Released 2024-04-29
Minecraft 1.20.6: Java 21
1.20.6 is where the Java requirement jumps to 21. It is a short line, and its main significance is as the boundary: everything from 1.20.5 onward needs Java 21 or newer.
Java version required
21or 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 1.20.6
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
This catches out anyone upgrading an existing server. A host or start script still pointing at Java 17 will fail immediately with an unsupported class file version error, which names a number rather than a Java release and sends people looking in the wrong place. The number to recognise is 65, and it means Java 21.
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