1.6

Minecraft 1.6, the Horse Update, added horses, donkeys, and mules for travel and shipped a redesigned launcher with the modern resource pack system. It was released on July 1, 2013 as one of the game's numbered feature updates.

At its heart, 1.6 is rideable mounts and a brand-new launcher. The standout addition is rideable horses, donkeys, and mules, with leads, name tags, and carpets. Incorporated mechanics inspired by the popular Mo' Creatures mod for horses.

This page breaks 1.6 down into 8 headline features, 3 notable gameplay or technical changes and 2 documented fixes, and a plain-language summary of why the update matters. Java Edition is the original PC version of Minecraft, available on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

The most talked-about part of the Horse Update update is rideable horses, donkeys, and mules, with leads, name tags, and carpets.

In full, 1.6 adds horses, Donkeys, and Mules, horse armor and saddle mechanics, leads (leashes) and Name Tags, carpets, Hardened Clay and Stained Clay, Resource Pack system (replacing texture packs), coal blocks, and Hay Bales. Together these are what make Horse Update worth updating to, and each appears in the Major Features list on this page.

Beyond new content, 1.6 reworks how parts of the game behave. The notable changes include New Minecraft launcher, health boost and absorption effects, and Removed Herobrine (changelog meme). Adjustments of this kind reshape day-to-day play for existing worlds as much as new ones.

On the bug-fixing side, 1.6 resolves fixed entity collision issues and fixed various rendering bugs. Several of these are performance-focused, so the update can feel smoother even where nothing visible changed.

To play Minecraft 1.6 on Java Edition, open the official Minecraft Launcher, select the Java Edition tab, and use the version dropdown beside the Play button to choose 1.6. As a full release it appears in the standard release list by default.

Before updating an existing world to 1.6, it is good practice to copy the save folder first. Worlds from 1.5 upgrade in place, but newly generated chunks will use 1.6's world generation while older chunks keep their original terrain.