Released 2022-02-28
Minecraft 1.18.2: Java 17
1.18.2 completed the Caves and Cliffs world-height change and became a major modded target in its own right. It is the first version requiring Java 17, which is the requirement that then held for two years.
Java version required
17or newer
Older Java will refuse to start. Much newer Java usually works, but the server software is what decides that, not Minecraft.
Availability
Paper is available for 1.18.2
It accepts Bukkit / Spigot / Paper plugins.
Will what I downloaded work?
Mods and plugins are different things that both arrive as a .jar file. Putting the wrong one in usually produces no error at all — the server starts, and the content simply is not there.
running on Paper
No. Forge produces mods and Paper runs plugins — they are different systems that happen to share a file extension. Nothing will load, and nothing will warn you.
What to watch for on this version
The world height increase is not free. Taller chunks mean more blocks per chunk to store, load and send, so a 1.18.2 world is meaningfully larger on disk and slightly heavier in memory than a 1.16.5 world covering the same area. Plan disk accordingly if you are migrating.
Where this sits in the Java timeline
- Java 81.7 through 1.16.5
- Java 161.17 and 1.17.1
- Java 171.18 through 1.20.4
- Java 211.20.5 and everything after