Minecraft Live September 2026: Ice Caves, a Frozen Zombie and a New Dimension in 2027

Minecraft Live on 26 September 2026 revealed Ice Caves as the next game drop and confirmed that the Sift, a new dimension, is coming to Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027. The Sift debuts first in Minecraft Dungeons II, which launches on 29 September, according to IGN's live report of the show.

Update, 27 September 2026, 08:37 CEST: added Mojang's official written recap as a source. Update, 26 September 2026, 19:40 CEST: this article was first published on 24 September as a pre-show guide and now covers what Mojang announced. Mojang's written recap on Minecraft.net, posted later on 26 September, confirms the Ice Caves biome, the frozen zombie variant and the Sift coming to Java and Bedrock Edition next year. Other details come from IGN, GameSpot and Kotaku, cross-checked against each other, with Mojang's own pages for every date.

What was announced at Minecraft Live?

What's in the Ice Caves game drop?

Ice Caves are a rare underground extension of cold biomes, lit by glowing ice crystals that can be placed vertically or horizontally and double as a light source, IGN reports. Mojang's own teaser, embedded in that report, pitches them as a rich source of ore with unusual dangers.

The main danger is the frozen zombie. According to GameSpot, it appears when a regular zombie is exposed to powdered snow; its melee hits stack a freezing effect, and it throws ice balls that deal damage and knockback. Frozen zombies drop those ice balls on death, and players can throw them as weapons or brew them into a new potion that freezes its target.

Mojang gave the drop neither a name nor a date. Wilderness Bound, the third drop of 2026, arrived on 15 September (everything it added is in our Wilderness Bound guide); GameSpot expects Ice Caves around late December if Mojang keeps its quarterly rhythm, which is an estimate, not an announcement.

What is the Sift, and when does it come to Minecraft?

The Sift closed the show. IGN and Kotaku describe it as the first new dimension added to Minecraft since The End arrived in 2011, joining the Overworld, the Nether and The End, and both say it is coming to Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027. GameSpot also dates Minecraft's first new dimension in 15 years to 2027. Mojang's recap confirms it: the Sift comes to Java and Bedrock "next year" as the fourth dimension, the first in over 14 years. No month was given.

Players will see it first in Minecraft Dungeons II, where IGN describes it as an environment rich with souls. The timing is a surprise of its own: IGN reports that Jens Bergenström, Mojang's Chief Creative Officer, opened the show by ruling out an End update, even though the trailer's Eye of Ender and Enderman had fans expecting one. The End has not had a real gameplay overhaul since version 1.9 in 2016, IGN notes.

What else did Mojang show?

Dungeons II got a longer look. IGN reports a story about helping villagers find a new home in the town of Bravehaven, an interconnected world rather than linear levels, a jump button with small parkour sections, and post-launch DLC. It launches on 29 September for Windows, Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, according to Mojang's Dungeons II page. Early review scores, the price and Game Pass details are in our Dungeons II launch news.

Beyond the games, Mojang announced a new creator platform meant to make it easier to build experiences inside Minecraft, with Sound Effects Packs coming to Minecraft Marketplace later this year, according to IGN and Kotaku. Merlin Entertainments and Mojang also named the Minecraft World Hotel and the Escape the Nether rollercoaster, both due to open next year at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in the UK, IGN reports.

Minecraft dates for the rest of 2026 and beyond

What we don't know yet

Mojang has not named or dated the Ice Caves drop, or listed what it adds beyond the pieces shown. For the Sift there is no month, no word on how players will reach it in vanilla Minecraft, and no confirmation that it will match the Dungeons II version.

What to do now

If you want Dungeons II's pre-order bonus of a Twisted cape, a Twisted Chicken pet and two hero skins, the deadline is 12pm PDT on 28 September. Switch owners should note that Minecraft arrives natively on Switch 2 on 27 October, with Vibrant Visuals on by default and a digital upgrade path for existing Switch owners that Mojang says it will detail later.

If you are deciding where to spend your block-building hours this autumn, our Terraria vs Minecraft comparison sets the two sandboxes side by side, and the Minecraft hub collects everything we publish on the game.