Minecraft Chase the Skies (Update 1.21.6): Release Date, New Features, & Latest News

Originally announced at Minecraft Live 2025, the happy ghasts are almost upon us! Minecraft update 1.21.6, now officially titled Chase the Skies, is bringing some long-awaited features to fans. Grab your leads and get ready to make some new friends! We have everything you need to know about what Minecraft: Chase the Skies has in store.

Minecraft Chase the Skies (Update 1.21.6): Release Date & New Features

Thanks to a new YouTube video from the official Minecraft channel, we now know that Chase the Skies will be released on June 17! We don't have long to wait! While update 1.21.6 will likely bring plenty of bug fixes, gameplay tweaks, and other minor changes, we don't have any information on what these will be. What we do know, however, are additional details on the two most anticipated features of Chase the Skies: happy ghasts and Vibrant Visuals.

Happy Ghasts and You

Yes, it's almost time for your newest friend to arrive! With a happy ghast, you and your friends can soar through the Overworld without a care. Of course, there are a few steps you have to follow to recruit your new buddy. First, you must head into the Nether to find a dried ghast. These sad critters can be harvested like any other block. Or, as the official Minecraft blog tells us, you can craft them! With some ghast tears and a soul sand block, you can create a dried ghast from scratch. However you find one, pick it up, head back home, and plop your new pal in water. It will take some time, but your tiny, dried dude needs to rehydrate. When it's done, your dried ghast will spring out of the water and start floating around as a ghastling. While it is bigger now, it's still not ready for flight. Feed your ghastling some snowballs, and, in time, it will become an enormous happy ghast. You'll still need to create a harness to fly on your happy ghast, but you can easily craft one with leather, glass, and wool. With a harness, you and up to three friends can perch upon your flying friend and set sail for adventure!

Vibrant Visuals for a Better View

The other huge addition with Chase the Skies is the arrival of Vibrant Visuals. Now, you can turn on these enhanced visuals without using mods to give your Minecraft game an enormous fidelity makeover. Lighting will be more dynamic to create more complex shadows, reflections, and more. It's important to note that Vibrant Visuals will not affect gameplay. Players can even join one another without everyone using Vibrant Visuals. It's solely an aesthetic option that can be toggled on or off as you please. Also noteworthy is that Vibrant Visuals will only be available in the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft on June 17, 2025. There are plans to add this feature to Java, but only Bedrock-compatible devices will include the feature as part of the Chasing Skies update. Specifically, these are the devices where you can use Vibrant Visuals:

• Xbox Series X|S
• Xbox One
• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• Android
• iOS
• PC

Additional Features

While friendly ghasts and improved lighting are the flashiest new features, there's still more coming with Chase the Skies. A new music disc can be looted from hostile ghasts now. When acquired, you can enjoy five new ambient tracks from composer Amos Roddy. These tracks are also currently available on Spotify! Additionally, leads are getting some new functionality. Now, you can use leads to leash almost any mob to nearly anything. You can even leash boats to the bottom of your happy ghasts to create your own hot air balloon friend! Leads are also much easier to craft now, with string being the sole required ingredient. Finally, an update that many players have been asking for: Saddles for mounts will be craftable! With three pieces of leather and a single iron ingot, you can saddle up your favorite beast of burden without having to dive into mines and sift through chests. Want to prepare for the update before it arrives? Grab a Minecraft dedicated server today so you and your friends can set sail for distant horizons with free DDoS protection, server backups, and more!