Minecraft Live 2025 Unveils Vibrant Visuals and Flying Happy Ghast

Minecraft Live 2025 has come and gone, leaving a trail of exciting announcements from developer Mojang about new upgrades and content for the best-selling video game of all time. The first game drop of the year, titled "Spring to Life," is set to launch on March 25 and promises to make the Overworld's biomes feel more immersive and alive. Players can look forward to new variants of classic mobs like cows, pigs, and chickens, along with enchanting new ambient features such as the glittering firefly bush, falling leaves, and the subtle whispers of sand.

While the second game drop of the year remains unnamed, it will introduce a fascinating new block called the Dried Ghast. This block, slightly smaller than a regular one and adorned with cute tentacles and a grumpy face, can be rehydrated to transform into a Ghastling, a baby version of the iconic ghast. Nurture the Ghastling with snowballs, and it will eventually evolve into the Happy Ghast. With the addition of a Ghast harness, players can ride this cheerful creature, capable of carrying up to four adventurers on a thrilling aerial journey. The new Locator Bar feature will assist in finding friends while flying, making group exploration even more enjoyable. Mojang highlights that the Happy Ghast will be particularly useful for Survival Mode builders, offering a taste of Creative Mode freedom within the constraints of Survival.

In addition to these game drops, Mojang unveiled a significant visual upgrade dubbed 'Vibrant Visuals.' Described as the first step in a broader vision to transform how players experience Minecraft, this upgrade enhances the game's aesthetics without altering gameplay mechanics. For a detailed look at these enhancements, check out IGN's dedicated article and visuals comparison video.

Mojang also treated fans to an exclusive clip of the upcoming "A Minecraft Movie" and announced a movie-themed in-game live event. This event, set to take place in Midport Village from March 25 to April 7, invites players to join Steve and his movie companions in defending the village against a piglin attack through three engaging mini-games. Successful participants can earn the coveted Yearn cape.

Beyond these announcements, Mojang shared insights from their offices in Sweden, explaining their decisions to not pursue a Minecraft 2, keep the game non-free-to-play, and avoid using generative AI in game development.

Minecraft Live 2025 — Everything Announced:

• Mojang Studios announced the name, launch date, and features of the first game drop of the year, as well as upcoming features in the second game drop of the year.
• The first game drop of the year is called “Spring to Life,” and introduces a variety of updates to the Overworld that will make biomes feel more immersive and alive.
• Spring to Life adds warm and cold variants of some of Minecraft's classic mobs, new ambient features like the glittering firefly bush, falling leaves, and whispers of sand, and more reasons to explore.
• The second game drop of the year includes the new Dried Ghast block, the new Ghastling and Happy Ghast mob variants, and the Ghast harness.
• The Dried Ghast is a little bit smaller than a regular block and has cute little tentacles and a grumpy face.
• If you pick up the Dried Ghast from the Nether and put it in water, eventually it will become a much happier Ghastling.
• The Ghastling floats around the Overworld like a little balloon. Feed it snowballs and eventually it will grow up to become a flying Happy Ghast.
• If you craft a harness for the Happy Ghast, tempt it to come closer with the harness itself, then jump on it. From there, you and up to three other players can fly around on a single Happy Ghast.
• The new Locator Bar feature, positioned at the bottom of the screen, lets you see in which direction your friends are. That will be useful for finding friends while flying a Happy Ghast.
• Mojang said the Happy Ghast will be useful for Survival Mode builders, because "it's a bit like being in Creative Mode, but in Survival." The platform lets you position wherever you like in the sky and dismount.
• Mojang Studios announced a visual upgrade for Minecraft, titled Vibrant Visuals.
• Mojang revealed an exclusive A Minecraft Movie clip and announced an in-game movie-themed live event.
• The live event takes place in Midport Village, and sees players join Steve and his companions from the movie in an evolving multiplayer experience where you defend the village from a piglin attack in three mini games.
• The live event runs from March 25 to April 7, and if you complete all the challenges you earn the Yearn cape.