The Sift Dimension in Minecraft

What is The Sift dimension?

The Sift is a brand-new dimension for Minecraft. According to the official announcement, it is “the first new dimension in over 14 years.”

In Minecraft, a dimension is a separate world with its own terrain and its own rules. Minecraft: Java Edition and Bedrock Edition currently have three of them: the Overworld, where every new world starts; the Nether; and the End.

The Sift takes a different path into the game. It appears first in Minecraft Dungeons II, a separate game, on September 29, 2026. It then comes to Minecraft Java & Bedrock in 2027. According to the Minecraft Live recap on minecraft.net, it will join the Overworld, the Nether and the End there as Minecraft’s fourth dimension.

How is The Sift different from the Nether and the End?

Here’s how The Sift compares with the two dimensions you can already visit, based only on what’s officially confirmed about The Sift so far:

	The Nether	The End	The Sift
How you get there	A Nether portal: an obsidian frame you light with flint and steel	An End portal inside a stronghold, activated with Eyes of Ender	Minecraft Dungeons II: step into one of the rifts that appear throughout the world. Java & Bedrock: not officially announced
Where it first appears	Minecraft	Minecraft	Minecraft Dungeons II (September 29, 2026)
Known areas	Several biomes, including crimson and warped forests	A central island with the Ender Dragon, plus outer islands	Meadows and Carapace; other areas not yet revealed
Standout rules	Water evaporates when placed; beds explode	No day-night cycle	“Shifting tides” that affect your character and the companions around you
In Java & Bedrock	Already in the game	Already in the game	Coming in 2027

For now, the biggest practical difference is where you can see it: The Sift isn’t in Java or Bedrock yet, and it arrives in Minecraft Dungeons II first.

When does The Sift come out?

Two dates matter:

• September 29, 2026: The Sift debuts in Minecraft Dungeons II.
• 2027: The Sift comes to Minecraft Java & Bedrock. No exact month or day has been officially announced.

Before that, The Sift was first mentioned at Gamescom and then shown in detail at Minecraft LIVE 2026. For every date in order, see when The Sift is coming to Minecraft.

How do you get to The Sift?

In Minecraft Dungeons II: According to the official announcement, you encounter The Sift in the game’s opening stages. You don’t need to play deep into the game to find it. 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. Minecraft Dungeons II is 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.

In Minecraft Java & Bedrock: How you’ll enter The Sift in the main game hasn’t been officially announced. There’s no confirmed portal, item or requirement yet.

For the step-by-step version, read how to get to The Sift.

What’s inside The Sift?

Everything in this section comes from the official Xbox Wire announcement and the Minecraft Live recap on minecraft.net, both published September 26, 2026. Everything in the table is confirmed for Minecraft Dungeons II. Mojang hasn’t said whether The Sift will be the same when it comes to Minecraft Java & Bedrock. The Sift debuts in Minecraft Dungeons II on September 29, 2026 (see when The Sift is coming), so anything not yet confirmed is marked to be updated after the September 29 launch. Nothing here is guesswork.

Feature	Confirmed for Minecraft Dungeons II	Same in Minecraft Java & Bedrock?	To be updated after the September 29 launch
Look	An entirely different, colorful look	Not confirmed	Visual details
Biomes	Meadows and Carapace; other areas kept secret	Not confirmed	Exact names, what each contains, how many there are
Mobs	All-new companions and threats, each one unique	Not confirmed	Names, behavior and drops
Blocks	Hazardous new blocks that change how you explore	Not confirmed	Which blocks they are and what they do
Rules	Shifting tides that affect you and those around you	Not confirmed	How the tides work in detail
Challenge	New environments that test your skills	Not confirmed	What those environments are

How do you know you’ve found The Sift?

According to the announcement, it happens in the opening stages of Minecraft Dungeons II. Strange events start to upend the natural order of the Overworld, new enemy types appear, and souls begin flying through the world. That’s the sign you’ve stumbled on The Sift. The Minecraft Live recap on minecraft.net adds how you get in: rifts appear throughout the game’s interconnected world, and stepping into one transports you to The Sift. For the full walkthrough, read how to get to The Sift.

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

What does The Sift look like?

The announcement describes an entirely different, colorful look compared with the rest of the world. Beyond that, no visual details have been published in writing. To be updated after the September 29 launch, along with our own screenshots.

Which biomes are in The Sift?

Two areas have been officially named, though the two official sources word them differently. The Xbox Wire announcement calls them biomes: Meadows and Carapace. The Minecraft Live recap on minecraft.net calls them areas, “the Meadow” and “the Carapace”, and later mentions exploring “the Meadows” in Dungeons II. Mojang is keeping The Sift’s other areas secret for players to discover when they play Minecraft Dungeons II.

The exact in-game names, what each area contains and how many areas The Sift has in total haven’t been announced. To be updated after the September 29 launch.

What are the shifting tides?

According to the announcement, once you enter The Sift there are new rules to learn. It also describes “shifting tides” that can affect your character and those around you.

What triggers the tides, how often they shift and what exactly they change hasn’t been announced. To be updated after the September 29 launch.

What mobs live in The Sift?

The Sift brings new mobs, both companions and threats, and the announcement says all of them are unique. Separately, new enemy types are part of the first signs that The Sift has arrived.

No mob names, stats, behaviors or drops have been announced. To be updated after the September 29 launch.

Are there new blocks in The Sift?

Yes. The announcement mentions hazardous new blocks that will change how you approach exploration. It also says new environments will put your skills to the test.

Which blocks they are, and what makes them hazardous, hasn’t been announced. To be updated after the September 29 launch.

Will The Sift in Minecraft Java and Bedrock have the same features?

That isn’t confirmed. According to the announcement, Mojang isn’t saying much yet about how the Minecraft version of The Sift will stand out from the Dungeons II version, or about how you’ll access it. So far, there has been a brief in-development look at the new dimension running.

What is confirmed: Minecraft Dungeons II gives a taste of The Sift’s mobs, blocks and biomes, and The Sift comes to Minecraft in 2027 as a whole new dimension to explore, survive and create in. The announcement points to future Minecraft LIVE events for more details, including when it arrives. See the release timeline and how to get to The Sift for what’s known today.

Is The Sift in Java and Bedrock?

It’s officially on the way: The Sift comes to Minecraft Java & Bedrock in 2027. Here’s what hasn’t been announced yet:

• The exact 2027 release date
• How you’ll enter The Sift in Java & Bedrock
• Whether Java and Bedrock get it on the same day

This page is updated as official news lands. Check the “Last updated” date at the top.