Minecraft has three official dimensions. The Overworld is home. The Nether is a burning underworld. The End is a barren last stand against the dragon. That lineup has not changed since 2011. At Minecraft LIVE on September 26, 2026, Mojang confirmed a fourth: the Sift. It will appear first in Minecraft Dungeons II on September 29, then move into Java Edition and Bedrock Edition in 2027.
The End arrived more than 14 years ago. A new plane of existence is rare enough that the announcement immediately became the headline of the show.
What the Sift Looks Like
The Sift is not another hostile pocket dimension. Creative director Mans Olson said the team wanted a place that feels like a different Overworld, lush and colorful rather than openly evil. Trailers describe red and orange stone, green vegetation, sculk-like growth, sparkling water, and pools of a hazardous liquid called icor. Souls drift through the air. The palette is brighter than the Nether and less empty than the End.
Two biomes have names: Meadows and Carapace. Mojang is holding other regions back so Dungeons II players can find them. The realm is described as beautiful, vibrant, and teeming with souls. It is dangerous, but it is meant to feel like an ecosystem you could live in, not a place that only exists to kill you.
New mobs live there. Reports from Dungeons II footage mention Sifters, Singers, Neesters, and Sprouts, plus companions as well as threats. Blue bunnies appeared in the Minecraft LIVE glimpse. Which of those creatures will make the jump to vanilla Minecraft is still unconfirmed.
How Dungeons II Introduces the Dimension
Minecraft Dungeons II launches September 29, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam and Xbox), PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. It is a day-one Game Pass title and supports Xbox Play Anywhere.
Unlike the first Dungeons game, the sequel uses one interconnected world instead of a mission select map. Rifts open across the Overworld. Step through one and you enter the Sift. Early in the campaign, the Overworld starts to feel wrong. New enemies appear. Souls fly through the air. Those signs point to the new dimension.
Inside the Sift, shifting tides can affect your character and nearby allies. Hazardous blocks change how you explore. The story involves an ecosystem out of balance and an Illager High Council. For a preview of blocks, biomes, and mobs before 2027, Dungeons II is the official first look.
What Java and Bedrock Players Should Expect
Mojang showed a brief in-development version of the Sift running in Minecraft itself. The studio has not said how you will reach it. Portal design, world generation, and survival mechanics are still under wraps. The company has said the dimension is being built as a place to explore, survive, and create, not only as a combat arena.
A new dimension in vanilla Minecraft needs unique blocks, generation, loot, and a reason to return after the first visit. Mojang has hinted that the team asked whether each new idea could live in the main game. The Sift was designed with that question in mind.
Details will come at future Minecraft LIVE events. Until then, 2027 is the only confirmed window. No snapshot date, drop name, or access method has been published.
Play Dungeons II next week if you want to walk the Sift now. Watch Minecraft LIVE later if you want to know when it becomes part of the world you already live in.