Minecraft's Vibrant Visuals update now looks better than ever, and water is next in line for an upgrade

Minecraft isn't just one of the best building games around, it's also one of the best-looking ones. Stick with me on this; while Minecraft's blocky, voxel visuals aren't exactly a revolution of high-tech graphics, the style is unmistakable and instantly recognizable. It also stands out in a way that's pleasing to the eye, whether you're inspecting the world up close or surveying a giant landscape. Earlier this year, Mojang overhauled its design with a major Minecraft update, but it's just kept going since, and its next redesign is perfectly timed for Mounts of Mayhem.

The launch of Vibrant Visuals was a momentous occasion for Minecraft, bringing a whole-new level of prettiness to your worlds. With over 3,000 new textures, improved shadows, and beautiful water reflections, the sandbox game got a huge upgrade. However, Mojang hasn't stopped there. "Since then, we've been hard at work making tweaks, fixing bugs, and giving Minecraft's most advanced visual refresh a little extra sparkle," senior creative writer Sophie Austin explains in a new blog post.

At first glance, you might not notice these changes. "In fact, that's almost the point," Austin says, "because we want Vibrant Visuals to feel immersive." Did you spot that the sky didn't change when rain started to fall? That was one aspect the team was eager to tick off the list, along with further tweaks to lighting, color, and textures. As someone who used to spend hours searching for the best Minecraft texture packs just to enhance the sense of realism, I really don't need to any more.

The difference between light and darkness has also been a big consideration. Changes to gamma calibration mean that shadows shouldn't look "too dark or washed out," ensuring you can actually see what's there while still keeping the overall effect. You'll see less light "popping" when transitioning between areas of differing brightness, or when there are sudden flashes such as those from lightning strikes.

This still isn't the end; Austin says the team will "keep refining, tweaking, and improving Minecraft's biggest visual refresh" for the foreseeable future. "In fact, we've got some exciting tweaks to water colors in different biomes coming soon, so keep your eyes peeled on our changelogs." Given that the Minecraft Mounts of Mayhem release date will make underwater exploration easier than ever, thanks to the new nautilus mount, that'll be a welcome addition.