of 1 and a maximum of 4096. These are documented Bedrock values, not Java values.

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Java Edition default

The Minecraft Wiki command reference reports a Java Edition default of 3. The source’s surfaced search result did not specify a publication year, and the exact default should not be assumed to apply to every Java release. Check the rule in your own world rather than carrying a value over from another edition.

How to check or change random tick speed

Commands differ in capitalization and syntax between editions. Use the form for your edition, and make sure commands are available in the world or server where you are playing.

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Bedrock Edition

  1. Open the in-game command interface for the world where you want to check or change the rule.

  2. Run /gamerule to check current game rules, or query the rule with /gamerule randomtickspeed.

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  3. To set a value, use /gamerule randomtickspeed <value>, replacing <value> with an integer. Microsoft documents 1 as the default and 4096 as the maximum for this Bedrock rule.

Java Edition

  1. Open the command interface in the relevant world or server.

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  2. Use /gamerule randomTickSpeed without a value to query the rule, following the Java command reference.

  3. To change it, use /gamerule randomTickSpeed <value>. Java’s rule name uses camel case; do not copy Bedrock syntax or assume Bedrock’s default and maximum apply.

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A changed game rule applies to the world or server where you run it; it is not a global change to every Minecraft world or process.

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Why crops or farms may not be progressing

Increasing random tick speed is not the first fix for every inactive farm. In Bedrock, check whether the area is being simulated. Microsoft defines simulation distance as the distance, measured in chunks from the player, within which the game engine processes mechanics. A farm outside the active simulation area may not progress as expected while you are elsewhere.

Check simulation distance separately from render distance

Render distance controls how far away terrain is shown; it does not by itself mean distant chunks are simulated. Bedrock simulation distance affects processing of mechanics such as plant growth, entity behavior, mob spawning, and fluid movement. If a farm or entity stops responding when you move away, inspect the world’s simulation-distance setting rather than raising render distance alone.

Use ticking areas only for a specific need

Bedrock ticking areas can keep selected areas active, but they have limits and a performance cost. They are not a universal way to accelerate the world. Microsoft also notes that simulation distance has a higher performance cost than render distance. The reviewed documentation does not quantify a performance cost for changing randomTickSpeed, so treat values above the default as experiments rather than guaranteed improvements.

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Which setting should you change?

  • You mean the game’s basic simulation rate: randomTickSpeed is not the control for that clock.
  • You want random block updates to occur at a different rate: query and adjust randomTickSpeed using the syntax and values documented for your edition.
  • You want mechanics to keep processing farther from you in Bedrock: review simulation distance; render distance is a separate setting.
  • You need one selected Bedrock area to stay active: consider a ticking area, accounting for its limits and performance cost.

There is no value established here as optimal for every device, world, edition, and version. Start with the documented default for your edition, change only the control that matches the problem, and check the result in your own world.

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