Minecraft Live aired on September 26, 2026, and Mojang kept the biggest news for the last minute: a fourth dimension is coming to vanilla Minecraft. Before that, the show covered the next game drop, Minecraft Dungeons II, a Switch 2 edition, a theme park and a hotel. Here is everything that was announced, in order of what matters most if you play or run a server.
The Sift Comes to Vanilla Minecraft in 2027
The closing announcement: next year you will be able to enter the Sift in vanilla Minecraft. It is the first new dimension in over 14 years and joins the Overworld, the Nether and the End as the fourth.
The Sift is not brand new to everyone. It debuts in Minecraft Dungeons II, where it is a dimension rich in Souls that you reach through rifts. Mojang did not say what the vanilla version will contain or how you will get there; more details are promised for future Minecraft Live shows. Our guide to the Sift covers what was shown in Dungeons II and what we do and do not know about the vanilla version.
The Next Drop: Ice Caves and the Frozen Zombie
The drop coming later this year adds the Ice Caves, a new cave biome and the first truly cold underground one. The main features:
- Ice Crystals: a crystal block that grows on the cave floor, gives off light and can be placed anywhere
- Icicles: they hang from the ceiling and fall when they get too much light, so torches become a risk
- Ores in stone and deepslate splotches inside the ice, which makes them easy to spot and quick to mine out
- The Frozen: a new Zombie variant that charges you and applies a Freezing effect that slows you down and deals extra damage over time
- Ice balls: some Frozen throw them, they can drop them, and you can brew Freezing potions with them
Mojang says all of this enters testing soon. The full breakdown, including what it means for PvP and survival servers, is in our Ice Caves guide.
Wilderness Bound Just Released
Wilderness Bound, Minecraft 26.3, came out on September 15 with the dappled forest, poplar wood, abandoned camps, cushions and straw beds. Mojang used the show to start a Community Challenge around cushions and straw beds. Our Wilderness Bound post lists everything it added.
Game Director Agnes also described Mojang's longer-term focus on "aspirational adventures": new challenges, rewards that give you a reason to go exploring, and bigger content. The Sift is the first big milestone on that path.
Minecraft Dungeons II Launches September 29
Minecraft Dungeons II releases on Tuesday, September 29. What changed compared to the first game:
- An interconnected world with larger areas you can move between, instead of separate linear missions
- You can jump, and there are jump attacks
- The armor slot is split into helmet, chestplate, leggings and boots, plus a new item type called talismans that give passive bonuses, such as a Wolf or Iron Golem companion
- Online multiplayer next to couch co-op
- Merchants you can level up for better items
- The Sift, the new dimension, reached through rifts
Mojang plans updates and a couple of DLCs after launch.
Minecraft Comes to Nintendo Switch 2
A dedicated version of Minecraft for Nintendo Switch 2 launches on October 27, with support for Vibrant Visuals.
A Creator Platform
Jens Bergensten, Mojang's Chief Creative Officer, said the studio wants to make it easier to create, manage and share Minecraft content, and to lower the barrier for players who want to become creators. When Mojang talks about a creator platform, that is what it means. No dates or specific tools were announced.
Sound Effects Packs
Sound effects packs let you replace Minecraft's sounds with themed sets, from old-school 8-bit to creepy to plain silly. They come to the Marketplace later this year, and you can wishlist them now.
Minecraft World and the First Minecraft Hotel
Minecraft World, the theme park land at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in London, opens in 2027. Its headline ride is Escape the Nether, the first Minecraft roller coaster, which runs both indoors and outdoors. Mojang also announced the first Minecraft Hotel, so you can stay the night after a day in the park.
Minecraft Education Turns 10
Minecraft Education celebrates its tenth birthday this year.
What This Means If You Run a Server
- Nothing changes today. The Ice Caves drop is still coming to testing, and the Sift arrives in 2027. Your server stays on Wilderness Bound (26.3) for now.
- Keep snapshots off your main world. When the Ice Caves appear in snapshots or previews, test them on a separate server. A world opened in a newer version should not go back to an older one.
- Plan for new terrain. Ice Caves will only generate in new chunks. If you want them near spawn, plan a border expansion or a fresh world when the drop lands, and pregenerate it first. Our chunk pregeneration guide explains how.
- Watch PvP balance. Freezing potions slow and damage the target, which matters on PvP and faction servers.
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