The first Minecraft 1.19 snapshot adds the Deep Dark biome and frogs

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Mojang has released the first snapshot of the Minecraft 1.19 update, which means players can finally get a proper look at what's happening out there in the big bad wild.

Minecraft Snapshot 22w11a, as it's officially known, adds the Deep Dark biome, a dark, dank place made extra-creepy by Sculk Shrieker blocks that screech and drop a darkness effect in the nearby area when a player ventures too close. The real problem, though, is that all the racket is liable to attract the attention of a dangerous Warden mob. That's not too much of a concern right now, luckily, because the Wardens aren't actually in the game yet, but they're coming so you might as well get used to the idea now.

The update also adds mangrove blocks, mud and mud brick blocks, a new option for 3D directional audio, and my favorite of the bunch, frogs and tadpoles.

I mean, seriously, just look at these guys.

Minecraft froggies — (Image credit: Microsoft)

The official rundown of Frogs in Minecraft is great too. I swear this could come directly from a musical bit on Sesame Street:

Frogs can jump
Frogs can swim
Frogs can walk on land
Frogs can croak
Frogs can eat small slimes, causing a slime ball to drop
Frogs can eat small Magma Cubes, causing a Froglight block to drop
Each Frog variant drops a specific Froglight Block
Three Froglight blocks are added, a lightsource block

Along with the new features, the Wild update also makes a number of technical changes, tweaks, and bug fixes. To install it, fire up the Minecraft Launcher, go to the Installations tab, and enable snapshots. Mojang warned that snapshots can corrupt your existing world, so you'll want to back them up and run the snapshots in a different folder. Full details on the update and how to set it up are available at minecraft.net.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.