How to Summon a Fireball in Minecraft

This Minecraft tutorial explains how to summon a fireball with screenshots and step-by-step instructions.

You can summon a fireball whenever you want using a cheat (game command) in Minecraft. This is done using the /summon command. Let's explore how to do this.

Supported Platforms

The command to summon a fireball is available in the following versions of Minecraft:

Platform	Supported (Version*)
Java Edition (PC/Mac)	Yes (1.10)
Pocket Edition (PE)	No
Xbox 360	No
Xbox One	No
PS3	No
PS4	No
Wii U	No
Nintendo Switch	No
Windows 10 Edition	No
Education Edition	No

* The version that it was added or removed, if applicable.
NOTE: Pocket Edition (PE), Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows 10 Edition are now called Bedrock Edition. We will continue to show them individually for version history.

Requirements

To run game commands in Minecraft, you have to turn cheats on in your world.

Summon Command

Java

Summon Command in Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac)

In Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19 and 1.20, the syntax to summon a fireball using the /summon command is:

/summon fireball [pos] [nbt]

* Starting in Java Edition 1.16, the direction NBT tag has been replaced with the Motion tag and is now optional.

In Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.14 and 1.15, the syntax to summon a fireball is:

/summon fireball <pos> <nbt>

However, you must provide the direction NBT tag or the command won't work:

/summon fireball ~ ~1 ~ {direction:[0.0,0.0,0.0]}

Definitions

pos is required. It is the x y z coordinate where the fireball should spawn.
nbt is a compound NBT tag (formerly called data tag) that sets a property for the fireball such as {ExplosionPower:4}. See NBT tags for fireball.

Examples

Java

Example in Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19 and 1.20

To summon a fireball in Minecraft 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19 and 1.20:

/summon fireball

To summon a fireball that has an Explosion Power of 4:

/summon fireball ~ ~1 ~ {ExplosionPower:4}

To summon a fireball that has an Explosion Power of 4 and moves East at an initial velocity of 3.0:
(starting in 1.16, use the Motion NBT tag to set initial velocity instead of the direction tag)

/summon fireball ~ ~1 ~ {ExplosionPower:4,Motion:[3.0,0.0,0.0]}

Example in Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.14 and 1.15

To summon a fireball in Minecraft 1.14 and 1.15:
(in 1.14 and 1.15, you must include the direction NBT tag or the command won't work)

/summon fireball ~ ~1 ~ {direction:[0.0,0.0,0.0]}

To summon a fireball that has an Explosion Power of 4:
(in 1.14 and 1.15, you must include the direction NBT tag or the command won't work)

/summon fireball ~ ~1 ~ {ExplosionPower:4,direction:[0.0,0.0,0.0]}

To summon a fireball that has an Explosion Power of 4 and moves East at an initial velocity of 3.0:
(in 1.14 and 1.15, you must include the direction NBT tag or the command won't work)

/summon fireball ~ ~1 ~ {ExplosionPower:4,direction:[3.0,0.0,0.0]}

How to Enter the Command

1. Open the Chat Window

The easiest way to run a command in Minecraft is within the chat window. The game control to open the chat window depends on the version of Minecraft:

For Java Edition (PC/Mac), press the T key to open the chat window.

2. Type the Command

In this example, we are going to summon a fireball in Minecraft Java Edition (PC/Mac) 1.20 with the following command:

/summon fireball ~ ~1 ~

Type the command in the chat window. As you are typing, you will see the command appear in the lower left corner of the game window. Press the Enter key to run the command.

summon fireball

Once the cheat has been entered, the fireball will spawn and appear in your world (but it may not be visible until you move around in the game near its location - due to a glitch in some versions of Minecraft):

completed summon fireball

You will see the message "Summoned new Fireball" appear in the lower left corner of the game window to indicate that the fireball has been summoned.

TIP: The new fireball may not be visible until you move around its location (which should make it visible to you). Try moving forward and back, or crouch and stand up. This is a glitch in Minecraft.

Congratulations, you have summoned a fireball in Minecraft.

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