Minecraft Live 2026: The Sift Dimension, Ice Caves and Everything Announced
Minecraft Live 2026 confirmed the Sift, Minecraft's first new dimension in over 14 years, a new ice caves game drop, and a September 29 launch for Minecraft Dungeons II. Here's every announcement from the show, verified against Mojang's own recap.
Minecraft Live 2026 aired on September 26, and it delivered the biggest vanilla-game reveal in years: a brand-new dimension called the Sift, the first dimension Mojang has added to Minecraft since the End arrived over fourteen years ago. Alongside it, the show confirmed a new ice caves game drop, locked in the September 29 launch date for Minecraft Dungeons II, and announced a real-world Minecraft theme park and hotel opening in London in 2027.
Here is a complete, source-checked breakdown of everything Mojang confirmed during the broadcast, based on the studio's own recap rather than pre-show speculation.
1. What Happened at Minecraft Live 2026
The broadcast streamed live on September 26 via the official Minecraft channels, followed by a "Deep Dig" after-show where host Vu Bui sat down with developers and creators to dig deeper into the two headline reveals. Vu explored the Meadow and the Sift in Minecraft Dungeons II alongside Klas, Laura, and Ph1lzA, then moved underground into the new ice caves with Agnes, Katie, and FalseSymmetry. You can watch the full broadcast below.
2. Mojang's Push for a Bigger Creator Platform
Before the big reveals, Chief Creative Officer Jens Bergenström opened the show by talking about Mojang's push to lower the barrier for new Minecraft creators. The stated goal is to inspire and enable new generations of creators by removing obstacles and improving the tools used to build, manage, and share Minecraft content — part of a broader "creator platform" push the studio says it will keep expanding.
3. The Sift: Minecraft's First New Dimension in Over 14 Years
The headline reveal is the Sift, described by Mojang as beautiful, vibrant, and "teeming with souls." It's the first entirely new dimension added to Minecraft since the End, and it will eventually join the Overworld, the Nether, and the End as a fourth full dimension in Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition — arriving next year, in 2027.
Before that, players can visit it early: the Sift is a central setting in Minecraft Dungeons II, where Art Director Ullis Linder and Game Director Måns Olson showed off areas called the Meadow and the Carapace. In Dungeons II, players reach the Sift through rifts that appear across the game's new interconnected world. Mojang showed a brief glimpse of the dimension and one of its native mobs during the vanilla-game segment of the broadcast, but held back further specifics for a future reveal.
4. Ice Caves: The Next Game Drop's Frozen Biome
Game Director Agnes Larsson opened this part of the show by reiterating that Minecraft's long-term vision keeps adventure as a central focus, and framed the next game drop as part of that push. The drop's centerpiece is ice caves, a new underground biome that joins the existing dripstone, lush, and sulfur caves as a rare find beneath cold biomes.
Ice caves are filled with ice, calcite blocks, and two new decorative blocks: icicles, which grow naturally from the ceiling, and ice crystals, which grow on the ground and emit a soft light. A new frozen zombie variant lurks in the biome — it doesn't have an official name yet, but it deals damage plus a freezing effect on hit, and some variants throw ice balls at players from range. Mojang didn't announce a release date for this drop beyond confirming it's the next one in the pipeline, and said the ice caves and frozen zombie will be testable soon in preview builds.
5. Minecraft Dungeons II Launches September 29
Minecraft Dungeons II is out in just a few days, and Design Director Laura de Llorens walked through its story: with the Arch-Illager and the Orb of Dominance both defeated, the world of Dungeons is now facing a fresh crisis. Its ecosystem is out of balance, and angry illagers have formed a new Illager High Council.
Structurally, Dungeons II is a bigger departure from the original than the pre-order trailers suggested. Where the first game used level-based missions, this sequel introduces one interconnected world, plus a new jump mechanic for traversal. Rifts are scattered throughout that world, and stepping into one transports you straight into the Sift. If you're still deciding on an edition, our full breakdown of Dungeons II's release date and story and our guide to the pre-order bonuses available on both editions cover what you need to know before September 29.
6. Minecraft World: A Real-Life Theme Park and Hotel Coming to London
Away from the game itself, Merlin Entertainments Creative Producer Daisy Mercedes and Mojang Creative Lead Filip Keatley-Thoms previewed Minecraft World, a new attraction opening at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in London in 2027. The park is aimed at multiple player types, and its centerpiece for builders is the world's first Minecraft World Hotel, which will include a deep-sea-themed diner and Minecraft-themed guest rooms.
For thrill-seekers, Mojang and Merlin also confirmed Escape the Nether, billed as the world's first Minecraft rollercoaster, combining indoor and outdoor sections.
7. Everything Else Announced
A handful of smaller updates rounded out the show:
- Sound Effects Packs are coming to the Minecraft Marketplace, adding new ambient and creature sound options to the game.
- Nintendo Switch 2 is officially getting Minecraft on October 27.
- Minecraft Education is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
- Agnes Larsson demonstrated new decorative uses for cushions, which can now be arranged into shapes like monorails, pillars, and ladders — tying into a new community challenge asking players to place 50 million straw beds and 200 million cushions around the Overworld.
None of this touches the currently live content drop, either — if you haven't caught up with what's already in the game, the Wilderness Bound update is still the most recent major release, and remains separate from everything shown at this Minecraft Live.
Quick Recap
- The Sift is Minecraft's first new dimension in over 14 years, coming to Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027, and playable early in Minecraft Dungeons II from September 29.
- A new ice caves game drop adds calcite, icicles, glowing ice crystals, and an as-yet-unnamed frozen zombie variant — no release date yet.
- Minecraft Dungeons II launches September 29 with an interconnected world, a new jump mechanic, and a story centered on an Illager High Council.
- Minecraft World, a real-life theme park with a Minecraft-themed hotel and the "Escape the Nether" rollercoaster, opens at Chessington World of Adventures in 2027.
- Minecraft comes to Nintendo Switch 2 on October 27.
For everything Mojang said on the record, read the studio's own recap, or check our earlier preview of the show's date and time for context on what was expected going in. For more on the game, browse the rest of our Minecraft and game walkthrough coverage.