Ever since Minecraft hit full 1.0 launch in 2011, there have been simply three dimensions to discover – the Overworld, the Nether, and the Finish. That is lastly about to alter, as a result of Mojang has simply revealed throughout its September Minecraft Stay broadcast that the sandbox recreation will likely be increasing right into a fourth dimension in 2027 – the Sift. Alongside that, the studio additionally confirmed that the subsequent Minecraft recreation drop will add one other new biome, the Ice Caves, which encompasses a frozen Zombie variant.
Whereas it is solely simply been confirmed that the Minecraft Sift dimension will likely be coming to the unique recreation, you may need seen it earlier than. It is a large a part of Mojang’s upcoming ARPG spin-off, Minecraft Dungeons 2, which launches in just some days on Tuesday September 29. To study extra about creating this new zone and integrating it to the broader universe, I spoke with Minecraft Dungeons 2 Artistic Director Måns Olson and Design Director Laura de Llorens forward of the announcement.
Olson explains that, whereas the primary Dungeons was constructed on current Minecraft places, the crew wished to do one thing new for the sequel. “One of many issues that got here up early in our conversations about what the story of this recreation ought to be was the thought of the invention of a brand new dimension.” He notes that it has been 15 years for the reason that final one was added, and that Mojang noticed potential within the scale of Minecraft Dungeons 2 to ship one thing “that felt prefer it had the dimensions and the affect and the life that we wished.”
In Dungeons 2, you entry the Sift by travelling by means of rifts that open up throughout the map, and it is instantly hanging because of its magical shade scheme. Olson provides that Mojang was eager to make sure the brand new dimension “felt meaningfully completely different from every little thing that existed in Minecraft.” The Overworld feels acquainted to our real-life world, he remarks, whereas each the Nether and the Finish “are very hostile and imposing, each in numerous methods, however they’ve this menace to them.”
For the Sift, due to this fact, Mojang “actually wished to make one thing that felt a bit peaceable – serene, virtually – and that gave a really completely different shade palette for gamers to take pleasure in.” That does not imply it is essentially a secure location, nonetheless. Through the occasions of Minecraft Dungeons 2, the Sift is underneath menace from the nefarious Illagers, “so it is nonetheless a harmful place for the participant to be,” Olson says, “nevertheless it’s not evil.”
“The Minecraft crew has been concerned in our course of all alongside,” de Llorens tells me, explaining that the opposite components of Mojang have labored with the Dungeons crew to make sure the Sift “match the universe of Minecraft.” Through the Minecraft Stay presentation, CCO Jens Bergensten provides, “New dimensions are in fact crucial, and so they actually increase the universe – we thought it was crucial for all of the groups to become involved.”
Mojang additionally gave us a have a look at the subsequent Minecraft recreation drop, The Frozen Caves, which can enter testing quickly. It will introduce the Ice Caves, one other uncommon underground area that may seem “deep beneath chilly biome landscapes.” It is stuffed with glowing ice crystals, good alternatives to seize uncovered ore veins, and a few below-zero hazards, together with icicles that may drop in the event that they’re uncovered to an excessive amount of gentle and warmth, and the brand new frozen Zombie.
Frozen Zombies can sometimes spawn with Ice Balls, which they will throw at you to deal injury from vary. Handle to take them down, nonetheless, and you may seize some for your self, which additionally opens up the chance to craft the brand new Freezing Potion. Alongside this, ‘sound results’ packs are coming to the Minecraft Market in 2026 to supply much more methods to customise your adventures.
The Sift will likely be launched to Minecraft Java and Bedrock in 2027. If you wish to get an early style of what it has to supply, nonetheless, there are mere days till Minecraft Dungeons 2 releases. To study extra about that, you’ll want to learn the remainder of my interview with Olsen and de Llorens.
