Mojang's 2026 April Fools snapshot removes the inventory entirely and challenges players to command living block entities with a set of specialized tools in this surprisingly deep herding simulator.
Every year Mojang drops an ambitious April Fools snapshot that goes far beyond a simple joke. This year the studio delivered the Herdcraft Update also known as snapshot 26w14a. The headline change is drastic. Survival mode no longer has a functional inventory.
How the living herd works
Breaking blocks or obtaining items now spawns living block entities. These have health regenerate over time and can be hurt or killed. They follow basic mob rules yet retain some original block properties. Your only interface is a fixed hotbar containing eight persistent command tools that cannot be easily removed.
- Follow Me selects and leashes blocks to the player
- Move orders the selected herd to a target location
- Attack or Mine commands blocks to fight mobs or break regular terrain
- Craft summons a crafting grid entity for recipes
- Build tells blocks to settle into place as normal blocks
- Group and Highlight help manage multiple herds at once
Crafting requires positioning the special grid and physically punching the result to complete the process. Many familiar blocks gain new behaviors. Wool floats like balloons. Levers tumble around with clicking sounds. Trap variants made from iron or copper bars add security options. Strongholds now contain living end portal frames.
Community response and gameplay impact
The update has sparked creative survival challenges and silly experiments across YouTube and Reddit. Some players are building massive moving bases while others focus on efficient herding techniques for combat and construction. The new advancement tab called HerdCraft offers themed goals that parody classic ones.
Creative mode remains mostly unchanged but Survival players must adapt their entire approach to resource management and building. The snapshot stays true to Mojang April Fools tradition by being fully playable and packed with small details like humorous splash texts and clever references.
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