Minecraft Live on September 26, 2026, gave a first look at the next game drop, with ice caves and a frozen zombie, and announced that the Sift, the first new dimension in more than 14 years, will reach Java and Bedrock in 2027 after debuting in Minecraft Dungeons II on September 29. Mojang also confirmed Minecraft on Nintendo Switch 2 for October 27 and started a community challenge that ends on October 1.
Every announcement and its date
| Announcement |
Date |
| Dungeons II, with the Sift |
September 29, 2026 |
| Camp Out challenge ends |
October 1, 10 a.m. PT |
| Minecraft on Switch 2 |
October 27, 2026 |
| Sound Effects Packs |
later in 2026 |
| Ice caves drop |
no date |
| The Sift in Java and Bedrock |
2027 |
| Minecraft World |
2027 |
All these dates come from Mojang.
The next drop: ice caves and a frozen zombie
Ice caves are a new cave biome, like the dripstone, lush and sulfur caves, found under cold biomes. Mojang lists ice and calcite, plus new icicles that grow on the ceiling and ice crystals that grow from the floor and give off a soft light.
The new mob, a frozen zombie variant, has no name yet. Its hits add a freezing effect to the damage, and some throw ice balls. Press reports add more:
- The caves are rare and rich in exposed ore, according to Kotaku and PCGamesN.
- Icicles can fall when exposed to too much light and heat, reports PCGamesN.
- Freezing builds up with repeated hits, and an ordinary zombie turns into the frozen variant when exposed to powder snow, according to Kotaku and Windows Central.
- Frozen zombies drop their ice balls, which can be thrown or used to make a new freezing potion, according to PCGamesN and Windows Central.
Mojang gave the drop neither a name nor a date. PCGamesN calls it The Frozen Caves and says it will enter testing soon.
The Sift: a new dimension, playable first in Dungeons II
The Sift joins the Overworld, the Nether and the End as Minecraft's fourth dimension, the first added since the End in 2011. The show gave a glimpse of it in Minecraft and of one of its mobs; Kotaku reports that it has blue bunnies.
You can explore it first in Minecraft Dungeons II, out September 29 (see our Dungeons II guide), where rifts across the world lead to a vibrant place "teeming with souls", in Mojang's words, with areas such as the Meadow and the Carapace. Måns Olson, who directs Dungeons II, told PCGamesN the Sift is meant to feel peaceful, unlike the Nether and the End, though "still a dangerous place".
Still unannounced: a date within 2027, how you will reach the Sift in Minecraft and what it will contain.
Switch 2 and the Camp Out challenge
Minecraft reaches Nintendo Switch 2 on October 27, a date set in August. Mojang promises Vibrant Visuals by default (richer lighting and shadows, but not in split-screen), an updated Super Mario Mash-Up pack and worlds that carry over from Switch. A digital upgrade path is coming for Switch owners; its price has not been announced.
The Camp Out community challenge asks the whole community to place 50 million straw beds and 200 million cushions by October 1, 10 a.m. PT (17:00 UTC). Half of both unlocks two free Character Creator items and a Java skin; the full goal adds two more items and another skin. Per Mojang's terms, it requires Bedrock Edition and an internet connection, and the rewards go to every Bedrock player, to redeem by June 16, 2027.
Three hay bales make four straw beds, and three matching wool slabs make a cushion. Both came with the Wilderness Bound drop, covered in our Minecraft 26.3 guide.
- Minecraft World opens in 2027 at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in London, with Escape the Nether, the first Minecraft rollercoaster (indoors and outdoors), and the first Minecraft World Hotel, with a deep-sea diner and themed rooms. Chessington has not revealed an exact opening date, and the hotel cannot be booked yet.
- Sound Effects Packs come to Minecraft Marketplace later this year; according to Kotaku, they change how the game sounds, including in your own creations. No price yet.
- A creator platform should make it easier to create, manage and share Minecraft content; Mojang's recap gives no specific tools or date.
- Minecraft Education turned ten, and Mojang's feedback site, feedback.minecraft.net, has been redesigned.
In Minecraft itself, the ice caves come next and the Sift follows in 2027, with Dungeons II as a preview from September 29. Until then, our Minecraft tools cover today's recipes, advancements and enchantments.
