Usually updates come in tiers, first as a snapshot, then as prereleases, and finally as the full version. Each step gets more and more like a beta mode, where you can try out something, or a stable ...

Minecraft 1.21.9 Release Candidate 1 is out, so we are at the final stretch before this version is live.You can download this build using the Minecraft Launcher. This build has bug fixes, crash fix ...