Minecraft just dropped a huge early August 2026 update and it is full of improvements, bug fixes, and a new experimental features for players to test out.Minecraft Bedrock Edition 26.40 Patch NotesScreenshot: MOJANGXbox has specifically called out Minecraft as one of the game’s that is getting a lot of attention in the new era of the company. Asha Sharma hopes to leverage Minecraft and make it “the world’s creator platform” to help Xbox reach its lofty engaged daily users goals.Although we haven’t seen any significant changes or updates to Minecraft that seem to connect to that goal just yet, the game is continuing to evolve and update at its usual cadence. The latest big update just arrived with the drop of Minecraft Bedrock Edition 26.40.“It’s time for another Minecraft: Bedrock Edition update! This release brings a wide range of bug fixes, gameplay improvements, accessibility updates, and technical enhancements for creators. From boats requiring fewer hits to break, to minecarts back in order, there’s plenty packed into this release. If you’re keen to see what’s coming next, you’ll also find experimental features to try out, including the dappled forest, abandoned camps, cushions, and more. Let’s dive in.”Here’s a full breakdown of the biggest changes that users will notice after installing the update:Drop 3 Experimental FeaturesAbandoned CampThe Abandoned Camp structure is a new kind of structure which can be found in the following biomes:MeadowCherry GroveForestBirch ForestOld Growth Birch ForestFlower ForestWindswept ForestDappled ForestTaigaSnowy TaigaOld Growth Spruce TaigaOld Growth Pine TaigaSparse JungleBamboo JungleSwampSavannaWooded BadlandsPale GardenEach of these biomes has its own variant of the structure with design based on that biomeCertain structure pieces are generic for all biome variants of the structureVarious Chests and Barrels with loot can be found at Abandoned CampsAbandoned camp now generates in Pale Garden and Flower Forest biomes (MCPE-240024) (MCPE-240045)Straw Beds can now be found in Abandoned CampsUpdated Abandoned Camps to place procedural treesFixed wrong potion names in the loot tables for the Abandoned CampDappled ForestThe Dappled Forest is a new type of forest biome which can be found near cold biomesPoplar Trees and fallen Poplar Trees generate hereShelf Mushrooms can be found here, placed on Poplar Trees and fallen Poplar TreesRed Shrubs generate hereThe following passive and neutral mobs spawn in the Dappled Forest, using their cold variants where applicable:SheepChickenCowPigRabbitFoxA Dappled Forest variant of the new Abandoned Camp structure can be found hereChanged biome fog settings to match other forest biomesUpdated Orange, Red & Yellow Poplar Leaves MERS texturesGraphicalAdded opaque versions to the Poplar leaves to fix black background issue (MCPE-240020)Added hinges to Poplar door icon. Also removed 3 pixels from top door texture that didn’t match the paletteFixed Poplar sign texture to follow other sign assetsPoplar TreesAdded the Poplar Tree to the gameA new type of tree in the Dappled Forest which comes in three color variations:Red Poplar LeavesOrange Poplar LeavesYellow Poplar LeavesEach variant of the tree has its own variant of falling leaf particles matching the color of the leavesPoplar Leaves drop Poplar Saplings which will randomly grow into any of the three different variantsPoplar Saplings can be found in trades with Wandering TraderShelf Mushrooms and Leaf Litter naturally generates on and around Poplar TreesThe trunk of the trees are made of Poplar LogsPoplar Logs can be crafted into a new set of Poplar wood blocksForest ambience sounds are tied to the Poplar Leaf blocksKnown issue: Some Vibrant Visuals settings are currently not being applied correctly to Poplar Leaf blocksRed ShrubRed Shrub is a new type of decorative plant block that can be found in small patches in the Dappled ForestCan be used in the ComposterUsing Bone Meal on a Red Shrub grows a Red Shrub in a random adjacent space if possibleShelf MushroomA new type of mushroom that generates on Poplar Trees and fallen Poplar TreesCan be found in two sizes, small and largeA small Shelf Mushroom can be grown into a large Shelf Mushroom using Bone MealA large Shelf Mushroom drops two Shelf Mushroom items when brokenCan be used like other mushrooms to make StewsCan be found in trades with Wandering TraderShelf Mushroom has a slight bounciness when stepped on, similar to BedsSoundsUpdated ambient sounds for Poplar leaf blocksAdded custom sound events for Red Shrubs and Poplar leaf blocksBlocksAdded Wool Stair blocks and Wool Slab blocks of the following colors:BlackBlueBrownCyanGrayGreenLight BlueLight GrayLimeMagentaOrangePinkPurpleRedWhiteYellowCushionThe Cushion is an item that the player can place in the world and interact with to sit onCan be crafted in 16 colored variantsCushions are crafted using 3 Wool Slabs of the same colorKnown Issue: Cushions aren’t currently generating in the Abandoned Camps, but can be found in the creative inventoryCushion Placement RulesA cushion can be placed on any flat surfaceCushions always align horizontally to the grid, but vertically sit on top of the supporting surfaceCushions cannot moveCushions break if the supporting block is removedCushions do not have collision and can overlap with other objects (except other cushions)Straw BedStraw Bed is a new type of bed which can be used to sleep through the night without setting your spawn pointIt can only be used once and will be destroyed after useIt can not be used in the Nether or The End and will be destroyed if you try to sleep on it thereIt is crafted using 3 Hay Bales and will give you 4 Straw BedsThat’s a ton to take in, but it should be everything players need to know about the new experimental features that are available to check out in the latest Bedrock Edition update.Be sure to check back soon for lots more Minecraft news and updates.Minecraft is available now on PC, consoles, and mobile devices.The post Minecraft Drops Huge Update With Tons of Experimental Features appeared first on VICE.