The GOAT Update Celebrates a Minecraft Milestone!

To celebrate five years of Minecraft in classrooms, we bring you…the GOAT Update!

Wow, it’s been five whole years since we launched Minecraft: Education Edition!  Innovative educators had been using other versions of Minecraft in ingenious ways since the game was invented. We built Minecraft: Education Edition to help bring game-based learning and the limitless worlds of Minecraft into schools everywhere. Now we have millions of students using Minecraft to learn about everything from coding to chemistry, and even climate change.

Whether you were part of that momentous day when we brought a new version of Minecraft to schools worldwide, or you have joined our global community since November 2, 2016, thank you for crafting with us on this block-tastic journey. Here’s to another five years of playing and learning together!

WELCOME TO THE GOAT UPDATE

We are excited to celebrate our five-year anniversary by releasing the GOAT Update, which just might be the Greatest update Of All Time! This release introduces new in-game items, features, and tools and supports educators with larger multiplayer lessons and Teams integrations. Now learners can experience content from the last two major updates for Minecraft Bedrock Edition, Caves and Cliffs Part 1 and the Nether Update, and even more features to support classroom management, student self-expression, and meaningful learning across the curriculum.

NEW MOBS, BLOCKS, AND FEATURES FOR ALL USERS

Check out new mobs, such as mischievous, high-jumping goats who frequent the snowy mountain peaks. Approach with caution - those horns can be dangerous! Meanwhile, deep underground, you’ll discover the adorable axolotl that provides regeneration. Students will be able to experiment with copper they can use to craft lightning rods and learn about oxidation. More mobs and environments await your learners in the Nether including piglins, hoglins, and the rideable beast, the strider. This update will also introduce Netherite, which gives you the ability to craft new tools.

We’ve added features that make instruction and documentation easier than ever. First, multiplayer games are expanding to allow up to 40 players to join in simultaneously to support epic collaborative projects and teaching with a larger set of students.

You’ll find a new way to share in-game photos with a new button that makes the photo an item in your inventory. Hold the photo in your hand, display it in a frame, or pass to other players so they can add them to their own Book and Quill or Portfolio.

This update improves Structure Blocks. Now, you and your students will have the power to save and load structures within your Minecraft worlds to copy and paste or reuse structures in different locations. Just think of the possibilities for students who want to save time building massive cityscapes and neighborhoods!

And there’s more… The GOAT Update also presents a new set of Friend Skin options, adding new flair and a sense of inclusion to player characters in-world.

HOW TO GET THE UPDATE

Access these great new features on PC or tablet by following our step-by-step updating process across platforms, and details for how to empower more learning with your students in this detailed release article. If you’re new to Minecraft, welcome! Join one of our Educator Community Events, including Live Co-Taught Lessons, or embark on a few training opportunities here.

If you’re not yet using Minecraft: Education Edition in your learning community, get started here for families, educators, or homeschool organizations. Begin exploring exciting educator tools, learning experiences for students, and stories from around the world by joining our newsletter community.

Thanks for all of your support over the years, and we look forward to sharing more great learning with our Minecraft Education community for many more to come.