Minecraft Java Edition Ditches OpenGL and Gets Baby Mobs in 2026

February has been a packed month for Minecraft. On the 18th, Mojang Studios dropped a pretty significant announcement: Java Edition is moving away from OpenGL later this year. Not a small tweak. A full, gradual migration away from the graphics API that's underpinned the Java version for years.

The reason? Vibrant Visuals. Bedrock Edition players have had access to it for a while now, and Mojang wants Java players in on it too. Swapping out OpenGL is the route they're taking to make that happen.

Worth noting this won't happen overnight. Mojang described it as a gradual swap, so don't expect everything to change the moment a new update drops.

Baby Mobs Are Coming, and They're Faster Than You'd Think

Alongside the graphics news, Mojang has also been pulling back the curtain on the first major content updates of 2026. Baby versions of several mobs are on the way, and the lineup is a bit unexpected. We're talking Zombies, Piglins, Villagers, and Drowned.

They look adorable. They are not safe.

Mojang confirmed these smaller versions move faster than their adult counterparts, so if you're picturing a tiny zombie waddling harmlessly around your base, adjust your expectations now.

If you want to get hands-on with this early, a snapshot is already live. You pick it up through the Minecraft Preview button in the launcher, and it'll load the Java snapshot client where the baby mobs are available to test.

A busy stretch for a game that's been running for over 15 years. The OpenGL shift in particular is a meaningful technical change, and it'll be interesting to see how the modding community responds once more details surface about what's actually changing under the hood.