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Mojang just wrapped up its Fall 2026 Minecraft LIVE event, announcing some of the upcoming projects and plans for Minecraft! Ranging from an entirely new game to an underground biome and an all-new dimension, there's a lot to unpack for what was revealed at the event.
New Dimension: The Sift
Slated for release at some point in 2027, Minecraft is receiving its first all-new dimension in 14 years of the game! Debuting first in Minecraft Dungeons 2, players will be able to explore an entirely new world in the vanilla version of the game in just a few updates.
We've gotten teasers that the new dimension may be linked to the ancient city portals, offering some expanded world lore (and connectedness) with other features like sculks.
A lot can change between now and the time when the dimension makes its official debut in-game, but some previews into what you might be able to expect can be found in Minecraft Dungeons 2 already thanks to the presence of the same dimension already available in the new game!
Some comparisons have been made with the Sift dimension feeling like a bit of a balance between the famous Aether mod and the existing Sculk / Deep Dark themes of Minecraft itself. Though time will tell how that evolves into vanilla Minecraft.
New Underground Biome
Fitting the upcoming winter season, Minecraft will also be seeing an entirely new frosty underground cave biome to explore!
The motif for the cave biome is inevitably very icy and cold, and Mojang has leaned into that fully with a whole suite of new features, mechanics, and mobs to go alongside it!
The frozen stalactites in the image above, for instance, may fall from the ceiling and cause damage if they heat up enough due to light from sources like torches. So you'll want to be a bit mindful when exploring these areas as you try to light your path.
The other new features coming alongside the new underground biome are super involved, though, so they deserve their own section covering all we know so far. Starting with a new mob!
New Mob Variant
Frozen zombies are here! This is a brand new mob variant, spinning regular zombies into something much colder.
The changes aren't just aesthetic, though, as these zombies will apply the new Status Effect, Freezing, as they hit you (more on this later!), and can also use the new Ice Ball projectiles to hit you from a range!
Killing one of these frozen zombies will also give you a chance to receive an ice ball as a drop, which can be used as a weapon of your own or brewed into the new Freezing potions! For those wondering what the new effect is all about, we've got you covered as well!
New Status Effect
You can now Freeze in Minecraft! While you don't need to stress about your clothes when you head into a taiga, new potions and mobs like frozen zombies can start to freeze you if you're not careful.
While freezing, your movement speed will be slowed, and your hearts will turn blue to indicate the status effect. You'll take extra damage during this time, making it extra important to back off (if you can) and let yourself warm up a bit again as the effect expires before you continue your fight.
This is an effect you can also apply to other players in PVP thanks to the ability to brew new Potions of Freezing! These potions are made using 1 Ice Ball, the new drop from Frozen Zombies.
The status on other players will work similarly, giving you a way to slow them down so you can get away in a fight, or make sure they have no way out if you're already on the winning side.
Minecraft Dungeons II
This would never be complete without mentioning the all-new game coming from the world of Minecraft: Minecraft Dungeons 2!
Especially huge news for the game, though, is that you can already jump in and explore the Minecraft Dungeons version of the new Sift dimension yourself! The game will be live officially on September 29th with explorable areas including the new dimension get a taste months before it heads to regular Minecraft.
If that sounds tempting, it should be! Minecraft Dungeons II has clearly been a labor of love from the team behind the game, and is a super accessible way to take your love for the game a step further. You can pick up your own copy of the game from the Steam store linked below on PC, or use our guide on where to buy Minecraft Dungeons II on whatever platform you prefer!
Minecraft Dungeons II
See screenshots, reviews, system requirements, and the latest details on Steam.
Nintendo Switch 2
Minecraft is also expanding in our own world, as it enters the Nintendo Switch store to play on the Switch 2 starting on October 27th, 2026! Some may be familiar with the existing version off Minecraft for use on the original Nintendo Switch.
However, the coming Nintendo Switch 2 version will be its own release benefiting from the improved hardware of the more recent device. You'll also have access to Vibrant Visuals to play with upon release!
