Minecraft 1.16 Snapshot 20w17a is out now with some solid quality-of-life improvements and tweaks. This snapshot fine-tunes the Nether update with adjustments to entity rendering, world creation options, and item naming.
What’s New in Snapshot 20w17a
Entity Distance Control
You can now scale entity render distance from 50% to 500% in the video settings. This gives you way more control over performance. Want to see mobs from further away? Crank it up. Getting lag? Turn it down to improve FPS.
Easier World Creation
Difficulty and game rules are now accessible directly from the “Create World” screen instead of being buried in menus. You can toggle hardcore mode, set the difficulty level, and adjust game rules all in one place before generating your world.
Smithing Table Improvements
The Smithing Table UI got an overhaul. The interface is cleaner and easier to use when upgrading diamond gear to netherite.
Wall Block Changes
Walls now place support posts under more blocks. They’ll generate posts under pressure plates, banners, and other attachments. This fixes the weird floating look walls had before.
Soul Fire Items Renamed
The “Soul Fire Torch” and “Soul Fire Lantern” have been shortened to “Soul Torch” and “Soul Lantern.” Simpler names for the same blocks.
Ruined Portals and Bastion Loot
Ruined Portals now spawn less frequently in the Nether so they don’t clutter your world as much. Bastion Remnant loot tables got tweaked too for better balance.
Singleplayer Button Shortcut
If you don’t have any worlds saved, clicking “Singleplayer” now takes you straight to the world creation screen instead of showing an empty list.
How to Install
Installing snapshots is straightforward. For detailed step-by-step instructions, check out our full guide: How To Download & Install Minecraft Snapshots
Quick rundown: Download the launcher file below, run it, and Java Edition will automatically handle the rest. Make sure you have Java installed.
Download Minecraft 1.16 Snapshot 20w17a
Client: Download
Server: Download
Version Compatibility
This snapshot is for Java Edition only. It requires Java 8 or higher. These downloads work on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Always back up your worlds before installing snapshots since they can sometimes cause issues with world data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this snapshot ruin my world?
Snapshots can be unstable. Always make a backup copy of any world you care about before loading it in a snapshot. If something breaks, you’ll still have your original files safe.
Can I use mods with snapshots?
It depends on the mod. Most mods aren’t updated for snapshots right away. Forge and Fabric modloaders typically take a while to support new snapshots, so expect to wait a bit if you want to use specific mods.
Is this the final 1.16 release?
No. Snapshots are test versions. The full 1.16 update will come out later after all snapshots are tested and finalized. Snapshots let the community find bugs before the official release.
Why do ruined portals spawn less often?
They were appearing too frequently and making the Nether feel cluttered. The reduced spawn rate makes them feel more special and less repetitive when exploring.
Do I need to reinstall Java?
Probably not. If you’ve played recent Minecraft versions, you already have compatible Java installed. The launcher will tell you if something’s missing when you try to run the snapshot.