Minecraft 1.20.3 Release Candidate 1 patch notes: All you need to know 

Minecraft 1.20.3 is set for release soon, according to Mojang, but the developer has issued one final experimental update before it arrives. This comes in the form of Release Candidate 1, which makes one final bug fix. According to the studio's blog, this patch should be the last of its kind for the 1.20.3 update.

One caveat is that Mojang would only implement additional release candidates if major bugs or performance issues arose before Minecraft 1.20.3 debuted. With that in mind, it doesn't hurt to look at the final bug fix that the 1.20.3 update will receive before its unveiling in the first week of December 2023.

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The final patch note in Minecraft 1.20.3 Release Candidate 1

1.20.3's Release Candidate makes a small change to in-game explosion logic (Image via Mojang)

If Minecraft fans expect the first (and possibly last) Release Candidate for the 1.20.3 update to carry any surprises, they're likely to be a bit disappointed. This experimental snapshot only makes a single adjustment, and players likely won't notice it in any meaningful way about gameplay. Put plainly, other than a small tweak made to explosions on the technical front, there isn't much to see.

The lone patch note for 1.20.3 Release Candidate 1 is as follows, according to Mojang:

• A bug has been fixed that displayed a disparity between the read/write logic of the explosion packet.

That's all there is to it. Packets are handled by Minecraft's online server protocols, so players who aren't pretty deep in the weeds of their own server aren't likely to notice any changes at all. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Mojang seems to have addressed the majority of major bugs and gameplay issues at this point in the 1.20.3 update's development cycle.

As previously noted, Mojang did stipulate that if any major hang-ups arise before the 1.20.3 update's release next week, the studio would be compelled to release an additional release candidate. It's unclear if this would push back the 1.20.3 release date, but it likely wouldn't be a significant amount of time. For all intents and purposes, the next Minecraft update appears to be ready to go.

The main menu for Minecraft 1.20.3 Release Candidate 1 (Image via Mojang)

This isn't to say that every single bug and performance issue was addressed in the recent spate of Java Edition snapshots and pre-releases, as more are likely to crop up after the 1.20.3 update arrives. However, this can likely be easily handled by Mojang with follow-up patches and hotfixes when necessary, as the update seems to be in a good and stable state ahead of its release date.

Whatever the case, though 1.20.3 Release Candidate 1 won't thrill players with new content or changes, it can at least assure them that they won't run into too many issues when booting up the new update at the start of December 2023.