Minecraft is set to gain another realm: The Sift. It will be a lasting part of the game’s world, alongside the Overworld and Nether as well as the End, and marks Mojang’s first dimension addition in more than 14 years. Mojang unveiled it during Minecraft Live on September 26, 2026, after first teasing it at Gamescom.
Quick answer: The Sift is a new Minecraft dimension. Its earliest playable release is Minecraft Dungeons II, arriving September 29, 2026; Java and Bedrock Edition follow in 2027.
What The Sift is
The Sift is a genuine new realm, not a biome pack or a rework of existing terrain. Mojang describes it as “beautiful, vibrant, and teeming with souls,” which sets it apart from the Nether’s lava and hostility and the End’s empty, boss-focused void. Where those two dimensions lean into danger and isolation, The Sift is built around color, life, and mystery, closer in feel to a strange, alternate Overworld you could actually live in.
The look is bright and busy. Trailer footage shows red and orange stone, green vegetation, sparkling water, sculk-like growth, and souls drifting through the air. Pools of a hazardous liquid called icor add threat to the environment. Entering also means learning new rules rather than just walking through a new backdrop.
- The shifting currents in The Sift may affect your character and allies nearby.
- New dangerous blocks reshape the way you explore.
- New environments are designed to test your skills.
- New mobs appear as both companions and threats, all unique to the dimension.
The Sift biomes and mobs revealed so far
Mojang has named two biomes so far: Meadows and Carapace. The studio is keeping the other regions secret on purpose, so players can uncover them while exploring Minecraft Dungeons II instead of learning about them beforehand.
Footage from Dungeons II points to creatures such as Sifters, Singers, Neesters, and Sprouts, and blue bunnies turned up in the Minecraft Live glimpse. Which of these will make the jump into vanilla Minecraft is not yet confirmed, so treat the Dungeons II lineup as its own version for now.
How to play The Sift first in Minecraft Dungeons II
Before any Java or Bedrock player sees it, The Sift debuts inside Minecraft Dungeons II, the action-RPG sequel launching September 29, 2026. Unlike the first Dungeons game and its mission-select map, the sequel uses one interconnected world. Rifts open across the Overworld, and stepping through one drops you into The Sift.
Not long after the campaign begins, the Overworld takes on an unsettling quality. New enemy types emerge, and souls start drifting through the world—signs that nature’s balance is coming apart. The plot links this ecological disruption to an Illager High Council. For the closest preview of the dimension’s blocks, biomes, and mobs before they reach the main game, Minecraft Dungeons II offers the official first look.
Minecraft Dungeons II launches on Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and Xbox, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. It is a day-one Game Pass title and supports Xbox Play Anywhere, so a console or high-end PC is not required to try it on launch day. You can find the game on the Microsoft Store listing for Minecraft Dungeons II.
Why “over 14 years” is the real headline
Minecraft’s world has always been built around three spaces, and that lineup has not grown since the Nether and the End were established before the game’s 1.0 release in November 2011. Mojang has spent the years since deepening those realms, most notably with the 2020 Nether Update, but it never added a fourth place to travel to. The Sift breaks that streak, which is why the announcement became the headline of the show.
| Dimension | Introduced | Access point |
|---|---|---|
| Overworld | 2009 original release | Default spawn |
| The Nether | 2010–2011, overhauled 2020 | Obsidian portal |
| The End | 2011, with the 1.0 launch | Stronghold End portal |
| The Sift | Dungeons II Sept. 29, 2026; Java/Bedrock 2027 | Not yet detailed for the base game |
What Java and Bedrock players can expect in 2027
Mojang says The Sift will reach Minecraft Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027 as a complete dimension for exploring, surviving, and creating—not merely a combat arena. The broadcast also included a short work-in-progress glimpse of The Sift inside Minecraft, along with one of its resident mobs.
Beyond the year, the specifics are still under wraps. There is no confirmed month, no price, and no published list of blocks, mobs, or progression systems for the base game. Mojang has also not explained how you will reach The Sift, so the portal design, world generation, and survival mechanics remain unknown. The long-running community meme of a glowstone-and-water portal, tied to the joke Other Portal and the Aether mod, has not been confirmed as the real access method.
Until Mojang confirms details through its own channels, consider claims about a precise 2027 date, price, or mechanic unverified. The studio plans to share more at upcoming Minecraft Live events.
For now, the practical takeaway is simple. If you want to walk The Sift as soon as possible, Minecraft Dungeons II on September 29 is the way in, and the base-game version follows sometime in 2027.
