Bedrock Preview 26.50.24: Explorer Maps, concrete and structures

1 September 2026 · 5 min read

GameMapa editorial · how we check facts
Checked: Claude (AI) — fact-checked against the Ukrainian original; not proofread by a native speaker

The Minecraft Bedrock Edition 26.50.24 preview build, published on August 5, 2026, adds chests with Explorer Maps in the Abandoned Camp structure, new Concrete Stairs and Concrete Slabs in all 16 colors right away, a fix for bug MCPE-240019 involving poplar leaves, and a second version of the .mcstructure structure file format for creators.

This is a test branch — a preview channel that arrives ahead of Bedrock Edition’s full third drop. It mixes two kinds of changes at once: gameplay changes for regular players, and technical changes for people building their own structures and add-ons. Here’s each one in turn.

Explorer Maps in Abandoned Camp chests

The main gameplay change in preview 26.50.24 involves the Abandoned Camp structure, an abandoned campsite that already existed in the world. Chests inside this structure now contain Explorer Maps — maps pointing toward other structures. According to the official changelog, maps found in the camp lead to:

In effect, the abandoned camp turns from a random stopping point into a kind of hub: find one camp, and you get a lead toward several other points of interest at once. The official changelog doesn’t specify the exact odds of any particular map spawning in a given chest — only the fact that these maps are now there.

Concrete Stairs, Concrete Slabs, and the poplar leaf fix

The second block of gameplay changes covers building blocks. Version 26.50.24 adds Concrete Stairs and Concrete Slabs, and both types are immediately available in all 16 colors — the same colors already used for regular concrete and wool blocks in the game. Until now, concrete in Bedrock Edition could only be placed as solid blocks; it can now form proper stairs and edging, the same way stone or wood can.

Alongside this, the patch notes mention a separate fix: MCPE-240019. The fix is about poplar tree leaves (Poplar Tree, added in an earlier update) — they can now be smelted into Leaf Litter. Judging by the bug number, that action didn’t work as intended before the fix.

The .mcstructure format version 2 — what changes for creators

The most technical part of preview 26.50.24 isn’t aimed at players but at people who build maps, add-ons, and ready-made structures for Bedrock Edition. Developers introduced version 2 of the .mcstructure file format.

The difference lies in how the block_indices array — the block indices that make up a structure — is stored inside the file:

A ListTag stores array elements as separate NBT entries, so the bigger the structure, the more noticeable the overhead on memory and read speed. An IntArrayTag stores the same set of integers as a more compact, contiguous block, making structure operations lighter for both client and server. For large structures — entire buildings or complex redstone contraptions — this should be noticeable as early as world load time.

The official changelog doesn’t give exact figures for the speed gain or memory savings in megabytes or percentages — only the fact that they’re reduced “significantly.” Precise benchmarks, if the developers published any, aren’t included in the changelog.

What the 26.50.24 changelog doesn’t say

To be upfront about the limits of this piece: the official text we’re summarizing doesn’t specify when these changes move from “preview” status to a stable release, nor does it describe backward compatibility — whether older game versions will be able to read structures saved in the v2 format. If the developer adds these details later, we’ll update this article.

How to try the preview yourself

Bedrock Preview is a separate test branch installed alongside the regular game; a step-by-step guide to downloading version 26.50.24 specifically is covered separately by Sportskeeda in its article on installing the beta and preview builds (link in this article’s sources). Before installing the preview on a main account, it’s worth remembering: this is a test branch, not a stable release, so it’s best to keep worlds in it separate from your main saves.

If you’re curious about the difference between test channels and full game editions in general, we’ve previously covered how preview and snapshot builds differ from a release, and how Java Edition differs from Bedrock Edition — the preview channel exists specifically in the Bedrock line. On how to read version numbers like 26.50.24 since 2026, see our guide on Minecraft’s version numbering. And for the last full release before this preview, see our article on the previous Minecraft update.

In short

The Bedrock Edition 26.50.24 preview (August 5, 2026) is a test build ahead of the third drop, combining gameplay and technical changes: Explorer Maps in Abandoned Camp chests pointing to Ancient City, Mineshaft, Desert Pyramid, and Warm Ocean Ruins; new Concrete Stairs and Concrete Slabs in all 16 colors; the MCPE-240019 fix that lets poplar leaves be smelted into Leaf Litter; and version 2 of the .mcstructure format, where block_indices is stored as an IntArrayTag instead of a ListTag — saving time and memory when working with structures.