Splashes (splashes.json)

Unlike Java Edition, which reads splash texts from a plain text file where each line is a separate entry, Bedrock Edition requires a structured JSON file. This file must be named `splashes.json` and placed directly inside the root of your resource pack folder (`RP/splashes.json`), right next to `manifest.json`.

The structure of `splashes.json` is minimal. It consists of a single root JSON object containing an array named `splashes`. Every string inside this array represents one potential message that the game can randomly pick when the start screen loads.

{
  "splashes": [
    "Welcome to the Haunted Manor!",
    "Don't forget to check your corners!",
    "Built for Bedrock!",
    "§bColored splashes work too!§r"
  ]
}

When you include `splashes.json` in a resource pack, the game does not merge your array with the default vanilla splashes. Instead, the top-most resource pack in the active stack that contains `splashes.json` completely overrides the list from lower packs and the base game.

If your array contains only one string, that single message will appear on the title screen every single time the player loads the menu. If you want to keep the hundreds of vanilla splashes while sneaking a few of your own into the rotation, you must copy the entire vanilla `splashes.json` file from the default resource pack template and append your new strings to the end of that list.

By default, the title screen UI renders every splash string in yellow (`§e`). However, the splash renderer supports standard Minecraft section-sign (`§`) formatting codes, allowing you to change colors, make text bold, italicize words, or create garbled obfuscated text.

Because `splashes.json` is parsed as strict JSON, you also need to escape certain characters. Double quotes inside a splash string must be escaped with a backslash (`\"`), and if you want a literal backslash to appear on screen, you must type it twice (`\\`). Standard Unicode characters and emojis supported by the Bedrock font sheets can also be pasted directly into the strings, provided the file is saved with UTF-8 encoding.

{
  "splashes": [
    "§cRed Alert!",
    "§lBoldly going nowhere!",
    "Mystery: §khidden_text§r!",
    "She said, \"Watch out for Creepers!\""
  ]
}

Where you apply your resource pack determines whether the player will ever actually see your custom splashes. The splash text is evaluated and drawn on the main start screen before any world is loaded.

If your resource pack is only attached to a specific world or template, the player will see vanilla splashes when they first launch Minecraft. Your custom splashes will only appear if the pack is activated in **Settings > Global Resources**, or briefly after the player saves and exits your custom world to return to the title screen (in cases where the game caches the world's UI resources during the transition). For full modpacks or standalone UI overhauls, always instruct players to apply the pack in Global Resources.

The splash text element in the vanilla JSON UI scales its font size down somewhat to accommodate longer phrases, and it will wrap onto multiple lines if a string is exceptionally long. However, very long sentences quickly become tiny, hard to read during the bouncing animation, or clip awkwardly into the main logo and menu buttons on smaller mobile screens.

For the cleanest result across phones, consoles, and PC monitors, keep individual splash entries under 35 to 40 characters. If a splash looks cramped, trim the wording rather than attempting to force line breaks with `\n`, as manual newlines can throw off the centering of the tilted text box.

Applies to all modern Minecraft Bedrock versions (1.16.0 through 1.21+). This is a core resource pack feature and does not require any experimental toggles.

Read out of the game itself, so the ids match the version you are building for.