Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Minecraft Experiments: How to Try Upcoming Features
Experiments let you try unfinished features in a world before they are fully released: data packs in Java Edition and Experimental Gameplay toggles in Bedrock. Turn them on when creating a world. They can crash or break worlds, so back up first; on Bedrock, an experimental world also loses achievements. Servers can enable them on Java through server.properties.
How do you turn experiments on?
- Java: on the Create World screen, open Experiments and tick the features you want.
- Bedrock: in the world settings, open Experiments and switch the toggles on; editing an existing world makes a copy first.
- Java servers: add the experiment's ID to initial-enabled-packs in server.properties before the world is created, for example vanilla,minecart_improvements; see server.properties.
Are experiments safe?
They are unfinished: they can change, crash or vanish in later updates and may break the world. The game warns you when loading an experimental world. Back up the world first. On Bedrock, turning an experiment on disables achievements for that world.
What do experiments contain?
Features from the next game drop before release (such as the fourth drop of 2026 with ice caves on Bedrock previews), gameplay changes being tested, and tools for add-on creators. When a drop is released, its experiment goes away and the features become normal. See game drops and Minecraft 26.4.
How are experiments different from snapshots?
Snapshots (Java) and Previews (Bedrock) are whole test versions of the game; experiments are switches inside a normal release. See snapshots and Preview.
Can you use experimental features on ArtemisPvP?
Frequently asked questions
Do experiments disable achievements?
On Bedrock, yes, for that world.
How do you add experiments to a server?
On Java, list them in initial-enabled-packs in server.properties before the world is created.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.