You might already be aware that time works in a different manner in video games as compared to the real world. Usually, this change only affects the day-night cycle and not your gameplay. But as expected, things are quite different in the world of Minecraft. Here, everything in the game is defined and connected to the Minecraft tick. From the growth of crops to the functioning of your Minecraft farms, every tick in this game matters. So, let’s not waste another tick and explore everything you need to know about all Minecraft ticks.
Due to an assortment of moveable components, Minecraft has a variety of ticks. We have covered them all in separate sections that you can explore freely using the table below. But first, let’s explain what exactly do we mean by a tick in video games.
What is a Tick in Video Games?Types of Ticks in MinecraftWhat is a Minecraft Game Tick?
What is a Lagged Tick and Why Does it HappenHow to Check Your Minecraft Game TickWhat is a Redstone Tick in Minecraft?What is a Chunk Tick in Minecraft?
Random Tick and Random Tick SpeedWhat is a Scheduled TickHow to Change Tick Speed in MinecraftFrequently Asked Questions
What is a Lagged Tick and Why Does it HappenHow to Check Your Minecraft Game Tick
Random Tick and Random Tick SpeedWhat is a Scheduled Tick
What is a Tick in Video Games?
All video games are made up of loops and repeated processes. The entities spawn and then their AI sends them a signal to do a set of pre-recorded tasks or stay stationary. To maintain this mechanic, the time in video games runs in a series of repeated actions, and each loop of such actions is known as a tick. Furthermore, the number of ticks in a single second is known as the TPS (ticks per second) or tick rate of that game.
Types of Ticks in Minecraft
Primarily, there are three types of ticks supported in Minecraft:
What is a Minecraft Game Tick?
A tick in Minecraft is the time that it takes an in-game loop to finish. This loop applies to a variety of things in the game, ranging from mob spawns to the spreading of fire. Every Minecraft activity takes a set number of ticks to start, expand, and finish. One Minecraft tick usually lasts for 0.05 seconds (50 milliseconds) in the real world.
On most systems and servers, Minecraft runs at a rate of 1 tick per 50 milliseconds. But if there are multiple heavy activities happening at the same time, your system can slow down the tick speed to keep up the performance. This change in tick speed at times can lead to heavy lag. The most common activities that can lag your system and server include:
- Redstone components sending an excessive amount of signals and block updates.Too many mobs spawning at one spot and their AI putting a load on your system.Hoppers and Allays that are constantly in search of items.
You can reduce the lag in ticks by turning off unnecessary Redstone components and killing off unwanted mobs. Alternatively, you can use mods like Optifine in Minecraft to reduce the pressure on your computer.
You can check your current ticks per second (TPS) only on the Minecraft Java edition and not the Bedrock version. To do so, you only have to press the Alt + F3 keys simultaneously.
As we have seen in various Minecraft farm builds, another common tick in-game is the Redstone tick. Each Redstone tick in Minecraft is equal to two game ticks. So, a Redstone tick takes 0.1 seconds to complete a loop. This tick only works in reference to your Redstone signals and doesn’t affect other entities in-game. Because of Redstone mechanics, you can’t make the Redstone tick run any faster than its default speed. But you can delay it with the help of a Redstone repeater.
What is a Chunk Tick in Minecraft?
All chunk ticks in Minecraft follow the default 20 TPS, but they only apply to chunks around the player. Each chunk in Minecraft consists of a 16 x 16 x 256 area, where 256 is the world height and 16 are horizontal (length and breadth) dimensions.
The chunk tick that updates random blocks in every chunk is known as a Random Tick. In the Java edition, this tick chooses three random blocks in every chunk, but it only focuses on one single block in the Bedrock edition. And the number of blocks that get updated with every tick is known as the Random Tick Speed of that Minecraft world.
- Crops might grow and drop as itemsSpread of mushrooms, grass, vines, and mycelium.Spread and burn out of the fireLeaves might decay to drop saplings and applesSaplings, cacti, sugar cane, kelp, bamboo, budding amethyst chorus, flowers, and sweet berry bushes might growFarmland may gain or lose hydrationMud can turn into clay Copper blocks and their variants can change the oxidation stageTurtle eggs can change their stateRedstone ore might stop shiningCampfires can release smoke
As the name reveals, random ticks in Minecraft are very unpredictable. There is no way to examine which block is going to get updated with the next tick. However, some blocks can even demand a tick update systematically.
In Minecraft, some blocks are allowed to request tick updates in the near future. Such ticks are known as scheduled ticks, and they help the blocks maintain their programmed behavior. For example — water spreads with every tick. So, the water blocks can request a tick update to maintain a constant flow. Similarly, blocks like Redstone repeaters can also schedule ticks to function properly.
If you want to make your game world update faster or slower than usual, then you can change the random tick speed in Minecraft. Doing so will change the number of blocks that get updated every single second. To change the tick speed in Minecraft, use the following command:
Here, you need to replace X with the random tick speed you want the game to run at. If you want to dig deeper, we already have a dedicated guide that covers how to change tick speed in Minecraft. You can use it to learn a variety of ways the tick speed can be changed and utilized to make your in-game life simpler.
How long are 100 ticks in Minecraft?
What is a good tick speed?
