This is the first new dimension introduced into the game in 14 years.
Minecraft is finally getting a fourth dimension. The Sift was revealed during Minecraft LIVE on Saturday (26 September), with the new dimension set to join Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027. It will be the first one added to the main game in more than fourteen years, joining the Overworld, Nether, and End.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma also shared a teaser for The Sift on X (formerly Twitter):
What is The Sift in Minecraft?
Players will actually get to explore The Sift first through Minecraft Dungeons II. Across the sequel's new interconnected world, mysterious rifts can transport players into the dimension, which was described in the Minecraft LIVE recap as “beautiful, vibrant, and teeming with souls”.
Once inside, The Sift plays by its own rules. It has unique biomes, mobs, hazardous blocks, and environmental effects to deal with, including shifting tides that can affect both players and other characters nearby. Two areas, the Meadows and Carapace, have already been shown, while other parts of the dimension are being saved for players to discover themselves.
The Sift is also tied directly into Dungeons II's story. Strange things start happening across the Overworld as new enemies appear, souls begin flying through the environment, and the natural order starts breaking down. Those disturbances eventually lead back to the dimension and the soul-corrupted forces coming from it. Rifts were first teased in August alongside Minecraft Dungeons II, giving players an early look at the strange landscapes and threats waiting on the other side.
When will The Sift be playable?
The first playable version of The Sift arrives very soon. Minecraft Dungeons II launches on 29 September 2026, and The Sift will be part of the game from day one. That will be the first chance to properly explore its biomes, deal with its hazards, and encounter the creatures that live there.
Its arrival in regular Minecraft comes later. Java and Bedrock Edition will both get The Sift sometime in 2027, although no exact release date has been announced yet.
How will The Sift work in Minecraft Java and Bedrock?
This is where there are still plenty of unanswered questions. Minecraft LIVE included a brief in-development look at The Sift running in the main game, including one of the mobs that will inhabit it. Beyond that, details are still thin. There is no word yet on how players will reach the dimension, what its progression will involve, or how much of the Dungeons II version will carry across.
That also leaves some of its most interesting Dungeons II features up in the air. The shifting tides, hazardous blocks, Meadows and Carapace biomes, and its unique mobs have all been shown in the action RPG, but none of those have been confirmed for Java or Bedrock yet.
So while Dungeons II will give players their first real trip into The Sift this September, the version coming to Minecraft in 2027 could still have plenty of surprises of its own.
