StickyPiston Minecraft Releases of June 2025

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Ooohhhh we’re halfway there~ Whooaaa! Riding on the Ghast! StickyPiston Hosting here to deliver the news and chase the future skies.

StickyPiston is on the never ending drive to bring the players what they want in Minecraft! We’re here to show our pride in June 2025. What do we got on the radar for releases this month? New Minecraft Maps, tons of new Minecraft Modpacks, the potential release of the Chase The Skies update, and an update to our Mapmaker’s Contact.

Okay okay. We should get right into what is going on for June 2025!


Minecraft Snapshots & Chase The Skies Update

Just as a reminder, we have gotten the name of the new Chase The Skies drop coming right in! Every Tuesday we keep getting the new Minecraft Snapshots & it’s no longer on the Wednesdays. Here’s the ones that come out this month:

June 2nd, 2025 – Minecraft 1.21.6 Pre-Release 2

  • Name changes to some sound settings
  • Different Input Control Types for Dialogs
  • Fixes to the minecraft:text input field

Read the full 1.21.6 Pre-Release 2 Changelog

June 4th, 2025 – Minecraft 1.21.6 Pre-Release 3

  • A new sound category for UI Elements
  • Modifications to triggers and playsounds
  • Fixes to the Happy Ghast’s Entity Shadow

Read the full 1.21.6 Pre-Release 3 Changelog


Many New Minecraft Maps

As always, we continue to bring you the latest and greatest maps from fellow mapmakers. Learn how to use wind charges and the new mace inside of Mace UP! Engage with many new creatures inside of STATICAPHOBIA, trying to strap yourself in for whatever cash you can collect. Maybe even take your friends with tackling raids in Chronicles of Light: Submerged Singularity.

And in come Desolate Desert, Quillmark’s newest Survival Games map! Old Pharoahs alongside their followers used to worship an ancient god here, one who went by the name of Arshae’a. Explore this long forgotten land while trying to defeat the other contestants. Be the best in looting all that’s inside and tackling foes.


Updating our way to Contact Mapmakers

Mapmaker integrity and respect is extremely important to all of us. Whether we’re seeing people just starting their journey into developing maps or if we got many experts in the field who have made tons of maps. Every single map is important to us here at StickyPiston and we want to make sure everyone is having the respect they deserve.

We used to just contact mapmakers, ask them if we’re allowed to have their maps, then upload them onto the trials. Things are different now though! In order to keep their map’s integrity intact and its progress respected, we’ll making sure mapmakers are involved in the process all the way through!

In return, all we ask is simply that the word about us is spread around. That’s it! We don’t ask for much else. Submit your map here!


Tons of New Minecraft Modpacks

Feeling scared? Want to try frightening yourself for some Spooky Summer Scares? Well get prepared to jump into A Shattered Prophecy, a new ARG Modpack ready for you to unravel. Let’s not forget there’s Hope and despair hiding about, ready to stop you in your tracks. Of course, modpacks aren’t just about horror these days.

Sky to Void combines the classic idea of a Skyblock into a multiform adventure map. Not only will you be discovering many of NPCs to interact with, but you’ll discover how to harness a large amount of materials to upgrade the base tools you obtain.


Looking Into July 2025

The summer has arrived and would you look at that? It’s the sixth month of the year! Looking back it seems like Chase The Skies has arrived and given us more to look forward to.

StickyPiston is always looking for fresh talent and to sharpen up what we got. Not only do we try to keep a look out for the latest and greatest of New Minecraft Maps, but we’re going to make sure we keep the Minecraft Snapshots rolling as they’re coming and to continue providing many New Minecraft Modpacks!

Want to hear a fun fact? We’re closer to 2050 now than we are to the start of the century, the year 2000! It just means we’re going to get cool new tech, many advances, and so so much more.

Stay Crafty

John Glacious

Minecraft Maps Drops – Across The Time

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Who knew the start of being a delivery boy would lead to an epic adventure? Best avoid those monsters and get into that portal leading to a new age! Deliver unto them justice!

That is the start to the Epic RPG PVE map known as Across The Time. All hope is dying thanks to the beginning of the Apocalypse. As the last representative(s) of the human race, you must use the power of Dahal to gather the 9 powerful gems back.

The journey is wrought with obstacles, hard puzzles, a gargantuan amount of monsters, and much more. It’s best to learn how to use the Dahal through the spell books and grab personalized equipment. Good luck and save this world!

Highlights

  • Custom made spells for older Minecraft
  • A large variety of dungeons awaiting you
  • Tons of handwritten lore and stories
  • Various upgrades to unlock
  • Over 20 hours of gameplay

Given this is a type CTM Map, everything talked about will be based on each of the sections involved and what the thoughts are on them in full. This will lead to a final score given for the map and full thoughts and what I wish to see improved going into the sequel map.

This review was from John Glacious playing the map live on StickyPiston.TV.

If you wish to catch me live playing Minecraft Maps, tune into 📺StickyPiston.TV on Sundays @ 6 PM CST / 7 PM EST & 12 AM BST (following day). You can catch the playthrough of Across The Time on YouTube. StickyPiston has provided a playback that is forever saved here:


Introduction

The tutorial is honestly not too bad! It gives you a pretty easy run down of how the map works and how you’ll be fighting everything. I decided to try out normal mode in my playthrough simply because I figured it wouldn’t be that tough.. right?

After the tutorial, we got into the introduction of the city which is where we learn how we’re just a menial delivery boy/girl. Well after some time, a zombie apocalypse happens (joy..) and we gotta escape the city! With the help of a disembodied voice, we make our way into a portal of the past and head on our way to meet the king.

The city of Earndhel

It’s an interesting segment and a good segway into how this map goes “Across The Time”. After meeting the king, we get the choice of going to one of two different dungeons. Like an idiot I am though, I ended up going for the Desert of Kakkara…


Dungeon 2 – Desert of Kakkara

But before that we got to help this drunken man Emerald out. We help him out in trying to get his bottle of schnapps and he ends up giving us..a decent axe to use against mobs. It’s not terrible, better than our base sword, but outside of that it’s really nothing special. And as you’ll soon learn, durability becomes a big problem.

After raiding his house, we go straight into Kakkara and are bombarded with many skeletons. If I was smart I would’ve ended up avoiding this area first and would’ve went straight for Firone Forest. But nope, I continued onward.

The Kakkara Dungeon

I helped out some villagers from this desert village. They looked like Pigmen funny enough.. well who cares? We don’t judge folks from the way they look. After enough conversation, we learn about where the main dungeon is located and start making our way through.

The mobs were tough, but not unfair, and the challenges provided weren’t too bad. But then we get into the boss and I think you’ll soon see a pattern with all bosses going forward. It had a lot of health, a unique gimmick, and the only way you normally fight is just.. whacking it with your weapon. Whoo…


Dungeon 1 – Firone Forest

So after getting the Gem for Desert of Kakkara, we do a couple extra side objectives then make our way back to the actual first dungeon of the map – Firone Forest. Most of the hostile mobs are either Spiders, weak Zombies, or wolves we can easily one shot. Okay, now THIS feels like where I should’ve fought first.

Temple Silvestre

We keep going through the thick forest, getting lost a few times, and after some time, get our way to grabbing the proper first gem. Yeah, we just take it. There was a silverfish we had to fought, but the only issue with it is that the boss had a lot of health. Outside of that? No challenge at all.


Dungeon 3 – Village d’Otauria & Sanctuary of Tamdor

I think the neighboring town alongside this dungeon is when I started to see proper cracks forming underneath this map. Mobs started to become more of an annoyance than a unique threat to encounter alongside a lot of quirks that made 1.8 and older charming start to go away. Combine that with a lack of gain in money for valuable items is… really starting to take its toll.

The Sanctuary of Tamdor

Slowly making my way through the water based dungeon, I got annoyed to the point where I started cheating which the game slowly hinders you on if you do that. So you gotta be creative if you want.. or find the command block that’s preventing you from changing gamemodes. I just took the easy way out of ending myself to mobs.

The bosses here also immediately start to be annoying. Not only is it not obvious who the boss exactly is… but it’s also apparent that it was stupidly difficult. Combine that with the dungeon itself being kinda confusing and not easy to tell where to go? Yeah this dungeon wasn’t fun to get through.


Dungeon 4 – The Catacombs of Earndhel

Hoo boy. Yeah I’m sorry I’m just gonna be repeating a lot of things. Another witch boss that’s annoying? Check. Another large set of mobs that are annoying? Um, check please. The only thing that I found fun to mess around in this dungeon was the puzzles. The puzzles were quite fun to get used to and to learn over all.

The Forgotten Catacombs of Earndhel

It also doesn’t help that I actually didn’t remember what this place was until looking back at my VODs. Seriously, it was super forgettable in the grand scheme of things.


Dungeon 5 – Angband

Okay so I had initially ran into a Nether disabling part for this. IMMEDIATELY got it fixed on my end so my bad.

After this though.. yeah this area wasn’t as bad as the last two to this. Initially encountered a bug where the main gate wasn’t opening properly, but that’s besides the point. The main fights I had weren’t as bad. Enemies felt many, sure, but unlike before these ones were Zombie Pigmen who you had to decide whether or not you wish to fight or wish to avoid fighting. Not to mention the boss involved was.. okay the boss kinda sucked, I’m not gonna lie.

Entrance of Angband

It’s just a Wither Skeleton with stupidly powerful minions. You kill him to beat it. But the lead up to it was pretty neat! Fighting a mini boss then having to mess with the source of corruption itself.. that is what leads to the plot of Across The Time 2, but that’ll be saved to another blog.

Not to mention the builds here were honestly fantastic! Whimsical, fun, and overall just a joy for the eyes.


Dungeon 6 – Dungeon of the Past

And now we get back into the annoyances. Outside of the crypt that I didn’t end up partaking until Dungeon 8’s time, most of what’s here consisted of the following:

  • Annoying mini-bosses
  • Tons of mobs that just respawn and tank hits
  • Lots of armor breaking
The stairs to the Dungeon of the Past

The only upside to this area really was the fact I enjoyed the boss fight in this.. that is until there wasn’t much explaining how to get to the top of his head. This was when I started looking at walkthroughs to get across.


Dungeon 7 – Echor & Dungeon 8 – Ouranos

I’m lumping Echor & Ouranos together for this one. Let me sum it up for you in how these dungeons both ended up playing out.

  • Long confusing corridors with puzzles that are difficult
  • Many mobs required for progression that are super high in health
  • Tons of annoying pitfalls one could easily slip through and die without problem
  • Stupidly annoying bosses that will require a few attempts
A picture from Echor
The Final Pillar of Ouranos

I was starting to basically reach my breaking point with this map and I think I officially broke it upon coming into the next dungeon…


Dungeon 9 – Desolation

Okay this dungeon takes the cake in pure annoyance. Not only are you stuck behind a lot of puzzles that make no sense AND are basically impossible to read as an English viewer, BUT you also are able to get stuck in a multitude of places, causing you to kill yourself over and over again.

Couple that with annoying enemies and more dialogue than I can recall being shown in the map at any point, I was just beyond done with playing it. I trucked on because not many people would do it, but I went out of my way to cheat through the dungeon.

A picture of Desolation

AT THE VERY LEAST I will give it credit for having a chase sequence with the boss before fighting him. Well.. before you have to go through 7 annoyingly long puzzles to then fight him.

That my friends is what we call too much padding.


Final Dungeon – The Present

And here we are at the Final Dungeon.. which is the present in where this map takes place. I won’t lie, this combines the WORST aspects of all the map together.

Puzzles that are annoying and require you to go through multiple times in frustration? That’s there.
Swarming amount of mobs that not only don’t go down easy, but also take a while to cut through without the right weapons? Mhmm, that’s here as well.
A plethora of annoying sequences and corridors the players are going to have to chuck themselves through to reach the end? Don’tcha know it!

A large building involving a place of horrible experiments in The Present

And to put the cherry on top, annoying mini-bosses and mob waves that basically KILL any amount of fun you might have had. The boss is no better at this too, being what is essentially a worse version of the “Dungeon of the Past” boss while having some more unique and fun (in the moment) attack patterns.


Overall Thoughts

I’m not going to sugarcoat everything – I got real tired of this map real quickly. It started out as a really nice visit back to Minecraft during its early days and I enjoyed a lot of what was around to begin with! But as we kept going on, mobs kept being harder to beat, kept being too plentiful to deal with, kept being annoying, and then there started being too many winding segments.

Everything just got tiring, unfun, and boring. Not to mention all of the reading involved without any supplementary context with not everything being translated just felt… exhaustive. Was it still a good map by the end of the day? Of course! It was still enjoyable and I was able to push myself to the end of it. But this is not something I’d really recommend to other people as a starting point and I’d recommend they find a way to play it with friends.

Overall, I think this map is a 5/10. It needs more work for an English speaker and difficulty for “Normal” needs toning down.

Things I’m hoping to see improved when I go back to play Across the Time 2 – Time for Regrets:

  • Improved Class System – More of a reason to pick certain classes then just extra perks at the start
  • Improved Translations – I want to see everything translated that needs translation
  • Better Level Design – Make it at least make sense as to where I need to go next
  • Less “Dragging” Sections – Make it long, but don’t make it feel like it’s a drag to get through
  • Better Side Quests – Make me want to try out the side quests involved
  • Improved Difficulty – Don’t just spam a bunch of mobs at me. Make them fun to fight or interact against
  • Easier Readability – Make it easier to read lengths of dialogue. Bite sized chunks, easy to follow eyes on, the works!

I do hope that when I revisit Across the Time 2, I’ll be pleasantly surprised with it being improved instead of disappointed on retreads.

StickyPiston Minecraft Releases of May 2025

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

May we have some of your time? StickyPiston Hosting is here to give players a new batch of releases for players to enjoy!

Continuing to talk about all the new additions, we’re here to splash inside of May 2025. We’re going to be talking about a variety of things around from the latest Minecraft Snapshots to the many Minecraft Maps that are right around the corner.

Righty-o. It is time to leap into May 2025:


Minecraft Snapshots

John: Every Wednesday we have been getting-
Happy: Er.. hey John? They’re not on Wednesday anymore.
John: What? What do you mean?
Happy: They’re on Tuesdays now! Take a look at the last few snapshot pushes.
John: …Oh! So they are! Thanks Happy.

So every Tuesday we’ve been getting new Minecraft Snapshots. But what are we supposed to call this new change? It’s no longer a “It’s Wednesday, my dudes.” Hm… how about “Time for a Tuesday Tally.” Nah that doesn’t sound right. A-ha! “Tuesday has come my Testificates.” Fits Minecraft perfectly!

Oops right. The snapshots! Here’s the ones that came out this month..

May 6th, 2025 – 25w19a

  • New ways for Projectiles to Target Entities
  • Fog now having a new atmospheric perspective
  • Test Framework no longer restarts upon server restart

Read the full 25w19a Changelog

May 13th, 2025 – 25w20a

  • New crafting recipe for the Saddles
  • A new music disc dropped from Ghasts
  • More music tracks for various biomes

Read the full 25w20a Changelog

May 20th, 2025 – 25w21a

  • New cloud patterns in the sky
  • Horse Mobs can be fed carrots for improvement
  • Lead Snapping makes a new sound

Read the full 25w21a Changelog

May 28th, 2025 – 1.21.6 Pre-Release 1

  • New vibration frequencies for various actions and blocks
  • Ambient Dried Ghast volumes can be adjusted under Blocks
  • Cannot fly through another Happy Ghast Rider

Read the full 1.21.6 Pre-Release 1 Changelog


New Minecraft Maps

As always, Minecraft Maps have been coming around on a near constant. Just in the beginning of the month we’ve had over 12 new maps! We got multiplayer hits such as Platform of Chaos or LeagueCraft. But you wanna know a real good hit that players should be checking out?

Gluttony, a sin to describe one’s insatiable hunger. You, being a hungry sinner, are the most gluttonous of the folks. The only way to satiate this appetite is by becoming the monument. That’s right – you gotta eat the wool!


Minigame Mash

Oh come on! Don’t think we’re going to go a blog post without speaking about Minigame Mash! Weekly, event, happening on our Discord, you know the drill. Just be sure to show up on all the Fridays that it comes around.

Submit your Minecraft Map to the StickyPiston Trials to make it a featured map here! If you’re just a player though, join on minigamemash.com through the Java version 1.21.1 or 1.21.4.

Minigame Mash this Friday on May 16th, 2025

May is around and we “may” see some interesting games. As usual, we feature 3 various Minecraft Minigame Maps. All of the games are on trials that way you can get some practice in.

This week we’re going to play:
☁️Custom Skywars
🔰Mobfall Arena
🥊Jakob’s KitPvP

Minigame Mash will start @ 2 PM EDT / 6 PM UTC / 8 PM CEST / 5 AM AEDT and last for 2 hours.
Everyone is invited so come along!

We also talk in the voice chat on our Discord, so join and be family friendly!


New Minecraft Modpacks

Hoo boy hoo boy. There’s a TON of new Modpacks that have just come out to StickyPiston in May. You can enjoy the latest of the Farming Crossing series in the Farming Crossing 5 modpack here or relax inside of the Best Vanilla World that anyone has ever seen.

And we got some big news for Modpacks! All The Mods is not getting just one, just two.. but THREE new installments! While we’re unsure when they’re coming, we got All The Mods 10 Lite which will allow lower end players to enjoy the experience, All The Mods 10 To The Sky to break the trilogy into a series, and what most folks are probably waiting for.. All The Mods 11! Get excited everyone, this modpack series is here to stay for the future of Minecraft.


Looking Into June

Summer time is almost here and you know what that means? No I don’t mean the nice sunny beaches or the hot heat for those here. We’re talking about the potential of the new Minecraft Drop releasing!

What StickyPiston is looking for is people to continue dropping awesome Minecraft Maps, the potential of new features from Minecraft Snapshots, the reveal of the next Minecraft Drop, and just maybe some more Minecraft Modpacks.

To think we’re almost halfway through the year of 2025. Keep watch and see us soar to new heights and provide the best quality possible to all players!

Stay Crafty 👋

John Glacious

Minecraft 1.21.5 Update | Spring to Life Drop

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Welcome to the first Minecraft Game Drop for 2025 – Spring to Life! 🌼

For the longest time, players were wondering what this update was going to be! There was many ideas people were thinking from an Overworld overhaul to a potential change to how Mobs work.

Luckily nothing that extreme happened, phew! Instead we got warm and cold variants to the most common of passive mobs, new foliage blocks added to biomes, alongside a few other key ambience features.

Main Highlights to 1.21.5

  • A few new flowers and flora from Leaf Litters to Bushes
  • Warm & Cold variations to the Cows, Pigs, and Chickens
  • Different Wolf Sounds to give them new personality
  • A visual overhaul to the Spawn Eggs you know and love

Mobs Changing based on Biome

A new predicate has been added to Minecraft! They’re now known as Temperate, Warm, or Cold. These changes the biomes to give a unique feel to each. It has some simple changes from how often each sheep wool appears from each place.. BUT it also changes certain mobs! There’s new cows, pigs, AND chickens to be discovered. It’s perfect for explorers and farmers.

A More Natural World

Minecraft is entirely meant to be a natural game. It’s filled to the brim with many wonderful biomes that ooze charm and enjoyment. With the introduction of Firefly Bushes, Wildflowers, Bushes, Dry Grass, Cactus Flowers, and many more; ambience has been given a whole new upgrade! Decorate your base, improve your terrains, and feel the greatness that has been brought in. Not to mention, we got Bedrock’s fallen trees.

The Spawn Eggs spawned a New Look

You know something that needed a new look? Spawn Eggs! There was so much confusion when trying to figure them out! Either you were about to spawn a Polar Bear.. or you could’ve spawned a Ghast! Luckily now they got a cool visual overhaul. It’s so much easier to distinguish if I’m about to put down a Villager or Evoker. Thanks Mojang for these changes!

It’s great to be the Village Hero

Another wonderful change is the adjustments to Cartographers and Wandering Traders. These villagers were once seen as just okay. The Wandering Traders being useful for Superflat Survivalists and Cartographers not offering as many maps as before. The new changes to them though? They brought in new ways to farm emeralds while also collecting a whole slue of exploration maps!

A Ghastly New Drop

The first Minecon Live of 2025 has came by!

From the Happy Ghast to help travel the skies to locating players easier, the Summer Drop promises things such as..

  • Dried Ghast – A dehydrated ghast needing assistance
  • Ghastling – A rejuvenated Dried Ghast that follows you
  • Happy Ghast – The friendly ghastling that has grown up
  • Ghast Harness – A saddle to put onto the Happy Ghast, holding up to 4 players
  • Player Locator Bar – A whole new UI feature that allows you to see other players
Dried Ghast
Ghastling
Happy Ghast
Harness
Locator Bar

Want to experience this update in full?

Order yourself a Spring to Life Minecraft Server and experience the fun that the 1.21.5 update gives!

StickyPiston Minecraft Releases of April 2025

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Hey it’s time to retire StickyPiston Hosting. We’re now just Piston Hosting…

…April Fool’s! We’re actually here to let you know about all the newest additions coming to StickyPiston in April 2025. We’re talking about the new Minecraft Drop that came out! Not to mention there’s the Minecraft Maps to discuss about alongside new Minecraft Modpacks.

Okay fools. Let’s take a step into April 2025:


Spring to Life | Minecraft 1.21.5

We’re ready to Spring to Life! Minecraft’s Spring Drop has came by under the guise of Minecraft 1.21.5. It is time to to explore and see what the first Minecraft Drop of 2025 has to offer for us.

First things first – the changes to all the mobs! Let’s see what we got..

  • Temperate, Warm, and Cold variants of the Chickens, Cows, and Pigs
  • Many new barking dogs to listen to
  • Different wools for different biomes

Then there was also many new moderate changes from blocks and various other ambiences.

  • The New Firefly Bush is quite fly
  • The leaves fall and litter the ground
  • Tons of creative and custom Spawn Eggs

Want to learn more about what was introduced? Read our Article Blog on the Spring to Life Update.

Overall? It is a well-liked and adjusted update and amazing. People have sprung at the seams to get themselves ordering a StickyPiston Server and playing around with the additions on here.


Minecraft Snapshots

If you thought Mojang was done with Minecraft Snapshots, think again! They have started releasing more snapshots this month. What are they? Well…

April 8th, 2025 – 25w15a

  • New Features, including the Happy Ghast
  • The introduction of the Locator Bar to Java
  • Tons of new Attributes and Parameters

Read the full 25w15a Changelog

April 15th, 2025 – 25w16a

  • Changes to leash mechanics
  • Fireworks can only boost with Elytras
  • Clouds now go all the way to the horizon

Read the full 25w16a Changelog

April 22nd, 2025 – 25w17a

  • Ability to reduce Cloud range
  • The new Locator Bar
  • Waypoints inside of the Locator Bar

Read the full 25w17a Changelog

April 29th, 2025 – 25w18a

  • Splash Potions are now based on distance
  • Lead Recipe changes
  • Piglins now give Dried Ghast Blocks

Read the full 25w18a Changelog


New Minecraft Modpacks

As always, we will see releases of various Minecraft Modpacks. Throughout the month we’ve seen things such as All The Mods – Arcana and through its magic comes the Cobblemon Realms. But none of them felt as wondrous as a Broken Script.

Head straight into a Lost World – The Broken Script to experience new horrors. This world corrupted by The Broken Script will destroy over time. Keeping yourself high in Sanity is required even if things like The Anomaly are ready to tear you apart from this reality.


New Minecraft Maps

Not only have Modpacks came, but tons of new Minecraft Maps have come just at the start of the month! We get to see the beautiful landscapes of Mosslorn alongside the cavernous wonders of the Cosmic Cove, but we also have gotten a revival of Call of Duty under No Escape.

Battle against hordes of zombies. Brandish a variety of weapons, equip many types of armor, and find possession into many unique abilities to take down the hordes.

Minecraft Map Updates

As said before, Minecraft Maps are a high priority. We keep the updates that mapmakers have pushed out to various websites. Things like Toy Tank Royale which has seen itself back onto Minecraft Realms or even the mysterious HauntPuzzled House are kept as up to date as possible.

But a surprise to see is Evergrowth coming to the latest version! This wonderful block pusher may seem like it’ll be simple at first, but the amount of puzzle mechanics alongside collectables hide themselves inside of here. It racks peoples brains and makes them go further into a fun thought provoking journey!


Minigame Mash

You know the drill by now! Minigame Mash happens on the weekly on the StickyPiston Discord. It always happens on Fridays and featuring many minigames.

Want to see your Minecraft map or Minigame featured in Minigame Mash? Submit your Minecraft Map to the StickyPiston Trials to see it featured here! If you’re just wanting to play passively on the server though, join on Java version 1.21.1 or 1.21.4 @ minigamemash.com.

Minigame Mash returns on May 2nd, 2025

Come back in May, Minigame Mash will be returning. We will feature 3 various Minecraft Minigame Maps. All of the games can be found on the trials if you wish to get some practice.

This week we’ll be playing the following maps:
💀Skull Mayhem
📘Rogues 2
🏁Border Line 2

Minigame Mash will start @ 2 PM EDT / 6 PM UTC / 8 PM CEST / 5 AM AEDT and last for 2 hours.
Everyone is invited so come along!

We also talk in the voice chat on our Discord during MGM, just be sure to keep it family friendly.


Looking Into May

It’s only a matter of time until Mojang drops their next update with the Happy Ghast alongside many other features! We May see them early, we May not.

What we’re looking forward to here at StickyPiston is more people dropping their Minecraft Maps, more things to come from Minecraft Modpacks, and maybe we’ll see some changes with our User Interface (UI)? Only way to find out is by keeping a watch at us!

Did we say that 2025 was a quarter of the way through? Well now it’s a third of the way through! Only a couple of months until that halfway mark.

Stay Crafty 👋

John Glacious

Play Minecraft April Fools Snapshots on a Free Server

Time and time again, Mojang has released these new snapshots just about every April 1st. We call them the “April Fools Snapshots”. I mean, what else would you call them? They’re jokes and fun updates that the developers make to give players more fun!

You can play all these updates on the StickyPiston Trials. There are instructions to add these updates on the trials themselves. Just click the button underneath each update to learn how to install the updates!

Let’s explore and find out what each of these goofs and gags have brought to Minecraft!


Java Edition 2.0 – April Fools 2013

Hoo boy, a lot has been added to this version of the game. Filled with many community members giving support, things like the Super Hostile mode alongside the Diamond Chicken have been added. Best play and experience it for yourself to see all that’s there.

Play Java Edition 2.0

Love and Hugs Update – 15w14a – April Fools 2015

Minecraft was intended to be played for those of all ages. So gone is the violence and gone is the problems that would expose a younger audience to many issues. Now players can experience and fun and joyous update that removes the dangers of harm.

Play Love and Hugs

Trendy Update – 1.RV-Pre1 – April Fools 2016

Gotta set up all the fashion trends right now! Going through The Monster Market, we’ll be slaying the best of all kinds of trends. New tools, the latest gear, heck even modern technology has been added!

Warning: These gadgets need to be charged to stay active. If they die, so do the player.

Play Trendy Update

Minecraft 3D – 3D Shareware v1.34 – April Fools 2019

Mojang has found one of their first boxed copies of the award-winning Minecraft 3D! This masterpiece was given Game of the Year and even an Oscar for the best supporting actress. The team decided to spruce up these old copies and make them better for all to enjoy again.

Play 3D Shareware

Ultimate Content Update – 20w14∞ – April Fools 2020

Welcome to the constant small steps to Infinity. Technology has been utilize to simulate the best content possible. Dive into headless dimensions ready to partake in all sorts of challenges from oceans of creepers to many error blocks. The fun is Infinite with Mojang Studios!

Play Ultimate Content Update

One Block at a Time – 22w13oneblockatatime – April Fools 2022

Time to save the world of Minecraft. One. Block. At. A. Time. The blockiest minds have come together to slow the game down considerably. No more inventory problems with the world being the inventory, constant carrying of one block, and much more!

Play One Block at a Time

Vote Update – 23w13a_or_b – April Fools 2023

Oh man.. what to vote for. Do I want a large head, or do I wish for bouncy grass? In this update, the awesome folks at Mojang have made it possible to vote for the next feature instantly! No worries on waiting for each update anymore. They fulfilled our promises just like we asked.

Play The Vote Update

Poisonous Potato Update – 24w14potato – April Fools 2024

Living life as a potato is tough. So tough it’s toxic, turning folks into Poisonous Potatoes. Luckily, the team has came up with a way to utilize these new fumes. The Poisonous Potato Dimension adds many useful items and gear that you won’t want to leave!

Play The Poisonous Potato Update

CraftMine – 25w14craftmine – April Fools 2025

Better prepare to head into the Mines! No, seriously, you’re going to be crafting up a lot of “Mines” within this update. First, pick the resources you want to put into a mine. Next, using the Mine Crafter, see how each of these mines unfold before your very eyes. It’s that easy!

Play CraftMine

Premium StickyPiston Customers can install them a different way. Instead of using the trials, they can use the Click and Play Installer inside of their server to grab these updates instantly! Want one of these servers yourself? Place an Order for an April Fools server here!

StickyPiston Minecraft Releases of March 2025

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Time to put a spring in your step and start moving forward! We move our clocks ahead an hour which means releases have to start coming earlier in the month.

StickyPiston is ready to bring out more Minecraft Map Drops alongside promotions to Minigame Mash! Of course we also have some Minecraft Map Updates to talk about while we continue to bring in new Minecraft Modpacks.

See what sprung forth inside of March 2025:


Minigame Mash

Just as a reminder that we host Minigame Mash on the weekly! These events happen on Fridays and feature an assortment of different minigames.

Excluding the weekly events, it also features many minigames to play! Want to join on the fun that’s in here? Head over to minigamemash.com on either Java version 1.21.4 or 1.21.1.

Minigame Mash this Friday on March 28th, 2025

Minigame Mash (MGM) is a weekly event that features 3 various Minecraft Minigame Maps. All of these games can be found on the trials and are linked below. Get some practice in before MGM starts!

This week we’ll be playing the following maps:
🐝Honey Missile Wars
🏀Warden Toss
🥳Minecraft Party 2

Minigame Mash will start @ 3 PM EDT / 7 PM GMT / 8 PM CET / 6 AM AEDT and last for 2 hours.
Everyone is invited so come along!

We also talk in the voice chat on our Discord during MGM, just be sure to keep it family friendly.


Minecraft Map Drops

Not every month will be having these Map Drops, but we still recommend giving them a look as soon as you’re able to! This review series features John Glacious playing through a variety of singleplayer maps for the StickyPiston Stream Team on Sundays.

The “second” map talked about is actually a series of them! The Kitatcho Laboratories. Test Subject 3, or John in this case, has to go through various grueling tasks and puzzles for Mr. Jake Kitatcho. What secrets are hidden inside of these labs? Will John be able to escape? Only way to find out is by either reading the blog post or watching the YouTube playlist.


Minecraft Modpacks

Speaking of the Stream Team, we still see the release of Minecraft Modpacks this month. Dragon Claw Persistent is one of said new modpacks to help keep the world vanilla, even with it filled with content. There’s also the third iteration of Techopolis that has arrived. But the most notable modpack this month has to be Create Astral‘s sequel.

Leap into Create: Ancestry for a grand old time! This modpack melds the mythical aspects of the various Origins and makes them work with Create. This helps mitigate their negatives and introduce some new fun to experience. Players of the Create Astral pack will enjoy this and those who aren’t familiar to the mods can feel something amazing.


Minecraft Map Updates

Outside of Modpacks, maps are also a priority for us too. Something StickyPiston tries to do for all the mapmakers who submit a map on the website is updating your map as fast as possible. Maps such as Randomania continue to be updated as much as they can come, fixing whatever bugs are around. And even the titular Wii Party in Minecraft is getting new minigames as it continues its development.

Then you have the developers behind Minecraft Party 2 constantly go at it for map updates! Not only does ClashAssassin & Loominardy host weekly testing sessions on the MCP2 Discord, but they practically update the map every week! Even if it’s some simple bug fixes or introducing new minigames, they make sure to keep it fresh and enjoyable for everyone.


Minecraft Snapshots

Not only are map developers constantly updating maps, but Mojang keep bringing in snapshots. These snapshots are constantly filled with content as you’d expect! Let’s look at what they bring in for the next update.

March 5th, 2025 – 25w10a

  • Sheep wool retexturing
  • Changes to block sounds when broken by pistons
  • An updated panorama

Read the full 25w10a Changelog

March 11th, 2025 – 1.21.5 Pre-Release 1

  • Old Spawn Eggs added to programmer art
  • Network Protocol changes
  • Fixed terrain generation using too much VRAM

Read the full 1.21.5 Pre-Release 1 Changelog

March 12th, 2025 – 1.21.5 Pre-Release 2

  • A fix to the main menu when using Mesa 25.0
  • Game Crash fixes
  • Data Pack version now 71 which was missed in Pre-Release 1

Read the full 1.21.5 Pre-Release 2 Changelog

March 18th, 2025 – 1.21.5 Pre-Release 3

  • Changes to Fireball modifications
  • A fix to the F3 debug crosshair
  • Experience Orbs no longer following players in Spectator Mode

Read the full 1.21.5 Pre-Release 3 Changelog

March 20th, 2025 – 1.21.5 Release Candidate 1

  • Made logical sense of a string
  • Fixed Magma Block lighting
  • Fixed Beacon shading for nearby blocks

Read the full 1.21.5 Release Candidate 1 Changelog

March 22nd, 2025 – MINECRAFT LIVE

Missed what happened on Minecraft Live? Go watch MarioHessel discussing it on StickyPiston.TV.

March 24th, 2025 – 1.21.5 Release Candidate 2

  • Fixed no blending of new chunks
  • Piston movement now applies block effects
  • Prepares for 1.21.5 Release

Read the full 1.21.5 Release Candidate 2 Changelog

March 25th, 2025 – 1.21.5 Release | Spring to Life

  • New Minecraft Drop bringing in farm animal variants
  • Changes to the spawn egg textures
  • Several features on Java originally Bedrock exclusive

Read the full 1.21.5 – Spring to Life Changelog


Looking Into April 2025

We hope these releases put a “Spring” into your step! It’s always a good thing to make sure we recap as to what happens each month.

As per usual, let’s take a look at to what April might bring in. There’s always going to be new Minecraft Maps and we’ll keep bringing in Minecraft Modpacks. Even the lesser known modpacks should be talked about because everyone deserves a chance in the spotlight.

With Minecraft Live having came this month, we also got to see the Spring to Life update for 1.21.5.

2025 is a quarter of the way through, but we still got a long way to go.

Stay Crafty 👋

John Glacious

Minecraft Map Drops – The Kitatcho Laboratories

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Welcome inside to the ever-infamous Kitatcho Laboratories! Being a test subject inside of this facility will lead you to going through many of the High-Tech Puzzle Chambers inside.

Specifically, you’re Test Subject #3, or TS-03. Throughout this series of maps you’ll be learning how slimes work, understand the basics of redstone, learn what different contraptions do, and learn what goes on beneath the surface. Just be careful as to not dive too deep or else cryo sleep will have to remain permanent.

Highlights

  • A fully voice acted storyline
  • 50+ Puzzle Chambers to solve
  • Variety of difficulty in the puzzles
  • New mechanics not seen in previous maps
  • Complementary key chains

Compared to most other maps, the story is separated into 3 different chapters. So for this review, you’ll be seeing a separation between each map to lead to a final, overall conclusion at the end.

This review was from John Glacious playing the map live on StickyPiston.TV.

If you wish to catch me live playing Minecraft Maps, tune into 📺StickyPiston.TV on Sundays @ 1 PM CST / 2 PM EDT / 6 PM GMT. You can catch the playthrough of The Kitatcho Laboratories on YouTube. StickyPiston has provided a playback that is forever saved here:


Chapter 1

Re-visiting this map was a fun time. The puzzles weren’t too complicated and some of the later ones had quite a few different ways to get to the same solution. It was very fun and listening to Jake Kitatcho (who I accidentally called John Kitatcho multiple times) give what could sound like a bit of encouragement.

I also love the Portal vibes this map gives off. Not just in the way you’re spoken to, but also with the secrets that are hidden from the overgrowth and what’s hiding behind each testing chamber. Good start to the series, 8/10.

Overview of The Kitatcho Laboratories’ walkways. Play it here.

Chapter 2

Now we start getting into parts of the series I haven’t played. Off the bat I already love the expansion of the puzzles given. Using moving platforms alongside introducing automation is a great way to make the previous mechanics get added onto. Gotta say I enjoyed one chamber requiring you to go back and use the levers of the past 2.

Instead of giving the vibes of Portal, it starts to separate itself and become something wholey unique. I didn’t get to see all of the secrets hidden around, but I would say it got me curious to come back and play the map again. Great followup to what was already a good map, 9/10.

A wide screenshot for some of Test Track 9’s chambers. Play Chapter 2 here.

Chapter 3

I honestly didn’t realize this came out almost 2 years ago. I thought this was released not long ago! Well playing it for the streams I got to speak real quick to Stockley himself. So might as well keep this fresh and say – wow! Not only do the puzzles require more brain power this time around, but they’re all still so innovative and fun!

This unique and fun puzzle map keeps you engaged throughout. And I can safely say it’s definitely worth the 7 to 9 hours of playing through. It just makes me wonder.. what will Chapter 4 be offering? Will we finally get to the surface? Is there something deeper that’s hiding?

This great map deserves my first 10/10 rating. I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

What is hiding in Chapter 3? Learn about it yourself by playing here.

Chapter 4

Near the end of Chapter 3 we learned about what really happened between Jake Kitatcho and his wife.. and to what happened with Catherine. What will happen now we must wonder?

Well while we don’t know all the facts, I can take an educated guess that Cindy Ombra will be forcing us to partake in some difficult puzzles. We’ll be trying to escape Ombra Enterprises and making our way out. Not 100% sure if this will be the case, but given the teaser trailer, we can only wait to find out.

If you want to play Chapter 4 before I have a chance to stream it, then be sure to follow Stockley.

The Kitatcho Laboratories symbol.

StickyPiston Minecraft Releases of February 2025

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The month of love has arrived. February comes to give you many different things to love, from both a community point and a hoster’s point of view. Let’s dive into what this month has offered.

StickyPiston is back again with a quite a few more things to see. Not only are we releasing Minecraft Map Drops during the month, but we’re back to promoting Minigame Mash for everyone to enjoy! Of course there’s still new Minecraft Maps and the large assortment of Minecraft Modpacks that release every month. All of this pairs well together like the Parrots and the Bats.

Time to show what we loved about February 2025:


Minecraft Map Drops

We’ve seen the release of a new Minecraft Review series – Minecraft Map Drops! Similarly named to the new Drop system that Mojang has release, these reviews are to talk about a variety of Minecraft Maps (mostly singleplayer) that anyone can see! This is made by none other than our resident writer and Sunday Stream Team member – John Glacious!

The first map to be talked about is Witchcraft & Wizardry! What mysteries was discovered about this map? What sort of wacky hijinks was brought into the school from this man? Only way to find out is by either reading the blog post or watching the YouTube Playlist.


Minigame Mash

Minigame Mash is back! Well, technically, it has never left. We’ve just decided to promote it more so that way more players can come to our weekly event on Fridays. Not to mention getting more people to passively join and play the games would make it more enjoyable for all. 👀

There’s many games to experience! Want to join in on this fun? Head over to minigamemash.com on Java version 1.21.4.

Updated Games

  • Gladiator Games
  • Sprint Racer
  • Dimension Dash
  • Glenwood Parkour
  • Good Phantom
  • Bleps
  • Duel: Insurgency

New Games

  • Snowy Skirmish 2: Avalanche
  • Advancement Hunters
  • Space Aces 3
  • Void Chains
  • Crafty Cannoneers
  • Temple Topper
  • Toxic Escape
  • Parkour Donut

Minigame Mash that happened on February 28th, 2025

Minigame Mash (MGM) is a weekly event that features 3 various Minecraft Minigame Maps. All of these games can be found on the trials and are linked below. Get some practice in before MGM starts!

During this week we played the following maps:
🎶Songs of Greavesoyl
🟥Randomania
🔰Void Chains

Minigame Mash will start @ 2 PM EST / 7 PM GMT / 8 PM CET / 6 AM AEDT and last for 2 hours.
Everyone is invited so come along!

We also talk in the voice chat on our Discord during MGM, just be sure to keep it family friendly.


New Minecraft Maps

We got many more maps to talk about though! Some singleplayer releases came out like Sandurs’ QuickMeal 01 being brought into the light or Apatche & Luiql’s newest map – Amulet: The Conquest (still in a demo so be gentle with them!). The highlight for this month is definitely ZeroniaServer’s The Purple.

This strange infestation has started taking over various people on these expeditions. The only way to be rid of this is.. by tagging other people! This take on tag has you exploring alien landscapes, collecting artifacts, and avoiding the infected players. And let’s say if you happen to lose. Well you can shake up the game with new spectator abilities. It’s almost as the fun never stops.


New Minecraft Modpacks

A lot of releases came for the Modpacks this month. Many new things to discover such as a reimagining of a zombie apocalypse from TeamLUP’s Apocalipsis Minecraft. There’s also a new edition of Minecraft on the block. The Legendary Edition from the Legendary Workshop brings itself forward to all to experience. It’s probably best to take a look at hosting your own Feed the Beast’s OceanBlock 2 Server.

Best prepare that FTB Quests book to know what to do. A lot of things are changed between FTB OceanBlock to FTB OceanBlock 2. Start out by choosing one of the various islands to start surviving on, gathering scrap and materials. There’s a variety of not just airdrops, but smaller ships and islands to take loot around. Best be prepared to tackle the foes under the water though, as the ocean hugging you isn’t ready to let you go.


Minecraft Snapshots

You might have guessed it, but more Snapshots are coming in this month! What has exactly released already? Well take a look at what we’ve got here.

Traders, Flora, and many changes hiding in this image.

February 5th – 25w06a

  • Warm and Cold variations to the Chickens
  • New Desert Flora
  • The ability for sheeps to eat anything

Read the full 25w06a Changelog

February 13th – 25w07a

  • Data driven Sheep to allow for many colors
  • Changes to Sheep Spawns types
  • Cartographer & Wandering Trader trade updates

Read the full 25w07a Changelog

February 19th – 25w08a

  • New sound variations for wolves
  • Adjustments to Sheep Spawning & Leaf Litters
  • Fun new Spawn Eggtures (Spawn Egg Textures)

Read the full 25w08a Changelog

February 26th – 25w09a

  • Fallen Trees coming in from Bedrock Edition
  • Extensions to the SNBT
  • Many bug fixes to block placements

Read the full 25w09a Changelog

February 27th – 25w09b

Not much has happened in this snapshot, but if you’re curious to learn what happened..
Read the full 25w09b Changelog

Want to experience these snapshots yourself? Order a Minecraft Snapshot server on StickyPiston!


Looking Into March 2025

Another handful of things to be shown off ah-hah. It’s fun to get everything recapped for players to better understand about everything we got in StickyPiston.

As per usual, let’s peak into March for what might be coming. Of course there’s always going to be new Minecraft Maps, but will there always be Minecraft Modpacks? Maybe we’ve topped off with the watery depths of OceanBlock 2, but you’ll never know..

We’ll keep up to date with the latest in Minecraft Snapshots, but could we be seeing a new drop incoming for Minecraft in March? Only way to do is by finding out what goes on. Maybe keep a watch on these blogs to know for sure.

2025 has stayed strong, so let’s see it continue strong!

Stay Crafty 👋

John Glacious

Minecraft Map Drops – Witchcraft & Wizardry

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Welcome in to the magical world where wizards, witches, and many other creatures have grown to live in. Inside of this world, people have learned to harness the power of spells and brew an assortment of potions.

As a new student inside of Hogwarts, you’re expected to be able to learn all of this and more. A variety of quests are waiting for you to complete whether it’d be by the other students or even the faculty at hand. Not to mention there’s over 73 different locations to discover on Hogwarts, in the Wizarding World, and even inside of London itself.

Highlights

  • An impressive recreation of the J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series
  • Immersive locations to discover and get lost in
  • Various monsters recreated into Minecraft
  • Tons of puzzles to complete
  • A good amount of magic spells for different situations

This review was from John Glacious playing the map live on StickyPiston.TV.

If you wish to catch me live playing Minecraft Maps, tune into 📺StickyPiston.TV on Sundays @ 1 PM CST / 2 PM EST / 7 PM GMT. You can catch the playthrough of WitchCraft & Wizardry on YouTube. The playback can be found in the YouTube Playlist here:

Now it’s time to get a bit personal when it comes to this map. Originally I didn’t find myself wanting to play this map in my spare time. It’s not that I wasn’t impressed with the work I saw when being introduced to it – I was! It’s moreso just that, recently, I got stuck with moving consistently and playing a decent amount of magic-based modpacks with a group of friends. So playing another magic-based game just wasn’t on my list of playing.

However, I was recommended to start this out as my Stream Team Map for StickyPiston and I gotta say that I wasn’t disappointed. I want to tackle each point of interest individually so let’s go with the Resource Pack itself first. I think Floo Network did a good job at trying to translate what different characters looked like from the movies and games into Minecraft itself. The limit that Minecraft offers hinders what the team can do, but it’s not like I wasn’t recognizing characters the moment I saw them.

Argus Filch with his cat Mrs Norris, waiting for new students to arrive.

Moving onto the environments, they’re absolutely gorgeous. It’s not just that the team did well in making them look pretty, BUT they also recreated just about everything to the best of their ability! Hogwarts is an ever-changing environment and they did well in making it a confusing yet organized mess of a building. This is not to say it’s bad, but rather to say it shows how well they know what they’re doing! Even out of Hogwarts, places like Diagon Alley or the Ministry of Magic. I could go on and on about how everything looks.

An overlook to the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

Now we’re moving onto the final part of the map which is the gameplay. There’s a couple positives to it, but also a few things I feel like could’ve been improved into the game. Let’s go over the positives first. The use of potions and handling of spells out and during combat is pretty good. The variety that’s offered from Stupefy to Expecto Patronum has their uses and don’t feel like they’re overpowered for a beginning student. It also doesn’t feel like enemies overpower you too much to begin with. There’s easy ways to avoid them so long as you utilize the location around you.

However, unlike everything else there are some downsides to the combat that I experienced. Certain spells with double clicking right didn’t always activate and did require a 3rd or sometimes 4th click. Not to mention once there becomes a large group of enemies, it’s hard to deal a decent amount of damage to them asides from one spell. It’d be cool if we had a way to overcharge or handle spells a bit differently. I also learned a little after I finished the map itself that there was ways to utilize melee weapons, something I didn’t notice as nothing was told about them during the main game. The bag in general was a bit hard to get used to so I did wish there was another way that was handled asides from chat scrolling. I know the team did their best so it’s not a huge complaint, just a personal gripe at the end of the day.

A small look into what the gameplay appears as in-game.

Overall, Witchcraft & Wizardry looks great and was handled the best the team could’ve made it. While there is some irks to spells and combat, I do believe it was handled as well as it could be. Overall, I’d give the map a crisp 9/10. There wasn’t enough to hinder it from being a fantastic to play and I’d recommend everyone else to give it a look.

Want to play this map for yourself? Check out our Witchcraft ordering page to get yourself into the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

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