Minecraft Happy Ghast: everything you need to know about the newest passive mob

Minecraft is set to launch the Happy Ghast mob this year, and unlike its ghostly companions we've spent hours upon hours avoiding in the Nether, these guys actually have a use in the game. You won't need to gear up when you're face to face with one as they won't shower you with fireballs, and they can actually become incredibly useful companions to have around your base.

There is a catch though. Unlike sheep and cows, the Happy Ghast isn't something you'll stumble across in the overworld. In fact, Happy Ghast's cannot spawn naturally and you actually need to put in a bit of work should you want to bring a smile to one of these bad boys faces. Here's everything you need to know about the newest addition so you can be ready when they are added to the game.

When will Happy Ghasts be added to Minecraft?

Although we don't have a concrete release date, we can expect the Happy Ghast to join Minecraft as part of the Summer drop in June 2025. Funnily enough, it's the only feature we know about the summer drop so far, too.

How to get and tame a Happy Ghast in Minecraft

The Happy Ghast is a mountable mob being added to Minecraft, and will be your ticket to the skies without having to search high and low for an Elytra and filling your pockets with fireworks. The only downside is that you will need to visit the Nether to find both the Ghast itself and the components it takes to craft one. But unlike the passive mobs that already exist in Minecraft, you need to put in a bit of work to bring the Happy Ghast to life.

In fact, the Happy Ghast actually starts as a Dried Ghast which can be found in soul sand valleys in the Nether, or crafted with ghast tears and bone blocks. You'll need four Ghast tears and five bone blocks to craft a Dried Ghast if you don't want to trek through the Nether looking for one on the ground. Once you've acquired one, you'll need to soak it in water to rehydrate it into a ghastling, which isn't to be mistaken with a Baby Ghast, before it becomes a happy ghast.

When you've got a Ghastling, you'll need to feed it snowballs to speed up the growth process. This version of the mob isn't rideable yet, but will linger around you until it is. It's worth remembering that a Ghastling will "imprint" on the player closest to it when it has finished hydrating in case you're playing on a realm. With that said, anyone will be able to use the Happy Ghast when it has grown up. But if you're defensive about mobs like me, you'll probably want to be the one the Ghastling follows. Especially if you've put all the work into rehydrating it.

You won't need to worry about feeding the Ghastling anything to tame it. Snowballs are only needed to speed up the growth. Once it does turn into a Happy Ghast, it'll immediately be rideable. You will need a harness to do this, rather than a saddle, which is another feature of the summer drop. To craft a harness, you'll need 3 leather, 2 glass, and 1 colored wool. Any color will do, but it will change the color of the harness.

Up to 4 players can ride a Happy Ghast at once, so I can see it being an incredibly effective way of transporting your crew around the map rather than everyone wandering off. You can fly both horizontally and vertically, but the Ghast can only be controlled by one player so at least you won't be fighting over which direction you'll head in. When stationary, you'll be able to stand on the Happy Ghast as if it were a solid block too, and it'll stay still when players are standing on it so you won't have to worry about it floating off while you're trying to jump elsewhere.