Minecraft Bedrock 26.40 is out now: fixes and experimental features

On August 4, 2026, Mojang pushed Minecraft Bedrock Edition to version 26.40. The official Bedrock changelog says the update brings gameplay tweaks, bug fixes, and a batch of experimental features.

Minecraft Download

A lot of the patch is about small quality-of-life changes and getting Bedrock a little closer to Minecraft: Java Edition. Boats now take fewer hits before they break, and the damage they do take wears off over time. Nintendo Switch players also get a fix for worlds affected when multiple split-screen guest players join, and there’s now an option to tone down the screen distortion from Nether portals.

The experimental side adds more for builders. Mojang has added wool stairs and slabs in all 16 colors, plus cushions for more detailed interiors. There’s also the Dappled Forest biome, with autumn-colored Poplar trees and Abandoned Camps that can spawn with loot chests and biome-specific variants. Another addition is the straw bed, which lets players sleep without resetting their spawn point.

The response so far is mixed.

If you play Bedrock regularly, 26.40 looks like a solid update to pick up for the smoother gameplay, the added accessibility option, and the new decorative pieces. Even so, early reactions aren’t all positive: some players are happy with the Java parity changes and the new building blocks, while others say they’re still running into lag, frame-rate drops, and bugs that haven’t gone away. Mojang hasn’t said anything official about a hotfix yet.

You can download Minecraft Bedrock Edition 26.40 now through the usual update channels on supported platforms, according to the release notes.