Minecraft's new tick command stops time in-game

Minecraft's 1.21 update will be released at some point in 2024, and fans have been quite excited with the steady churn of betas. The latest Java snapshots and Bedrock previews have introduced a new command known as /tick that has the ability to further manipulate the in-game ticking system, which is essentially how the title keeps track of time and activity.

At its core, ticks dictate the core gameplay loop of Minecraft. Every in-game action involved with progressing the title's simulation is tied to it, including the changing of block positions/states and movement or actions performed by entities like mobs.

By using the "/tick freeze" command, players can effectively freeze time in place, which has resulted in some pretty interesting applications already.

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Examining the /tick command in Minecraft's latest betas

Now you can Time Stop in Minecraft 1.20.3 with the /tick command ! byu/SnifferHexapod66 inMinecraft

Manipulation of game ticks is certainly nothing new in Minecraft. Players have been able to manipulate their other parameters for quite some time. This includes increasing/reducing tick speed or setting specific areas where game ticks are modified compared to others.

Fans of the Carpet Mod are also familiar with many facets of what Minecraft's new /tick command can accomplish. There are several different command syntaxes for /tick, so it's worth knowing just how they work and how they can be used in-game.

The /tick command's different modes are as follows:

• /tick Freeze - Ceases the simulation of all elements within the world, including blocks and entities, except for the player and any entities ridden by players.
• /tick Query - Displays information about the current in-game tick rate.
• /tick Rate - Allows players to change the current tick rate with a numerical value in ticks per second.
• /tick Sprint - Runs the game world at the highest possible tick speed for a specified amount of time. Think of it as a fast-forward option.
• /tick Step - Progresses game ticks by a numerical value, works great in freeze mode to take a look at how ticks operate step by step.
• /tick Unfreeze - Returns the game world to ordinary simulation, undoing the effects of /tick freeze.

Freezing Minecraft ticks can prevent things like TNT explosions (Image via SlicedLime/YouTube)

Since /tick is a new command, it should become quite useful in future data packs (though players will need to enable Admin Level 4 permissions to ensure it works) and in command blocks. Some players have already speculated that they could effectively use a command block capable of manipulating time on their worlds and servers.

It should be noted that while the /tick command can freeze, unfreeze, and progress ticks at player specifications, there's no way to reverse ticks. Commands like /tick sprint can fast-forward game action, but the ability to rewind the same actions is not yet possible. However, Mojang may continue to develop this command in preparation for upcoming game updates.

Minecraft fans have a positive reception to the new /tick command (Image via Reddit)

Now that the /tick command has arrived, it'll be interesting to see how Minecraft players use it. It should be incredibly helpful for redstone engineers who are troubleshooting their devices, as they can effectively slow down or completely stop their machines in order to find problematic components.