How to Get to The Sift in Minecraft

How do you get to The Sift right now?

Three steps, all based on the official announcement:

1. Get Minecraft Dungeons II. It’s listed for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, and it’s on Game Pass from day one.
2. Play from September 29, 2026. That’s the day The Sift debuts in Minecraft Dungeons II.
3. Start a new game and look for a rift. You encounter The Sift in the game’s opening stages, so there’s no late-game grind before you get there. According to the Minecraft Live recap on minecraft.net, rifts appear throughout Dungeons II’s interconnected world, and stepping into one transports you to The Sift.

Where the first rift appears hasn’t been officially detailed. To be updated after the September 29 launch.

What does entering The Sift require?

In Minecraft Dungeons II: You need access to the game on one of the listed platforms; it’s also on Game Pass from day one. Beyond that, no special item, level or unlock has been officially announced. The Sift shows up in the opening stages, and a rift takes you in. The exact price of Minecraft Dungeons II hasn’t been officially announced.

In Minecraft Java & Bedrock: The requirements haven’t been officially announced. There’s no confirmed portal, key item, boss fight or progression step yet.

Is there a portal to The Sift?

In Minecraft Dungeons II, the way in is a rift. According to the Minecraft Live recap on minecraft.net, rifts appear throughout the game’s interconnected world, and if you step into one, it transports you to The Sift.

In Minecraft Java & Bedrock, nothing official yet. How players will enter The Sift there hasn’t been detailed, so whether it uses rifts, a portal or something else, and what that would be built from, is unknown.

Any portal designs or recipes you see before an official reveal are guesses, not confirmed information.

How do portals work for the Nether and the End today?

This is how the existing dimensions work in Minecraft Java & Bedrock. It’s here for context, not as a prediction for The Sift.

• Nether portal: Build a rectangular frame of obsidian, at least 4 blocks wide and 5 blocks tall (the corners are optional). Light the inside with flint and steel or a fire charge.
• End portal: Craft Eyes of Ender from ender pearls and blaze powder, then throw them to follow their path to a stronghold. Inside, find the portal room and place an Eye of Ender in every empty End portal frame. There are 12 frames in total.

Whether The Sift will use anything like either of these hasn’t been officially announced.

What should you know before you enter The Sift?

Only a few things are officially confirmed, but they’re worth knowing going in:

• Shifting tides affect your character and the companions around you.
• Dangerous new blocks are part of The Sift. Which blocks, and why they’re dangerous, hasn’t been detailed.
• All-new mobs live there, both new companions and new enemies.
• Meadows and Carapace are the two officially named biomes.

For more on each of these, read the complete guide to The Sift dimension.

When can you get to The Sift in Java and Bedrock?

The Sift comes to Minecraft Java & Bedrock in 2027. The exact date hasn’t been officially announced. The release timeline has every official date in one place.