Minecraft Steve has a beard again

For the first time in over ten years, iconic Minecraft default skin/character Steve has a beard again, via the latest update to Minecraft's upcoming version. The skins for both the default Steve and Alex characters in the beta launcher now have a couple small tweaks to texture that make a big difference.

Steve now has, once again, that iconic beard. rolled up or cuffed sleeves, and a bit more color definition on key areas like the arms, shoes, and chest. Perhaps they've just shined the shoes. Hard to say, all that mining dust, you know? 

Alex, meanwhile, has those same sleeve cuffs alongside more contrasting colors on most of their clothing. Notably, there's a clear depth and layering on Alex's hair.

The multi-year global pandemic has been rough on everyone. Lots of people decided that this was a key time to grow a beard, since they weren't leaving the house or anything—including, it seems, Minecraft Steve. Is that canon or something? No, of course it isn't. I made it up.

Steve's beard first disappeared in 2009, 13 years ago, long before Alex even made an appearance on the scene. Despite that, the neglected beard still appeared in official artwork at times and even the showed up that time they put Steve in Super Smash Brothers, all the way down to an Amiibo figure.

Welcome back, beardy Steve. The fans seem excited.

In other Minecraft news, we've rounded up a bunch of the best Minecraft texture packs for the venerable survival game. There's also a bit of a ruin-restoring trend going on, as players spruce up both out of game historical castles and the newly-added in-game ancient ruins.