Minecraft gets new types of cows, a firefly bush and more ambient sounds

Following on from a previous testing snapshot update for Minecraft that added in new pigs, wildflowers and ambient features there's another snapshot available for testing with more new content. Head over to my guide for installing Minecraft on Steam Deck.

With this update two new cow variants are joining Minecraft with the snow biome fluffy cow, along with the auburn warm cow that can be found in sandy biomes.

Perhaps a bit more exciting is the new firefly bush. A new plant block that spawns dancing firefly particles that glow in the dark. You can also place this block below other blocks to give them a bit of a sparkle - sounds sweet. There's also a new bush block you can find across forests, birch forests, plains, windswept hills, and other green biomes.

Additionally they've further expanded the ambient sounds into the desert. This includes the chirping of crickets, rustling twigs, and howling winds. You can bring some of it with you by placing down the dead bush on two sand blocks outside, or by clustering several sand or terracotta blocks together.

All of the changes will be coming to first the upcoming stable 2025 update sometime hopefully soon but you can test them all in the snapshot right now in Minecraft Java.

More in the news post.