The Minecraft mob vote is on—here's where and how to vote

Minecraft animation - mob vote teaser, alex and an allay stand together
(Image credit: Mojang)

Update: The Minecraft mob vote is now over and the sniffer has been declared the winner. Check out more info about the sniffer and everything else we know about Minecraft 1.20.


Original story: The yearly Minecraft mob vote has returned to split friendships and light YouTube comments sections on fire. Once again we all get the chance to democratically elect which mob will join the game in the next major update. We won't know for sure until the Minecraft Live stream happens on Saturday, but history would suggest that the next update will be Minecraft 1.20 sometime next year, which is likely when we'll get to see our chosen new friend in game. And all three of this year's choices are absolutely friend shaped.

Unlike past years though, Mojang has really shaken up how voting works. The good news is that it's a lot easier for everyone to participate. For the 2022 mob vote, you have a whole 24 hours to make your selection, and you'll be doing so using the same Microsoft account you use to play the game instead of heading over to Twitter.  

When is the Minecraft mob vote for 2022? 

The Minecraft mob vote began at 9 am PT / 12 pm ET / 5 pm BST on Friday, October 14 and ends at the same time the following day, Saturday, October 15. You'll have a full 24 hours to cast your vote before Mojang announces the winner during the Minecraft Live show on Saturday. 

Where to vote for Minecraft mobs this year 

(Image credit: Mojang)

This year there are three places to vote for a new Minecraft mob: on the Minecraft.net site, in your Minecraft launcher, or inside a special "carnival-themed" map in Minecraft Bedrock edition.

To vote inside your game launcher, look for the left sidebar tab called "Minecraft Live" next to all your owned Mojang games. You'll be able to make your choice right there on that launcher tab.

To vote in-game, open Minecraft for Windows from your launcher and look for the "Mob Vote" button on the left side of your main menu to join the server where you can check out all three mobs and vote for your favorite.

There is no voting on Twitter this year, which means you can change your mind about your vote right up until the deadline and also that the results will be a secret until revealed, unlike public polls on Twitter.

What mobs are in the mob vote?

Like past years, there are three potential new mobs to vote for this year: the Rascal, Tuff Golem, and Sniffer. Mojang has given some details about each to help make up your mind. 

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Rascal
Rascals are mine-dwelling mobs that enjoy playing hide and seek with you and giving little hints to help you search for them. If you manage to find a Rascal three times, it will give you a piece of gear as a prize. Rascals will be found below block level 0, but not all the way into the Deep Dark where Wardens live.

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Tuff Golem
Tuff Golems can be built by players like snow golems or iron golems. They can hold items for you a bit like an item stand but will wake up and walk around your base with what they're holding or pick up dropped items off the ground if they wake up empty-handed. You can also change the color of cloak they wear by using different colors of wool block when building them.

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Sniffer
Sniffers are extinct overworld creatures that you can bring back by finding their eggs in chests from underwater ruins. Once hatched, a Sniffer will seek out ancient seeds in the ground and dig them up for you to plant. Based on their introduction video, it looks like Sniffers grow from a baby size smaller than the player to a very big full grown mob. Mojang says that adding the Sniffer will also mean adding these new (but old) plants to the game with them.

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Lauren Morton
Associate Editor

Lauren started writing for PC Gamer as a freelancer in 2017 while chasing the Dark Souls fashion police and accepted her role as Associate Editor in 2021, now serving as the self-appointed chief cozy games enjoyer. She originally started her career in game development and is still fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long books, longer RPGs, has strong feelings about farmlife sims, and can't stop playing co-op crafting games.