The latest Minecraft: Bedrock Edition beta is here after a week-long break

Minecraft betas are returning gently, complete with a number of bug fixes and improvements.

What you need to know

• Minecraft: Bedrock Edition tests future changes and tweaks through a long-running beta program.
• Usually, new betas are released about once a week, but Mojang Studios broke that trend last week.
• This week, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition betas are returning with Beta 1.17.30.20, releasing today for testers.
• The 1.17.30.20 beta includes plenty of bug fixes and general improvements, but there aren't any new features this time around.

It's nearly tradition for Minecraft to release a new Bedrock Edition beta every week, but last week the trend was broken and Mojang Studios revealed that a new beta wasn't arriving. This week, we're back on track with the release of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Beta 1.17.30.20, which continues to tweak Part One of the Caves and Cliffs Update.

While the week-long break may have suggested more significant changes on the horizon, this week's beta is a little more modest (but no less important), with a decent batch of bug fixes and general improvements, including for light blocks and mob spawning. Either way, the beta is now available for players to test on Xbox, Windows, and Android devices.

Minecraft is in a constant state of improvement, as is our list of best Minecraft toys and gifts, which includes the very best for any Minecraft fan.

The full changelog for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Beta 1.17.30.20 includes:

Features & bug fixes

Stability & performance

• Fixed several crashes that could occur during gameplay
• Fixed a crash that could sometimes occur when downloading large Marketplace worlds

Accessibility

• Text to Speech now correctly reads item names in the inventory
• Inventory grid slots are no longer double counted for Text to Speech focus controls

Gameplay

• Light blocks are now visible when holding another, and also show brightness value
• Fixed Light Block not being removed when left-clicking it while holding a Light Block
• Fixed Light Block brightness not being adjustable when right-clicking it
• Fixed Light Block hitbox issue
• Fixed Barrier Block being destructible whilst not holding a Barrier Block
• Boats now disappear from inventory correctly after placing it on water in Survival mode

User interface

• Text to Speech for chat setting once again correctly narrates chat messages
• Sidebar strings are now localized properly when a new language is loaded or the current language changes
• Updated the Achievements button and moved from the Profile screen to the Main Menu and Pause screens
• Enabled new achievements screens for VR (not including PSVR)

Vanilla parity

• Eating Chorus Fruit while gliding no longer deals fall damage to the player
• Fixed an animation parity issue with Skeletons not using both arms to hold their Bows

Mobs

• Fixed an issue where mobs would sometimes render with incorrect geometry when viewed from the Structure Block preview window
• Experimental Features: Wither can now be spawned on negative heights
• Ghasts no longer spawn in less than 5x4x5 area
• Magma Cubes no longer spawn in less than 3x3x2 area
• Medium Magma Cubes now have a larger hitbox
• Shulker boxes now remain in Dispensers when dispensed at world limit

Blocks

• Unicode font now correctly highlights on Signs with glowing text
• Waterlogged blocks no longer occasionally turn into ghost blocks
• Pumpkins placed facing South, East, or West now can now be used to trade with Villagers if they were mined with Silk Touch tools
• More Candles can no longer be added to Candles placed without any support block

Graphical

• Sky no longer renders through walls of a large enclosed area when using fog

Technical updates

EDU / Chemistry

• New chemistry material reductions can be defined in the JSON files
• Chalkboards now appear consistently when being placed

Commands

• The /clone command now copies signal strength for Levers and Redstone Dust
• The /structure command can now specify a <to: x y z> position argument with y below 0 as long as it is equal or above the minimum height for that dimension
• Added functionality for Intellisense options: d and default in the gamemode command selector
• Minecart with Command Block can now use the self selector (@s) in its commands to target itself
• The /time set command now sets the correct time and day when specifying a time above 24000 or below the current time (e.g. /time set 0 sets the day to 0, /time set 28000 sets the day to 1), and /time can now set or add to a negative world time

Items

• Updated documentation formatting for item components
• Using water buckets to collect fish has been version locked to prevent breaking old world templates

Mobs

• Fixed the ability to add launch point positional offset for projectiles spawned with the spawn_entity component
• Fixed the ability to add angular offset to launch vector for projectiles spawned with the spawn_entity component
• Fixed offset not working for projectiles summoned through an interaction
• Fixed projectile angleoffset value only reflected if shooter is riding another entity
• Fixed rotation of projectile launchpoint around a mob when projectile offset specified

Molang

• Fixed query.item_remaining_use_duration having improperly scaled or inverted results (This is to fix a Versioned Change as of engine version 1.17.30)
• Added query.facing_target_to_range_attack, which returns whether or not the queried actor's minecraft:behavior.ranged_attack goal is currently running

Molang documentation

• Improved Molang documentation related to experiments
  • Experimental queries and language expressions now list which experiment(s) they require to be available
• Versioned Changes are now detailed in the documentation, starting with the query.item_remaining_use_duration fix

A gaming masterpiece

Minecraft

$50 at Microsoft (Xbox Master Collection) $30 at Microsoft (Xbox Starter Collection) $50 at Microsoft (Windows Master Collection) $30 at Microsoft (Windows Starter Collection)

Available everywhere you play.

Minecraft is an inarguable and complete success. It has sold copies in the hundreds of millions, has a huge following of dedicated players, and lets you unlock your every creative desire. It's also available on every platform imaginable, including Xbox, Windows 10, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. Play with anyone and play anywhere.

A catalog of games

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

From $1/month at Microsoft $45 at Amazon (3-month subscription) $15 at Amazon (1-month subscription)

All your gaming needs, in one subscription.

Is the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate the best value in all of gaming? It's possible. Ultimate bundles your Xbox Live Gold subscription, an Xbox Game Pass subscription for both Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, and Xbox Cloud Gaming for on-the-go. That means access to hundreds of games, with more added all the time, for a single monthly subscription cost.