Updated 1 October 2026, 09:41
Minecraft LIVE September 2026 is done, and it handed you a surprisingly clear plan for the rest of this year and for 2027. The headline: a brand new dimension called the Sift is coming to both Java and Bedrock Edition, and it’s the first new Minecraft dimension in more than 14 years.
The Sift joins the Overworld, Nether and End
Mojang closed the show by confirming that the Sift lands in Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027. It becomes the game’s official fourth dimension alongside the Overworld, The Nether and The End – the first addition of its kind in over 14 years. For you that means a completely new place to explore, gear up for and build in, and because the window is 2027, there’s plenty of time for details to trickle out. Mojang has already named two biomes you’ll find there: Meadow and Carapace.
If you want to keep track of everything Mojang confirms from here on, we collect it all in our Minecraft news section.
Ice Caves are the next game drop
Before the Sift arrives, the next Minecraft game drop is Ice Caves – a rare underground extension of cold biomes packed with ice, calcite, icicles hanging from the ceiling and glowing ice crystals growing out of the ground. Mojang says the caves add a whole new layer of diversity to cold biomes and make going underground more interesting, but also warned that “though they may be beautiful, these caves are far from safe.”
Ice crystals
Ice crystals spawn inside Ice Caves and can be placed both vertically and horizontally, so they’re flexible for decoration and building. They also work as a light source.
The Frozen Zombie
The new hostile mob in the Ice Caves is the Frozen Zombie. Its melee attacks apply a stacking freezing effect – take enough hits and you freeze. It also throws ice balls that deal damage and apply knockback. There’s a farming angle too: normal zombies convert into Frozen when exposed to powder snow. Since you can already turn Husks into Zombies, you can chain that into Frozen, which opens the door to more advanced mob farms.
Ice balls as a weapon and a potion
Frozen Zombies drop ice balls on death, so you can throw them right back. Ice balls can also be crafted. As a weapon they deal damage and apply knockback. Brewed into a new potion, they can freeze players.
Minecraft Dungeons II and the Sift
Mojang went deeper on Minecraft Dungeons II, which launches on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 for PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2. Expect plenty of loot, mobs and a new dimension. The story has you helping villagers find a new home in the town of Bravehaven; once you step outside the town, you discover a soul corruption spreading across the Overworld.
The world is interconnected this time, so you have more freedom to pick your own route. You also get to know the Villagers better by helping them out, and jumping is finally in – there are small parkour sections that hide secrets, plus jump attacks. The headline feature is the Sift, a soul-rich dimension built for Dungeons II. Mojang also confirmed post-launch DLC.
Minecraft on Switch 2 and Sound Effects Packs
The standard version of Minecraft gets its Nintendo Switch 2 release on October 27, 2026. Later this year Mojang will also add Sound Effects Packs to Minecraft Marketplace, giving you another way to customize how the game feels – this time through audio.
A new creator platform, but no End update
Minecraft LIVE opened with Jens Bergenström, Chief Creative Officer at Mojang Studios, ruling out an End update – so the Enderman moments in the Minecraft LIVE trailer weren’t a tease after all. Instead, Bergenström announced a new creator platform aimed at getting more people building experiences inside Minecraft. Details are still vague, so how it actually works should become clearer later.
Minecraft World: a hotel and a rollercoaster
Minecraft World got two announcements as well. Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios confirmed the Minecraft World Hotel – the world’s first official Minecraft hotel – and Escape the Nether, the name of the first ever Minecraft rollercoaster. Both belong to the Minecraft experience at Chessington World of Adventures Resort and are set to open at some point next year. We covered the plans in a separate piece on the Chessington Minecraft hotel.
FAQ
Mojang confirmed the Sift for Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027. It becomes the game’s fourth official dimension after the Overworld, The Nether and The End, and it brings two new biomes, Meadow and Carapace.
Ice Caves are a rare underground extension of cold biomes built from ice, calcite, icicles hanging from the ceiling and glowing ice crystals growing from the floor. They also add the Frozen Zombie and throwable ice balls that can be brewed into a potion.
They spawn in Ice Caves, and normal zombies convert into Frozen when exposed to powder snow – which makes chained mob farms possible.
Minecraft Dungeons II launches on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 for PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 and Switch 2, with post-launch DLC planned.
The standard version of Minecraft releases on Nintendo Switch 2 on October 27, 2026.
No. Jens Bergenström ruled out an End update at the start of Minecraft LIVE September 2026.