Minecraft: Java Edition · Game update

Minecraft 1.21.6: Chase the Skies

Chase the Skies added the happy ghast, a rideable flying mob that carries up to four players, grown from a dried ghast block into a ghastling. It also added the locator bar to the HUD, the /dialog and /waypoint commands and craftable saddles.

Released
Server needs
Java 21
Protocol
771
Start a 1.21.6 serverStart a free server

Seven days free, no card. Pick 1.21.6 when you create the server, or switch an existing one from the panel.

What is new in Minecraft 1.21.6

The additions people noticed first, then everything else by area.

  • Happy ghast is a rideable flying mob for up to four players
  • Dried ghast block hydrates in water to spawn ghastlings
  • Locator bar shows other players' directions on the HUD
  • 16 colored harnesses for riding a happy ghast
  • New /dialog and /waypoint commands
  • Saddles are now craftable from leather and an iron ingot

Blocks and items

  • Dried ghast block hydrates in water
  • Harnesses added in 16 colors for happy ghasts
  • Tears music disc by Amos Roddy added
  • Saddles craftable from leather and an iron ingot

Mobs

  • Happy ghasts are rideable and can carry four players at once
  • Ghastlings grow into happy ghasts in about 20 minutes
  • Shears now remove saddles, armor and harnesses from mobs
  • Leads can attach one mob to another mob

World and biomes

  • Five new background music tracks added for various biomes
  • Environmental fog effects added

Gameplay

  • Locator bar on the HUD shows where other players are

Commands and technical

  • New /dialog and /waypoint commands
  • Waypoint transmit and receive range attributes added
  • Dialog system allows custom screens
  • Block model rotations no longer limited to 22.5 degree steps

Running a Minecraft 1.21.6 server

What the release means for whoever runs the server.

  • Requires Java SE 21
  • Network protocol 771
  • Data pack format 80
  • Resource pack format 63

Before you update a world: take a backup. A world opened in 1.21.6 cannot be opened in an older version again. How backups work here.

1.21.6 on FadeHost

The right Java, set for you
A 1.21.6 server needs Java 21, and the panel starts it with a Java that fits. Nothing to install, nothing to pick.
Server software for 1.21.6
PaperPurpurVanillaFabricForgeNeoForge
Who can join
Players on 1.21.6. Other versions need plugins such as ViaVersion on a Paper server.
Start a 1.21.6 server

Patches after 1.21.6

The fix releases that followed, oldest first.

Minecraft 1.21.7

· Java 21

1.21.7 was a hotfix that cleared 16 issues, most of them graphics and memory problems including a severe leak that caused out of memory crashes. It also added the Lava Chicken music disc and the Dennis painting.

What 1.21.7 changed

Minecraft 1.21.8

· Java 21

1.21.8 was a hotfix for graphical and stability problems on specific hardware, mostly Intel integrated graphics. It fixed eight issues and stayed compatible with 1.21.7 servers.

What 1.21.8 changed

Questions about 1.21.6

When was Minecraft 1.21.6 released?

Minecraft: Java Edition 1.21.6, Chase the Skies, was released on June 17, 2025.

What Java version does a Minecraft 1.21.6 server need?

Java 21. On FadeHost the server starts with the right Java for its Minecraft version on its own, so there is nothing to install or switch.

What did Minecraft 1.21.6 add?

Chase the Skies added the happy ghast, a rideable flying mob that carries up to four players, grown from a dried ghast block into a ghastling. It also added the locator bar to the HUD, the /dialog and /waypoint commands and craftable saddles.

Can players on another version join a 1.21.6 server?

Only players on 1.21.6 itself: its network protocol (771) is its own. A Paper server can let other versions in with plugins such as ViaVersion and ViaBackwards.

Can I update my world to Minecraft 1.21.6?

Yes. Take a backup, switch the server to 1.21.6 and start it: the world is converted on the first boot. A world opened in 1.21.6 cannot be opened in an older version again, so keep the backup until you are sure.

How do I start a Minecraft 1.21.6 server?

Create a server on FadeHost and pick 1.21.6 in the software list: Paper, Purpur, Vanilla, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge are there for this version. It is online in about a minute. The free tier runs a 2 GB server at no cost, and a paid server is sized to the RAM you need.

The release before

Minecraft 1.21.5 Spring to Life

March 25, 2025

The release after

Minecraft 1.21.7

June 30, 2025

Read on

Change a server's version

Version, software and loader build are one setting in the panel.

Java version errors

What the wrong Java looks like in the console, and why it does not happen here.

RAM calculator

How much memory a server needs, sized from servers measured on our nodes.

Every Minecraft version

All releases, what each one added and the Java it needs.

Release facts from the Minecraft Wiki:Java Edition 1.21.6. Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang; FadeHost is not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.