Minecraft Beta & Preview 26.40.31: Arrows of Harming Fixed, Crashes Squashed
What Changed
Mojang released Minecraft Beta & Preview 26.40.31 on 14 July 2026, targeting both the Preview channel (Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, iOS) and the Android Beta channel. It is a work-in-progress build, meaning it can be rough around the edges before it graduates to a full release. Here is a quick tour of everything that shifted:
- Arrows of Harming no longer bounce. Previously, these arrows could ricochet off a mob, stay alive indefinitely, and keep dealing damage, effectively acting as an "infinite kill" projectile. They now vanish on impact, exactly as intended.
- Multiple crashes fixed. Several gameplay-disrupting crashes have been resolved, making the preview build notably more stable for everyday play sessions.
- Vibrant Visuals device-tier bug fixed. Some devices were being placed in the wrong graphics tier, which silently blocked players from switching on Vibrant Visuals even though their hardware could handle it.
- Smarter Marketplace skin cleanup. Skin and Character Creator packs that are downloaded while browsing the Marketplace are now automatically pruned using a least-recently-used policy, so your device's storage stays tidy and load times improve over time.
- Dedicated-server connection timeout corrected. A networking quirk in the WinHTTP layer meant that when a server's DNS record listed multiple IP addresses and a firewall silently dropped probe packets, the client could wait far longer than the intended 3-second timeout, multiplying the wait by the number of addresses in the record. The fix enforces a firm 3-second cap regardless of circumstances.
Why It Matters
The Arrows of Harming change is the headline story, and Mojang was unusually candid about their reasoning. The bouncing behaviour was never a designed mechanic, it was a side-effect of a deeper bug in how the projectile component processed its sub-components. Fixing the root issue removed the bouncing as a natural consequence. From a game-design standpoint, a single arrow that could kill unlimited mobs without ever despawning created unintended economic shortcuts in mob farms. Mojang acknowledged this will affect existing farms but felt long-term correctness outweighed short-term convenience.
The networking fix, while less flashy, matters to anyone running or connecting to a dedicated server behind a multi-address DNS record, a common setup for larger community servers.
Java and Bedrock
This is a Bedrock-only beta release. Java Edition is on its own separate snapshot track and received none of these specific changes in this build. If you play exclusively on Java, keep an eye on the snapshot channel for equivalent updates there. Bedrock players on Android can opt into the beta via Google Play; Preview players on Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, and iOS get the same content through the Preview app.
For Server Owners
If you run a Bedrock dedicated server or a crossplay server using Geyser, two points are worth noting:
- Audit any Arrow-of-Harming mob farms. Farms that relied on the bouncing arrow mechanic to clear mobs will stop working correctly once this fix reaches the stable release. Now is a good time to redesign those farms before the change lands on your live server.
- Check your DNS configuration. If your dedicated server hostname resolves to multiple IP addresses and you have a firewall that drops rather than rejects connection probes, your players may have been experiencing slow or failed connections. This timeout fix should resolve that automatically on the client side once they update.
For Parents
No changes here affect safety, privacy, or content ratings. The most visible improvement for your child is better game stability, fewer unexpected crashes mid-session, and device storage tidying so that browsing the Marketplace for new skins does not silently eat up gigabytes over time. If your child has been frustrated that Vibrant Visuals would not turn on despite having a capable device, this update may finally unlock that setting for them.
Remember that Beta and Preview builds are not the polished final version. If your child prefers a smooth, stable experience, it is perfectly fine to stay on the regular release channel until these fixes make it into a full update.
For Players
Here is the quick version of what this update means for you:
- 🏹 Arrow of Harming farms need a redesign. If you built a mob farm that used bouncing Harming arrows to rack up kills, it will no longer work that way. Time to get creative with a new design!
- 💥 Fewer crashes. The game should feel more stable during long play sessions in preview.
- ✨ Vibrant Visuals might now work for you if it was previously greyed out for no obvious reason.
- 📦 Your device will stay cleaner. Old Marketplace skin packs you downloaded while browsing will be automatically removed in the background, no manual cleanup needed.
Do SNT Kingdoms Need an Update?
Short answer: no action required, and SNT kingdoms are not affected by this beta.
SNT Gaming kingdoms run Paper 1.21.11 backends with a Velocity proxy, and clients connect through ViaVersion/ViaBackwards/ViaRewind supporting profiles from 1.13 all the way up to 1.21.11. Mojang's new year-based versioning (26.x) is not yet supported by PaperMC, Velocity, or the Via suite, so Minecraft 26.x clients, including this Preview build, cannot connect to your kingdom at this time.
The Arrow of Harming fix and the networking timeout correction are Bedrock-side changes that live in the client and Bedrock dedicated server software, neither of which SNT kingdoms use directly. Geyser bridges our Paper backends to Bedrock players, but only on supported stable Bedrock versions. As always, SNT monitors the upstream ecosystem closely and will communicate clearly when 26.x support becomes available across the stack. Until then, your kingdom keeps running smoothly, no patches, no disruptions, no surprises.