India, Sept. 11 -- Minecraft is approaching an important release window. Minecraft 26.3 has reached its first Java Edition release candidate, while Minecraft Dungeons II is preparing rewards that can follow some players into Java and Bedrock Edition.

The two updates tackle different jobs. One is about making core systems behave properly before launch. The other shows how Microsoft accounts are becoming a stronger link between separate Minecraft games.

Minecraft 26.3 Release Candidate 1 is a near-final build of the Wilderness Bound game drop. Mojang says this version could become the full release if testing does not uncover any critical problems. Only four fixes are listed, but several touch important game rules.

Two address blocking. I...