Summary
- 26.3 Snapshot 5, on 21 July 2026, moved the data pack format to 112.0 and the resource pack format to 93.0.
- By release on 15 September those numbers were 121.0 and 97.1.
- Pack format changes mid-cycle are normal and are the reason packs break between snapshots.
If you have ever loaded a resource pack and seen a warning that it was made for a different version, this is the mechanism behind it. Every change to how packs are structured moves a number, and that number is how the game decides whether to trust your pack.
What the numbers mean
The resource pack format covers textures, models, sounds and fonts. The data pack format covers recipes, loot tables, advancements, functions and worldgen. They move independently, and either can change in any snapshot.
Between Snapshot 5 in July and release in September, the data pack format went from 112.0 to 121.0. That is nine revisions in under two months.
Why authors dread the cycle
A pack built against snapshot 5 will not load cleanly on snapshot 10 without checking. For a small texture pack that is a version-number edit. For a data pack with custom worldgen, dimensions or loot tables, it can mean rewriting files because a schema changed underneath.
This snapshot also noted a codec change for element definitions – the sort of line that means nothing to a player and means a morning’s work to a pack author.
The practical approach
Track one version at a time. Trying to support the current release and the snapshot cycle simultaneously doubles the maintenance and is where most abandoned packs die.
Update on release builds, not on snapshots, unless your pack is specifically about testing new features. The release version is stable for months; a snapshot is stable for a week.
Where the numbers landed
Java 26.3 shipped on 15 September with resource pack format 97.1 and data pack format 121.0, protocol version 777 and data version 5023. Those are the numbers to build against now, and they will move again when the next drop enters testing.
Why pack formats break things
A resource pack declares which format version it targets. When Minecraft bumps that number, every pack that has not been updated is either flagged as incompatible or silently renders something wrong – usually a handful of blocks, usually the ones that were changed.
Nothing is broken permanently. It just needs the author to publish an update, which for an abandoned pack means never.
Which packs survive version bumps
The ones that change little. A pack that redraws every texture at a higher resolution has more surface area exposed to a format change than one that adjusts a dozen.
That is a large part of why Faithful has survived a decade of these – it upscales rather than redesigns, so a new block is a new texture rather than a new design problem.
The ceiling on what a pack can do
Format changes also move the ceiling. Every version that adds model or animation capability widens what a pack can express, which is how we ended up with packs that barely look like Minecraft.
There is a real limit to that, and it is more interesting than it sounds – how far a texture pack can go before it stops being Minecraft takes the question seriously rather than answering it with taste.
What to do when your pack breaks
- Check the pack’s page for a version-specific download before assuming abandonment.
- Keep the old game version installed – packs do not stop working on the version they targeted.
- Do not edit pack.mcmeta to force compatibility unless you know which textures changed.
Announced 21 July 2026 in 26.3 Snapshot 5. Effective from the Wilderness Bound release on 15 September.
Running an old pack on a new version
Minecraft will warn you and then load it anyway. What you get is a mix – textures the pack still defines, and vanilla textures for everything it does not. For a pack that only changes a few things, that is often fine.
For a full conversion pack it is not fine, because the missing pieces are the pieces that made it coherent.
Checklist before updating
- Note which packs you run and whether each has been updated in the last year.
- Keep the previous game version installed – packs do not stop working on their target version.
- Check whether your pack has separate downloads per version, which most active ones now do.
Why the number keeps moving
Every change to how a model, animation or GUI element is defined needs a format bump so the game knows how to read a pack. The number going up is a sign the pack system is gaining capability, which is the same reason your favourite abandoned pack broke.
Both things are true at once, and neither is going to stop.
Images: ModernArch project gallery on Modrinth.