Minecraft Live 2022 Predictions – What Could Be Announced for the Minecraft 1.20 Update?

With Minecraft Live 2022 just around the corner, I thought it would be really cool to put together some predictions on what could be announced this year. I could be correct, I could be wrong, or I could be very wrong — but please keep in mind that this is purely a prediction post based on my own thoughts and observations. If you would prefer to watch the video version, you can check it out here.

Why Predicting Minecraft Live Is So Difficult

With every Minecraft Live, it is pretty hard to predict what is going to be added because everything is kept fairly secret and the announcements are usually quite random. We saw this with both the Wild Update and the Caves and Cliffs update — nobody really knew what was coming until it was announced. Personally, I really love that element of surprise, and it makes Minecraft Live such an exciting event every single year.

Looking Back at Past Minecraft Live Trends

To put together my predictions, I went back and looked through all of the past Minecraft Live events from 2018, 2019, and 2020 to find some similarities and trends between them. In 2018, the Taiga biome won the vote, introducing campfires, foxes, and berry bushes along with a whole bunch of other features. During that same event, the savannah and desert biomes were also mentioned, but since they were not voted for, they were essentially set aside.

Moving into 2019, the badlands were introduced as a potential update option. For those who may not be familiar, the badlands is a desert-like area that feels like a strange mix of a desert and a savannah — it is full of clay and has quite a unique look to it. It is also an incredibly rare biome to actually spawn in, which made me wonder why there would be such a focus on it. However, thinking about it more, I believe the badlands being introduced as an option in 2019 was actually Mojang’s way of giving players a second chance to vote for a desert-style update, just presented in a different and more exciting way.

Also in 2019, the mountains and swamps were introduced as options. The swamps at the time featured frogs and other exciting additions, but ultimately everyone voted for the mountains, which led to the Caves and Cliffs update the following year. The swamps, unfortunately, did not win that round.

In the 2021 Minecraft Live, the Wild Update was introduced, and it actually brought back many of the features that had been mentioned back in 2019 — including the swamp biomes with frogs, boat chests, and mangrove trees. Even though the swamp did not win the original vote, Mojang went ahead and added it into another update and honestly made it so much better for it. I personally love the frogs and the allays — they are just so cool.

My Main Prediction: A Desert and Savannah Update

With all of that history in mind, I have a strong feeling that Minecraft Live 2022 will focus on updating the desert and savannah biomes. The desert biomes have been mentioned several times across the past few years — in both 2018 and 2019 — and even though players did not vote for them, Mojang has clearly shown a persistent interest in improving them. Rather than just dropping the idea entirely, they repackaged it as the badlands to make it sound more appealing, which tells me they genuinely see value in developing these biomes further.

Another big reason I believe this is the archaeology system. During the Caves and Cliffs update development, Mojang actually wanted to introduce an archaeology mechanic where players could explore special archaeology zones, dust off artefacts, find treasures, and craft custom pots and decorations. However, it was postponed because it would have been too much to include at the time — and with everything that was happening in the world during that period, delays were completely understandable. To me, the savannah feels like the perfect environment to introduce archaeology. It just has that ancient, adventurous feel to it, and pairing the archaeology system with a savannah update would make for an incredibly exciting new addition to the game.

New Fighting Mechanics — Could They Finally Arrive?

New fighting mechanics were also mentioned a while back, with Jeb experimenting with a separate version of the game that explored a range of different combat changes. I am not entirely sure whether that work is still ongoing or whether it has been shelved, but I do see real potential in it. From what was shared, it included things like eating faster, a wobble effect when using a bow, and adjusted weapon cooldowns. I am genuinely looking forward to seeing if this ever becomes an official part of the game — it would add a really interesting new layer to Minecraft’s combat system.

The Mob Vote and Biome Vote

Of course, with every Minecraft Live there is usually either a biome vote, a mob vote, or both, and that has been a tradition for a long time now. It is very hard to predict what the options will be since they are kept as a surprise every year. Usually, a few weeks before the event, Mojang releases some small teasers to give players a heads up on what they will be voting for, but beyond that, it is all kept under wraps until the big day.

Final Thoughts

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my predictions for Minecraft Live 2022. This is one of my first posts where I have put together a full set of suggestions for what Minecraft could look like in the future, and I hope it was an enjoyable read. Just to reiterate — none of this is guaranteed, and these are simply my personal thoughts on what could potentially be added to the game. I cannot wait to see what Mojang actually has in store, and I will see you in the next one!