In previous versions of the Launcher, it let you use a newer version of Java then the minimum requirement. Now, you get Java Runtime version error when using a Java version newer than the minimum requirement.

Your Java Runtime is incompatible. Please edit your installation to use the bundled Java Runtime.
Name Java version mismatch
URL http://aka.ms/jnierror.

It happens with Java 18 EA on 1.18. It also happens with Java 18 EA and Java 17 on 1.17. It also happens with Java 17, Java 16 and Java 11 on versions older than 1.17. It should only block older Java versions, not newer ones. It does not happen when using Java 8 to launch a version that is compatible with Java 7.

Workaround: Delete the JavaCheck.jar file from the game folder. On macOS, it can be found in ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/launcher/launcher.bundle/Contents/Resources. On Linux, it is in ~/.minecraft/launcher.