Updating Minecraft Through PC Xbox App Could Cause You to Lose Your Worlds, Mojang Warns

ign.com:

Minecraft developer Mojang has warned players not to update the game through the official Xbox app on PC because it may delete their worlds.

The Minecraft support page on Mojang owner Microsoft's website now opens with a stark warning for PC players. "Do not download the recent update for Minecraft through the Xbox app for PC," it reads. "If you do, your worlds may be lost."

Mojang said it is currently investigating the world loss issue and is blocking the update from Windows to prevent the possibility of it affecting more users.

"We recommend that you run the Gaming Services Repair Tool for PC in the Xbox app on PC before installing any Minecraft update," Mojang added. "Using this tool updates the Gaming Services to version 19.87.13001.0, which will avoid the update error."

Players can do so by launching the Xbox app on PC, clicking their profile, then support, then on Gaming Services Repair Tool, and finally on Start Troubleshooting.

Mojang also warned players that, for those not on version 1.20.70 or 1.20.71, some online services may be unavailable including cross-platform multiplayer, Realms, and Featured Servers. "We appreciate your patience while we continue to investigate and address this issue," it added.

This bug, which has the potential to delete tens, hundreds, and thousands of hours of playtime, comes not long after Mojang announced a monthly subscription service just for Minecraft called the Marketplace Pass.

This costs $3.99 a month and grants Bedrock players access to a catalog of more than 150 different content packs from the Minecraft Marketplace, which is refreshed every month. Players won't need to pay for the Marketplace Pass to continue playing Minecraft as normal.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.