Minecraft Preview 26.50.24 Adds Explorer Maps, Concrete Stairs and Slabs

Minecraft’s Latest Preview Makes Abandoned Camps More Useful and Gives Builders More Creative Freedom

Minecraft keeps finding new ways to make exploration and building feel fresh, and the latest Bedrock preview is a good example. Mojang has released Minecraft Preview 26.50.24, bringing the final features currently entering testing for the game's third drop of 2026.

This preview is especially interesting for two groups of players: explorers and builders. Abandoned Camps can now contain Explorer Maps that point toward other structures, while concrete can finally be crafted into stairs and slabs in all 16 colors.

The update also includes a long list of smaller fixes covering gameplay, mobs, graphics, Realms, performance, crafting and the user interface.

However, there is one important thing to remember: these features are still being tested, so some details may change before they reach the final Minecraft release.

What Is New in Minecraft Preview 26.50.24?

Minecraft Preview 26.50.24 is a Bedrock Edition testing release published by Mojang on August 5, 2026. The update focuses on the final features being tested for the third game drop of 2026.

The biggest additions are:

Explorer Maps inside Abandoned Camp chests
New destinations for Explorer Maps
Concrete stairs in all 16 colors
Concrete slabs in all 16 colors
Several Cushion improvements
Poplar Leaf changes
Gameplay fixes
Mob fixes
Graphics improvements
Realms fixes
Performance and stability improvements
User interface improvements

Mojang describes this release as part of the final testing phase for the third drop of 2026.

Abandoned Camps Can Now Contain Explorer Maps

One of the most useful changes in the preview is connected to Abandoned Camps.

These mysterious structures can appear in the Overworld and already provide players with a place to explore, loot and investigate. With Preview 26.50.24, their chests can now contain Explorer Maps.

These maps can lead players to different locations, including:

Ancient Cities
Mineshafts
Desert Pyramids
Warm Ocean Ruins
Other biome variants of Abandoned Camps

That makes Abandoned Camps much more valuable than simple points of interest.

Instead of finding a camp, collecting its loot and moving on, players now have another reason to search its chests carefully. A single map could send you on a completely different adventure across the Overworld.

Why Explorer Maps Matter

For survival players, this change could make exploration feel more rewarding.

Minecraft worlds are enormous, and finding specific structures can sometimes involve a lot of traveling. Explorer Maps give players another way to discover destinations naturally while playing.

It also fits the purpose of Abandoned Camps. These locations already encourage players to wonder who left them behind and what happened there. Maps add another layer to that mystery.

Concrete Stairs and Slabs Are Finally Here

Builders have another reason to be excited.

Minecraft Preview 26.50.24 adds Concrete Stairs and Concrete Slabs in all 16 colors.

This is a particularly useful addition because concrete is already popular among Minecraft builders. It offers strong colors and a clean appearance, but players previously had fewer shape options compared with some other building materials.

Now builders can create smoother structures using concrete stairs and slabs without having to rely on unrelated blocks for certain shapes.

The new pieces are available in all 16 concrete colors, giving builders a much wider range of options for colorful houses, modern buildings, roads, arenas and decorative structures.

How to Make Concrete Stairs and Slabs

The basic process starts with normal concrete.

Players can combine dye with sand and gravel to create the desired concrete powder color. After placing the powder in water, it becomes concrete.

The concrete blocks can then be crafted into the new stairs and slabs.

Players who prefer Creative Mode can also access the blocks directly through the Creative inventory.

Cushions Receive More Fixes

Cushions were introduced earlier as part of the same 2026 drop, and this preview continues improving them.

Several Cushion-related problems have been fixed.

For example, players should no longer be moved into the ground when a Cushion is destroyed because its supporting block was removed.

The update also changes how Cushions behave when the block underneath them is replaced with a liquid.

Other changes include:

Named Cushions no longer drop the default item when broken.
Name Tags now appear on Cushions.
Cushions can pop into item form when pushed by blocks.
Breaking particles and sounds now play correctly when the supporting block is destroyed.

These may sound like small changes, but they matter for players who use decorative features extensively in their builds.

Poplar and Straw Bed Improvements

The preview also contains a few changes involving other features introduced with the third 2026 drop.

Poplar Leaves can now be smelted into Leaf Litter.

The Creative inventory has also been reorganized so remaining Poplar items appear between Mangrove and Cherry items.

Straw Beds have received several fixes as well. The sleeping camera should no longer sit too high above the player, while the Straw Bed texture has been cleaned up to remove unwanted pixels.

A separate fix also addresses an overly shiny pixel appearing on the Straw Bed MERS texture.

Important Gameplay Fixes

Minecraft Preview 26.50.24 is not only about new blocks and exploration.

Mojang has also fixed several gameplay issues.

The growth speed of Sulfur Spikes and Pointed Dripstone has been restored after a recent change accidentally made them grow 25 times faster.

Map behavior has also been improved. The player map icon can now show rotation even when the player is outside the map's boundaries.

Explorer Maps also receive new item icons designed to make their destinations easier to identify.

Another important fix addresses an issue where players and mobs could load into a world at coordinates 0,0,0 and lose their items after reloading the world.

That is the kind of bug that can be much more frustrating than a simple visual glitch, especially in a survival world where players have spent hours collecting resources.

Graphics, Mobs and Performance Fixes

The preview also improves several technical areas.

Minecraft now handles in-game models and textures more correctly when the network connection changes while joining a world.

A problem involving item-in-hand jitter with temporal anti-aliasing upscaling enabled has also been fixed.

Mob movement has received attention too. Mojang fixed an issue where Spiders and Cave Spiders could sometimes be slowed by Web blocks. Another fix addresses situations where players and mobs could reload with inconsistent movement speeds.

Performance and stability improvements include:

Fixing an Android crash that could occur while retrieving network addresses
Fixing increased CPU usage after idling on certain screens
Fixing particles that could crash the game when used with commands
Improving other stability-related problems

These changes should make the testing version more reliable for players who want to experiment with the new features.

Realms and Interface Changes

Minecraft Realms has also received a couple of fixes.

Realm role actions should now display correctly for affected roles, while friend profiles receive a Realm-specific join button when a Realm is available.

The user interface has also been adjusted in several areas.

Chat Settings now has improved readability for the Chat Color and My Mentions Color dropdowns. Mojang also fixed a problem that prevented TNT and Stonecutters from being crafted using quick crafting through the Recipe Book.

Other UI improvements include better inventory item tooltips and wishlist-related changes.

How to Test Minecraft Preview 26.50.24

If you want to try these features before the final release, you need to use Minecraft's testing systems.

For Minecraft Java Edition, players can enable snapshots through the Minecraft Launcher.

For Minecraft Bedrock Edition, players can enable previews or betas through the appropriate testing options.

Mojang recommends that players provide feedback and report bugs because these features are still being developed. The company also warns that the details can change before the features reach their final versions.

Because preview versions can contain bugs, players should be careful when using important survival worlds for testing.

Will These Features Be in the Final Minecraft Update?

They are currently being tested, but that does not mean every detail is guaranteed to remain exactly the same.

Mojang specifically notes that the features and their descriptions are subject to change as development continues. Community feedback during the testing process can influence how these features are adjusted before release.

For now, the biggest additions to watch are the new Explorer Maps and the 16-color concrete stairs and slabs.

Both features have clear practical uses, which makes this preview more than a collection of small bug fixes.

Thoughts

Minecraft Preview 26.50.24 is shaping up to be a useful update for both explorers and builders.

The addition of Explorer Maps gives Abandoned Camps a stronger purpose, potentially sending players toward Ancient Cities, Mineshafts, Desert Pyramids, Warm Ocean Ruins and other locations. Meanwhile, concrete stairs and slabs give builders considerably more freedom when working with colorful structures.

The update also improves Cushions, Straw Beds and Poplar features while fixing problems across gameplay, mobs, graphics, Realms and performance.

Since everything is still in testing, players should expect some changes before the final release. But if Mojang keeps the current direction, the third Minecraft game drop of 2026 could give both survival players and builders plenty of new reasons to explore their worlds.

FAQ

1. What is Minecraft Preview 26.50.24?

It is a Bedrock Edition testing update released by Mojang for the third game drop of 2026, featuring new blocks, exploration tools, and multiple fixes.