Minecraft's Next Big Update Will Add Camels, Craftable Bamboo, And More

Minecraft has announced its next big update for 2023. So far only referred to as update 1.20, it'll bring camels, craftable bamboo items, new default skins, and more to vanilla Minecraft, as reported by Eurogamer. Unlike past updates, the upcoming one doesn't have a name yet, and to avoid overpromising, Mojang has only revealed new features that will definitely make it into the game.

The new update was announced at Minecraft Live over the weekend, with the Minecraft team adding first and foremost that it has decided not to reveal planned features for the update unless they're definitely being implemented--adding that there has been a tendency to overpromise and underdeliver in past updates. As such, only a few new additions have been announced, with the promise of more to be revealed through the rest of the year.

The hosts started the Minecraft Live presentation by revealing seven new default skins that will join the two already in the game, Minecraft Steve and Alex. The new skins are designed with further diversity in mind, allowing players to pick a default they feel better represents them as a person.

The hosts revealed that camels will be added as a new mount in the update. The desert-dwelling creature will be found wandering the sands or clustered around desert villages, and will be the first Minecraft mount that will be able to seat two riders. Instead of having a vertical jump like horses, camels will have more of a horizontal dash. The update will also add a new cactus block, which will enable players to breed camels, and it will add a new saddle.

The update will also add bamboo planks, which can be crafted from bamboo and used to make a new kind of block, as well as standard building pieces, and a new bamboo raft. The raft, as the presenters explained, works the same as Minecraft's standard boat, but allows for a new adventurous aesthetic that players may appreciate from a role-play perspective.

Other new items being added include a chiseled bookshelf that can be used to store books, as well as a group of hanging signs with different chain shapes depending on what the sign is being attached to. The Mojang team has promised more will be revealed later for this update, which will be out sometime in 2023.