Java Edition version history

Java Edition has been in constant development since May 10, 2009, when it was simply named Minecraft. What is now known as pre-Classic refers to the early unreleased versions of Minecraft during the week from May 10 to May 16, 2009. The next phase, what was later called Classic, lasted from May 17 to November 10, 2009. Indev, short for "in development", lasted from December 23, 2009, to February 23, 2010. Infdev, short for "infinite development", lasted from February 27 to June 30, 2010. Alpha lasted from June 30 to December 3, 2010, and Beta lasted from December 20, 2010, all the way through to November 11, 2011. The official release of Minecraft (Java Edition) came on November 18, 2011, at MINECON 2011, and further updates have been released ever since, the most recent being 26.2. Starting with 1.12.2, the game officially adopted the Java Edition subtitle, to distinguish it from the Bedrock Edition.

The full release stage of Minecraft: Java Edition's development started on November 18, 2011, and has continued until the present day. At this point of development, the game was considered "complete", having both an "ending" and being ready for ratings and reviews. The game's price also increased from what it was in Beta, but users who previously bought the game were not charged extra.

The Beta development phase started on December 20, 2010 and ended on November 18, 2011. The main goals of this development stage were a larger focus on polishing gameplay, additional content, and stability.[1] The game's price also increased from what it was in Alpha, but users who previously bought the game were not charged extra.