Minecraft adds The Sift as its fourth dimension in 2027

Mojang Studios announced The Sift, Minecraft's first new dimension in more than 15 years, during Minecraft Live on 26 September 2026. The dimension will arrive in the Java and Bedrock Editions in 2027, joining the Overworld, the Nether and the End as the game's official fourth dimension. Mojang has not named a specific date beyond the year 2027 for the base game release.engadget.com+1

The Sift ends a drought of new dimensions that has run since The End arrived with the 1.0 release in late 2011, when Mojang took Minecraft out of beta. Heise reports The End came in November 2011 with version 1.0. For players, a fourth dimension means a genuinely new place to explore and build in, rather than an update to existing biomes, which is what most Minecraft releases have delivered for over a decade.

What The Sift adds

The Sift will first appear in Minecraft Dungeons 2, the sequel to Mojang's dungeon crawler spinoff, which releases on 29 September 2026 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Xbox says the dimension will have new mobs that can be companions or threats, and that there are "new rules to learn" for gameplay changes.geo.tv

Mojang has named two areas within The Sift: the Meadows and the Carapace, according to Engadget, while IGN gives them as the Meadow and the Carapace. The developers told heise online they built the dimension together with the Minecraft Dungeons 2 team and describe it as a pleasant place one would want to live in, in contrast to the Nether and the End, which were designed primarily as challenges.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma posted a teaser video of The Sift and a new mob on 26 September 2026, writing that Minecraft Live delivered Dungeons II, a first new dimension in more than 14 years, new ways for creators to build, and Minecraft on Nintendo Switch 2. Sharma's post states more than 300,000 people play Minecraft for the first time on an average day, after 17+ years and 425M+ copies sold.ign.com

Where the numbers came from

The scale of the release explains why Mojang is treating The Sift as a headline feature rather than a patch. With 425M+ copies sold over 17+ years and 300,000 new players arriving on an average day, a new dimension gives both long-standing players and first-timers a reason to return. The Sift reaches both the Java and Bedrock codebases, so the two editions, which have historically diverged, will gain the content together in 2027.

Mojang revealed little about how The Sift will actually work in the base game. Heise reports that Mojang's announcement does not specify which mobs, blocks or mechanics the dimension will bring to Minecraft itself. IGN notes Mojang said next to nothing about how the Sift will function in vanilla Minecraft during the broadcast, offering only a visual tease. The Dungeons 2 version is the only playable route to the dimension before 2027.

Alongside The Sift, Mojang announced an Ice Caves update bringing a rare underground extension of cold biomes with glowing ice crystals, where a new hostile frozen zombie applies stacking freezing effects with melee attacks and throws ice balls. Mojang also ruled out an End update, disappointing fans who had speculated about Enderman teases in the trailer, and announced a new creator platform with details still vague.

What remains unannounced

Mojang has confirmed Minecraft will arrive on Nintendo's Switch 2 on 27 October, giving players a new platform ahead of The Sift's 2027 arrival. The Sift's own date within 2027 remains unannounced, so the next fixed milestone for players is Minecraft Dungeons 2 on 29 September 2026, where the dimension can be experienced first.

The next dated event for players is Minecraft Dungeons 2's launch on 29 September 2026, where The Sift debuts across PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Minecraft itself arrives on Switch 2 on 27 October, and The Sift follows in Java and Bedrock Edition at an unspecified point in 2027.