Minecraft confirms spectator mode seen in beta and preview to be released after 1.19 update

Mojang released several incredible features in the latest beta and preview for Minecraft. The recovery compass rightfully got a lot of the attention from fans. The new item will point players to the last place they died and give them even more reason to visit the Deep Dark biome.

As they do with every snapshot, beta, and preview, they also introduced several bug fixes for existing features. The Warden gets smoothed out as Mojang ramps up for the official release of the 1.19 update.

One feature that was added may have been confusing to some players. Spectator mode, which does exist in Java Edition, was mistakenly added to the beta, which may have been a confusing addition to many. Here's what Mojang had to say about it:

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Mojang confirms Minecraft spectator mode for release after 1.19 update

The Wild Update (Image via Mojang)

Initially, the inclusion of spectator mode in the beta version 1.19.0.24/25 was a mistake. This feature was not scheduled for the 1.19 update, so there was no reason to include it in beta for that update.

However, Mojang decided to leave it in the game and work on it for a future update. They confirmed that the inclusion of spectator mode was at least "early" but said they were planning to add it to the game eventually.

They also confirmed that it wouldn't be remotely ready for the Minecraft 1.19 update, which they also said in the initial patch notes for the beta:

"The first iteration will not be finished in time for 1.19, so we will be moving it to an Experimental Toggle in an upcoming beta. Until we have a more polished version for you, please consider that any content or maps built on this feature will not be supported as this feature will change and evolve."

The tweet also confirms that the mode will be present in future betas and previews. Mojang usually adds features for an update in several snapshots, betas, and previews ahead of the release.

This is so they can test the feature (like they did with the copper horn that will not be coming to vanilla Minecraft anymore) and work out bugs.

Ultimately, this also means that spectator mode will be in betas for a long time. It will remain in the 1.19 betas and will be featured in all betas for update 1.20. This will continue until it is officially released (no timetable yet).