‘Minecraft’ Announces The Sift, Its First New Dimension in More Than 14 Years

Minecraft is getting its first new dimension in more than 14 years. Mojang Studios announced Saturday that The Sift will arrive in the base game’s Java and Bedrock editions in 2027. Players will get their first look at it much sooner, when the spinoff Minecraft Dungeons II launches Sept. 29.

The reveal was the centerpiece of Minecraft Live, the studio’s regular online showcase. The Sift joins the Overworld, the Nether and the End as the game’s fourth dimension. It is the first addition of its kind since the End, where players battle the Ender Dragon, arrived in 2011. The Nether was added in 2010.

A Different Kind of Dimension

Unlike the Nether and the End, which greet players with hostile mobs and dangerous terrain, The Sift is designed to feel more like a living ecosystem. Mojang describes it as vibrant and teeming with souls, with areas including the Meadow and the Carapace.

Minecraft Dungeons II game director Måns Olson told GameSpot the team wanted the dimension to feel distinct from the existing ones. He said that although The Sift can be dangerous, it shouldn’t feel as hostile or imposing as the Nether and the End, but rather rich, lush and vibrant, with a new color palette.

Mojang has shared few details about how The Sift will work in the main game. During the broadcast, viewers got a brief glimpse of the dimension in Minecraft along with one of the mobs that lives there. Kotaku noted the footage included blue bunnies.

The Sift created it because Minecraft Dungeons II needed a new dimension for its story. According to GameSpot, the developers have since been working closely with the team behind the main game.

Minecraft Dungeons II Arrives Tuesday

Minecraft Dungeons II is the sequel to the 2020 co-op dungeon crawler. It picks up after the defeat of the first game’s villain, the Arch-Illager. Design director Laura de Llorens explained that the world’s ecosystem has fallen out of balance and that hostile Illagers, now organized into an Illager High Council, are threatening it.

The sequel replaces the original’s level-based missions with an interconnected world and, for the first time, lets players jump. Rifts scattered across the map transport players into The Sift.

More Announcements

Minecraft Live also brought several other updates. The main game is coming to Nintendo Switch 2 on Oct. 27 with upgraded graphics. Mojang also announced underground ice caves and new tools for creators to build, manage and share content. In addition, the studio offered a first look at a real-world Minecraft theme park and hotel announced earlier this year.

Minecraft remains the best-selling video game of all time, with more than 425 million copies sold over more than 17 years. According to Mojang, more than 300,000 people play Minecraft for the first time on an average day.