Minecraft Bedrock Preview 1.21.80.25 lights up the game with richer visuals, introduces the cheerful Happy Ghast and its mischievous Ghastling companion, and tweaks gameplay in ways that refresh both adventure and creativity.
Beyond these new creatures and items, the update also features ‘Vibrant Visuals,’ a consequential graphical change in the game’s history. With that said, let us dive into the full Minecraft 1.21.80.25 preview update notes.
Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25 Brings Vibrant Visuals
Minecraft Bedrock Preview 1.21.80.25 introduces sharper graphics with improved lighting and textures that make blocks pop against the sky. Players now spot a Happy Ghast floating peacefully, its neutral expression a shift from the hostile original, alongside the tiny Ghastling that trails behind. These additions pair with fixes for crashes and performance, smoothing out sessions on mobile and console. Mojang continues pushing graphical fidelity while expanding the Nether’s inhabitants.
The Vibrant Visuals is a toggle option in the Experimental tab in the Create New World or Edit World screens. Once you have it enabled, Vibrant Visuals will be showing as an option in the in-game Video Settings Graphics Mode dropdown. You can select this option alongside the other existing rendering modes. As expected, Vibrant Visuals brings a next-gen-like experience to Minecraft.
You will have two presets from “Favor Visuals” and “Favor Performance“. To manually adjust the Vibrant Visuals in Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25, expand “Vibrant Visuals Options”.
Currently, Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25 works on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Android, iOS, and PC. Here is a list of specifications you will need to run the game on Android, iOS, and PC:
- Android: Adreno 640, Mali-G68, Mali-G77, or Xclipse 530 or higher
- iOS: A12 or M1 or higher
- PC: Running Minecraft on DX12
Moreover, the Split-Screen mode will not work with Vibrant Visuals. If multiple players are joined locally, the game will automatically switch to Fancy or Simple rendering. Although the marketplace Add-Ons, Skins, and Persona items will work with Vibrant Visuals, Worlds and Texture Packs are not compatible with the new mode at this time.
Ghasts Are Here in Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25
Ghasts finally make their appearance in the Minecraft Bedrock Preview 1.21.80.25, bringing with them their smaller companion, the Ghastling. Players can now encounter these floating creatures in updated biomes, complete with improved visuals and sound design that make their eerie presence stand out. The new animations and behaviors add more depth to Nether exploration, while the Ghast’s expressive face gives the world a touch of charm amid its danger.
Ghast Blocks
The update finally brings the cute flying blocks. The game has brought the Dried Ghast Block, found in Nether Fossils or crafted from bone blocks and ghast tears. When waterlogged, it progresses through three stages over 20 minutes, emitting sounds and particles, ultimately spawning a Ghastling. Mining or removing water resets its state.
Ghastlings
Ghastlings, young Happy Ghasts, spawn from fully waterlogged Dried Ghast Blocks and follow players or passive mobs within 16 blocks. If no target is present, they idle near their spawn point. They can be tempted and fed with snowballs, and mature into Happy Ghasts after 20 minutes (faster with snowballs).
Happy Ghasts
Happy Ghasts are flying mounts for up to four players, controlled by the first rider. They are equipped with a harness and tempted by snowballs (harness tempting requires no harness). They do not panic when damaged, regenerate health (faster in rain/snow or at cloud level), and have a known health issue (currently 40, should be 20).
When mounted, the Happy Ghast’s goggles lower and align with cardinal directions. Dismounting players causes it to descend before roaming. They idle within 64 blocks of their home, or 32 blocks when harnessed, and stay near blocks. They cannot enter boats. The update also includes an updated Ghast texture.
A Ghast Harness Item Is Also Here
The update adds a new Ghast Harness item, allowing players to ride and control Ghasts for the first time. This unique tool can be crafted using materials gathered from the Nether and offers a fresh way to explore or traverse dangerous areas. Using the harness, players can guide their Ghast companions through lava-filled caverns, making travel faster and more dramatic while adding a touch of fun chaos to the game.
The new harness item allows players to ride Happy Ghasts, accommodating up to four riders simultaneously. Crafted from three leather, two glass blocks, and a wool block, the harness inherits the wool’s color and can be re-dyed. It exclusively works on Happy Ghasts and can be removed with shears, but only when the Ghast is unmounted.
Minecraft Preview 1.21.80.25 Other Changes
This update includes a range of smaller adjustments that refine gameplay balance and fix several bugs. Players can expect smoother performance, improved creature animations, and minor texture updates across different biomes. Mojang has also improved audio cues for certain mobs, adjusted block behaviors, and fine-tuned lighting transitions to make building and exploration feel more natural. These refinements help polish the overall experience and support the larger changes introduced in this preview.
Besides the highlight changes above, the Minecraft Preview brings a lot of other changes. These are:
- Cameras:
- The smoothing transition between moving targets is improved when the “Experimental Creator Camera Features” toggle is enabled.
- Experiments:
- Introduced the “Custom Components V2” experimental feature.
- Graphical:
- Implemented a new lighting model for clouds within the “Deferred Technical Preview,” with non-configurable lighting parameters.
- Extended the cloud rendering distance in the “Deferred Technical Preview.”
Added pixelated reflections to the “Deferred Technical Preview,” causing reflections to align with texture texel grids.
- Character Creator:
- Resolved an issue where custom skins displayed an incorrectly sized player model (MCPE-189739).
- Blocks:
- Standardized the random offset range and values for flowers to match Java Edition.
- Aligned the random offset range and values for Bamboo, Hanging Roots, Mangrove Propagule, and Nether Sprouts with Java Edition.
- Standardized the random offset range and values for Coral Fans and Coral Plants with Java Edition.
- Aligned the random offset range and values for double tall plants (e.g., sunflowers) with Java Edition.
- Standardized the random offset range and values for Pointed Dripstone, Tall Grass, and Dry Grass with Java Edition.
- Editor:
- Enabled saving structure field edits directly from within the structure panel.
- Gameplay:
- Corrected a bug allowing players to sprint faster than swim in water.
- General:
- Enabled the “Filter Profanity” toggle on PlayStation platforms.
- Mobs:
- Fixed an issue where farmer villagers would occasionally become stuck while harvesting crops (MCPE-166344).
- Music:
- Resolved a bug preventing credits music from playing when accessed via the settings menu during a paused game (MCPE-190625).
- Recipes:
- Corrected a bug where players could craft unknown recipes despite the “dolimitedcrafting” gamerule being active (MCPE-186699).
How do I enable Vibrant Visuals in Bedrock 1.21.80.25
To enable Vibrant Visuals in Minecraft Bedrock Preview 1.21.80.25, first activate the experiment in world creation or editing, then select it in video settings.
World Experiment Toggle
Create a new world or edit an existing one, navigate to the Experiments tab, and enable the “Vibrant Visuals” toggle-confirm any warnings about experimental features. This unlocks the option across supported platforms like PC, Android, iOS, Xbox, and PlayStation.
In-Game Activation
Load the world, open Settings from the main menu, go to Video, and change Graphics Mode from Fancy or Fast to “Vibrant Visuals.” Choose presets like “Favor Visuals” or “Favor Performance,” adjust render distance if needed, and enable extras like Fancy Bubbles or Render Clouds for optimal effects.
Requirements and Notes
Your device must meet hardware specs (e.g., Adreno 640+ on Android, A12+ on iOS), and split-screen multiplayer is disabled. If the option is grayed out, verify the preview version, update your app, or restart Minecraft.
Which platforms support Vibrant Visuals in 1.21.80.25
Vibrant Visuals in Minecraft Bedrock Preview 1.21.80.25 supports Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Android, and iOS platforms with specific hardware requirements.
Supported Platforms
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC (DirectX 12), Android (Adreno 640+, Mali-G68+, Mali-G77+, or Xclipse 530+), and iOS (A12 Bionic or M1+). Nintendo Switch, ChromeOS, and Amazon Fire devices lack support.
Hardware Details
Android needs high-end GPUs for smooth performance; iOS requires iPhone XR or later, or compatible iPads; PC demands Intel graphics driver 31.0.101.3430+. Mojang plans future optimizations for broader compatibility.
