You can access historical versions directly through the standard Java Edition launcher with these steps:
Note: The official launcher allows you to play almost any historical version, making it the safest and "newest" way to access old versions. Method 2: Archival Sites (For Specialized Setups)
But what does "new" mean for software released over a decade ago? It means finding a clean, unmodified copy of the official client (also known as the Nostalgia build ) that hasn't been tampered with by malware sites.