Minecraft’s documented April Fools releases include the 2023 Vote Update and the 2024 Poisonous Potato Update, plus several earlier named jokes. This is not a verified year-by-year archive: Mojang’s available announcements identify selected releases, not every year or every prank. The list below separates officially documented examples from older entries reported by retrospective sources.
Officially documented April Fools snapshots
2023: The Vote Update
On April 1, 2023, Mojang announced The Vote Update, a Java Edition snapshot built around repeated votes that change the rules of the game. Its premise was that players would keep voting on how their world worked; Mojang jokingly billed the system as “Revolutionary Meta-voting Technology for Metaverse!”
The announcement also names Minecraft 3D, Snapshot 20w14∞ and One Block at a Time as earlier “mind-bending” releases. That makes the post useful primary-source confirmation for those titles, but it does not establish a complete history of April Fools releases.
2024: The Poisonous Potato Update
Mojang announced The Poisonous Potato Update on April 1, 2024. Its Java Edition snapshot centered on a Poisonous Potato Dimension, with five potato-themed biomes alongside themed blocks, items and mobs. The announcement’s playful framing included: “You asked. We delivered. Or maybe you didn’t ask, but we delivered anyway?”
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- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
The same post also points to a Bedrock Edition add-on by Jigarbov. That add-on is a separate Bedrock offering, not the Java snapshot; the announcement does not make them interchangeable versions of one download.
Earlier named jokes: useful examples, not a complete annual list
Mojang’s 2023 announcement confirms three earlier examples by name: Minecraft 3D, Snapshot 20w14∞ and One Block at a Time. A secondary retrospective also lists entries such as the 2015 Love and Hugs Update, the 2016 Trendy Update, 2019’s Minecraft 3D and 2020’s Snapshot 20w14∞. A community wiki discusses the fake Minecraft 2.0 release in 2013.
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- Skins! We have biome settlers, city folk, town folk, and more!
- The Nether and all its inhabitants. Fight Ghasts and make friends with Pigmen
- Cross platform play for up to five players between Pocket Edition and Windows 10
- Revamped touch controls, controller support, and a controller mapping screen
- Enhanced Weather effects! Accumulating snow and more
The older-year entries rely on retrospective or community sources rather than a complete official archive. They are best read as reported examples, not proof that every year had a joke update. No year-by-year claim about missing releases can be established from the available official announcements.
How to distinguish a joke snapshot from an ordinary April update
An April date by itself does not make a Minecraft release an April Fools joke. Mojang’s official timeline includes ordinary game updates released in April, including Armored Paws in April 2024 and Spring to Life in April 2025. For the examples in this list, the April 1 announcement and its explicit joke framing identify the documented special releases.
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- DELUXE COLLECTION — Includes Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition, three Bedrock add-ons, three exclusive Character Creator items, and 700 Minecoins.
- CREATE YOUR WORLD — Build whatever you imagine in an infinite world that’s unique in every playthrough.
- EXPLORE AND CRAFT — Discover biomes, resources, and mobs, then craft your way through a sandbox world filled with surprises.
- SURVIVE THE ADVENTURE — Face mysterious foes, travel across exciting landscapes, and venture into perilous dimensions.
- PLAY TOGETHER — Play cross-platform with friends in Bedrock Edition on console, mobile, and PC, or join community servers in Java Edition on PC, Mac, and Linux. Online console multiplayer requires a platform-specific subscription (sold separately).
For a comparison of the two officially documented snapshots and the separate Bedrock add-on:
| Release | Platform and delivery | Central conceit and content | Official documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Vote Update | Java Edition snapshot | Repeated votes change the game’s rules. | Mojang announcement dated April 1, 2023. |
| 2024 Poisonous Potato Update | Java Edition snapshot | Potato-themed dimension, five biomes, blocks, items and mobs. | Mojang announcement dated April 1, 2024. |
| 2024 Bedrock add-on | Bedrock Edition add-on by Jigarbov | Potato-themed add-on; the announcement does not establish that it is the Java snapshot. | Linked from Mojang’s April 1, 2024 announcement. |
How to play the documented snapshots more safely
The 2023 announcement describes enabling snapshots through the Minecraft Launcher. These are Java Edition test versions, not ordinary stable releases, and Mojang warns that snapshots can corrupt worlds. Use a separate folder or back up worlds before opening them.
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- The classic UNO card game builds fun on game night with a Minecraft theme.
- UNO Minecraft features a deck and storage tin decorated with graphics from the popular video game.
- Players match colors and numbers to the card on top of the discard pile as in the classic game.
- The Creeper card unique to this deck forces other players to draw 3 cards.
- Makes a great gift for kid, teen, adult and family game nights with 2 to 10 players ages 7 years and older, especially Minecraft and video game fans.
- Open the Minecraft Launcher and go to Installations.
- Enable snapshots in the Installations settings, then create or select an installation for the snapshot you intend to play.
- Use a new test world or a backed-up copy rather than opening a valuable world in a snapshot.
The installation instructions in the 2023 post establish the Launcher route for snapshots, but the cited announcements do not guarantee that every historical snapshot remains available in the Launcher or compatible with current software. Feature toggles are not a substitute for replaying old April Fools snapshots: Mojang says worlds created with feature toggles enabled are not upgradeable to later snapshots or releases.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this list can and cannot establish
The official announcements verify specific joke releases and explain how the 2023 and 2024 snapshots were presented. They do not provide a complete annual archive, including years with no joke. Accordingly, the older retrospective and community entries add useful historical leads, but the list should not be treated as a literal inventory of every Minecraft April Fools prank ever made.
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- The Minecraft Labyrinth invites 2-4 people aged 7 and over to immerse themselves in the world of Minecraft, move corridors and search for hidden characters and items
- The classic in the look of the well-known and popular computer game Minecraft! The labyrinth has been delighting children and adults for decades and has become a highlight among board games
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