Minecraft's Biggest Updates of 2025: Mounts of Mayhem and The Copper Age Transform the Game

2025 has been a landmark year for Minecraft, delivering four major game drops that have fundamentally transformed how we play, build, and explore. From the revolutionary Mounts of Mayhem update introducing underwater mounts and jousting combat, to The Copper Age bringing long-awaited copper golems, Mojang has redefined what’s possible in the world’s most popular sandbox game.

Sizing Summary: What’s New in Minecraft 2025

• Mounts of Mayhem (December 2025): Rideable Nautilus, tameable Zombie Horses, and the new Spear weapon for mounted combat
• The Copper Age (Released September): Copper Golems that sort chests, copper armor sets, and expanded copper utility
• Next-Gen Graphics: 3,000+ PBR textures with ray tracing support, especially optimized for Xbox Series X
• Quality Updates: Four seasonal drops instead of one massive annual update, keeping content fresh year-round

Major New Features in 2025

Mounts of Mayhem: Underwater Adventures and Medieval Combat

The upcoming Mounts of Mayhem update, releasing December 2025, introduces Minecraft’s first underwater mount and revolutionizes combat with medieval-style jousting.

The Nautilus: Your New Underwater Companion

The Nautilus represents the most significant ocean update since the Aquatic Update in 2018. These intelligent cephalopods spawn naturally in all ocean biomes and can be tamed using pufferfish or buckets of pufferfish.

Key Nautilus Features:

• Breath of the Nautilus effect: Prevents drowning while mounted
• Dash ability: Similar to camels, activated with the jump button
• Armor compatibility: Equippable with Copper, Iron, Gold, Diamond, and Netherite armor
• Breeding system: Create baby Nautiluses and grow your underwater fleet

The Zombie Nautilus adds an undead twist, spawning with Drowned riders wielding tridents, creating formidable underwater adversaries.

Zombie Horses Enter Survival Mode

For the first time ever, Zombie Horses spawn naturally in survival mode, appearing in plains and savanna biomes during darkness. These undead mounts burn in sunlight like other undead mobs but can be protected with horse armor.

Zombie Horse Mechanics:

• Natural spawning: Appear with zombie riders carrying iron spears
• Tameable: Use the same mechanics as regular horses
• Healing item: Red mushrooms instead of golden apples
• Stats: 25 health points with variable speed and jump strength
• Armor protection: Horse armor prevents sunlight damage

The Spear: Medieval Combat Perfected

The new Spear weapon transforms mounted combat with its piercing attack mechanism. When riding any mount, lower your spear to automatically damage enemies in your path—perfect for jousting tournaments and PvP battles.

Spear Variants Available:

• Stone Spears (Ocean Ruins)
• Copper & Iron Spears (Village Weaponsmith chests)
• Diamond Spears (Bastion Remnants & End Cities)
• Golden Spears (loved by Piglins)

The Copper Age: Utility Meets Automation

Released in September 2025, The Copper Age update finally gave copper the utility players have demanded since its introduction in the Caves & Cliffs update.

Copper Golems: Your Personal Item Sorters

The Copper Golem, winner of the 2021 Mob Vote that was initially outvoted, has finally arrived. These adorable utility mobs revolutionize storage management by automatically sorting items between chests.

Crafting Recipe:

Carved Pumpkin
Copper Block

Place the carved pumpkin on top of a copper block to spawn both a Copper Golem and a Copper Chest underneath. The golem will organize items in nearby chests, creating neat stacks automatically.

Oxidation Mechanics:

• Copper Golems oxidize over time through four stages
• Fully oxidized golems become statues in random poses
• Each pose emits different redstone signal strengths
• Perfect for complex redstone contraptions

Expanded Copper Arsenal

The update introduces a complete copper tier of equipment:

• Copper Armor: Protective gear with unique oxidation aesthetics
• Copper Tools: Functional tools that change color over time
• Copper Chests: Enhanced storage solutions
• Decorative Elements: Shelves, new dyes, and building blocks

Update Timeline: 2025’s Four-Drop Strategy

Next-Generation Graphics Revolution

Beyond gameplay features, 2025 brought massive visual improvements to Minecraft’s rendering engine.

PBR Materials and Ray Tracing

Xbox Series X Optimization: The next-gen renderer launched June 17, 2025, with default activation on Xbox Series X, delivering unprecedented visual fidelity while maintaining Minecraft’s iconic aesthetic.

Community Impact and Reception

The shift to quarterly game drops instead of massive annual updates has been overwhelmingly positive. Players appreciate the steady stream of content, and server operators benefit from more manageable update cycles.

Community Highlights:

• Redstone Innovation: Copper Golems have spawned countless automation designs
• PvP Evolution: Spear combat has revitalized medieval-themed servers
• Building Renaissance: Copper blocks’ oxidation mechanics enable time-based architectural designs
• Ocean Exploration: Nautilus mounts have made underwater bases more practical than ever

What’s Next: Looking Beyond 2025

While Mojang hasn’t officially announced 2026 plans, data miners and community speculation point to potential End Dimension updates and expanded Village & Pillager mechanics. The success of 2025’s update strategy suggests we’ll continue seeing quarterly drops rather than massive annual overhauls.

Upcoming Events:

• Minecraft Live 2026: Expected March, likely announcing the next major theme
• Snapshot Testing: Mounts of Mayhem snapshots available now for Java players
• Bedrock Beta: Mobile and console players can test features early

Conclusion: Minecraft’s Golden Age Continues

2025 has proven that Minecraft’s best days are far from over. The strategic shift to smaller, more frequent updates has delivered more content than any previous year while maintaining the game’s core identity.

From the depths of the ocean with Nautilus companions to the heights of mounted combat with zombie horses and spears, Minecraft continues to surprise players after more than a decade. The Copper Age has finally given purpose to one of the game’s most abundant resources, while Mounts of Mayhem promises to revolutionize both exploration and combat.

As we await December’s Mounts of Mayhem release, one thing is clear: Minecraft’s evolution shows no signs of slowing down. Whether you’re a veteran builder, redstone engineer, or adventure seeker, 2025’s updates offer something transformative for every playstyle.

Ready to dive into these updates? The Copper Age is available now across all platforms, while Mounts of Mayhem snapshots are live for Java Edition players eager to test the new features early.