Minecraft Visual Overhaul Rolls Out for Compatible Devices

Minecraft's appeal was never solely about its graphics. With its vast, open sandbox and limitless creative possibilities, Mojang's iconic pixelated art style was always secondary to the core gameplay experience.

Today marks a significant shift with the long-anticipated launch of the Vibrant Visuals update for the PC version of Minecraft, as well as a variety of compatible consoles and smartphones. It's important to note that this enhancement won't be available on all platforms, and the classic Minecraft: Java Edition will also not receive it.

For players enjoying the primary Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, or select Android and iOS devices, Vibrant Visuals is now live as a key component of the broader Chase the Skies update.

The Chase the Skies update introduces rideable Happy Ghasts to the overworld, offering a friendlier alternative to their hostile Nether counterparts that hurl fireballs. New features also include the ability to tether camels together into resource-hauling caravans and a Player Locator HUD for quicker tracking of friends in your world.

Players on older hardware, such as the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or previous-generation Android phones, will need to manually enable the Vibrant Visuals setting within the game's video options. Mojang has cautioned that enabling this feature may impact performance on these devices.

To experience Vibrant Visuals on PC or a smartphone, your device must meet the following specifications:

• Android: Adreno 640, Mali-G68, Mali-G77, or Xclipse 530 GPU or higher

• iOS: A12 Bionic chip, M1 chip, or newer

• PC: Minecraft must be running using DirectX 12

It's also worth noting that Vibrant Visuals does not currently support splitscreen multiplayer, custom Worlds, or Texture Packs.

Notably absent from today's launch announcement is any mention of Nintendo's platforms—both the current Switch and the rumored Switch 2. This leaves compatibility for Nintendo console players uncertain.

On a positive note for Xbox players, Minecraft is now officially listed as optimized for Xbox Series X/S, a designation that arrives several years into the current console generation's lifecycle.

The Vibrant Visuals update fulfills a long-standing commitment from Microsoft to deliver a substantial graphical overhaul for Minecraft. This promise dates back to 2017 with the announcement of the since-canceled Super Duper Graphics Pack, initially planned for Xbox One and the then-codenamed "Project Scorpio" (Xbox One X). This new update finally delivers on a similar vision.