Mojang released Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 for the Java Edition on Tuesday, introducing Packed Ice Bricks, an advancement tied to the Frostbite mob, and experimental DirectX rendering support on Windows.
Key points
- Mojang released Minecraft 26.4 Snapshot 5 with new decorative building blocks and technical upgrades.
- Packed Ice Bricks arrive with slab, stair, wall, and chiseled variants craftable via a stonecutter.
- Defeating a Frostbite mob with an Ice Ball grants the new What Goes Around Comes Around advancement.
- An experimental Windows setting enables DXGI Present to improve alt-tab speeds and variable refresh rate handling.
The test build arrives as developers refine the upcoming winter-themed content cycle. The changes expand block palettes for cold environments while addressing performance and display behavior on desktop operating systems.
Packed Ice Bricks and Mob Interactions
The primary addition in Snapshot 5 is the Packed Ice Brick block. Players can craft base Packed Ice Bricks by placing four Packed Ice blocks into a standard two-by-two crafting grid. The material functions alongside existing stone-like resources and can be processed using a stonecutter.
Mojang added multiple sub-variants for the new material, including:
- Packed Ice Brick Slabs
- Packed Ice Brick Stairs
- Packed Ice Brick Walls
- Chiseled Packed Ice Bricks
The update also integrates the new masonry with existing entity mechanics. Feeding either a Packed Ice Brick or a Chiseled Packed Ice block to a Sulfur Cube mob permanently gives that mob the Fast Sliding archetype.
New Advancement and Combat Vulnerabilities
Snapshot 5 expands progression milestones with a combat-focused task. Players who eliminate a hostile Frostbite zombie by throwing an Ice Ball at it unlock the advancement titled “What Goes Around Comes Around.”
The developer also modified entity interactions in cold caverns. Hostile Frostbite mobs throw Ice Ball projectiles that can now destroy several delicate objects upon impact. These vulnerable objects include Decorated Pots, Chorus Flowers, and Speleothem blocks, requiring players to account for projectile hazards when constructing outposts in freezing subterranean environments.
These adjustments follow broader testing for the upcoming Minecraft 26.4 release, which introduces new subterranean cold structures alongside hostile variants.
Ambient Audio and Windows DXGI Settings
Snapshot 5 adjusts environmental audio cues for standard Ice blocks. When an Ice block is enclosed by eight Ice blocks on its horizontal sides, has an Air block positioned directly above it, and sits on a Water block below, it now produces ambient audio loops.
On the system side, Mojang introduced an experimental graphics toggle for Windows players labeled “Prefer DXGI Present.” When enabled on compatible systems, the DirectX Graphics Infrastructure presentation mode aims to improve display responsiveness.
According to release notes, the DXGI setting can enhance variable refresh rate (VRR) display compatibility, reduce latency during fullscreen window switching via alt-tab, and improve system behavior when running an Input Method Editor (IME) for text entry. The snapshot is currently available through the Minecraft Launcher for testing on PC.
