Minecraft reveals The Sift: new dimension coming in 2027 to Java and Bedrock

• The official recap says it is planned for release in 2027 on both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition.
• If it arrives as announced, The Sift would become Minecraft’s fourth official dimension alongside the Overworld, the Nether, and the End.

What happened

Mojang unveiled The Sift on September 26, 2026 during Minecraft LIVE, introducing a new dimension for Minecraft. In the official recap, the addition is said to be coming in 2027 to both Minecraft Java Edition and Minecraft Bedrock Edition. The Minecraft.net recap explicitly lists The Sift as part of the September edition of Minecraft LIVE, while the Xbox News announcement from the same day ties the new dimension to the main game and its two major editions.

The studio calls The Sift Minecraft’s first new dimension in more than 14 years. If the announcement is fully carried through, that would bring the game to four official dimensions: the Overworld, the Nether, the End, and The Sift. IGN repeats that same wording, and @asha_shar’s post also refers to “our first new dimension in more than 14 years” during Minecraft LIVE.

During the presentation, Mojang only showed a short teaser. The studio did not explain how players will reach The Sift, how the dimension will generate, or what exact role the new world will play in vanilla Minecraft. It also has not been confirmed whether the 2027 mention is a fixed release date or a broader release window. The available sources do mention 2027, but give no month, day, or snapshot version.

The announcement appeared alongside several other reveals from the same event. In the official Minecraft.net recap, Mojang also mentions Dungeons II, ice caves, and a Minecraft World theme park. The Xbox News page also pairs The Sift with Minecraft Dungeons II in the article title, but the sources do not make clear whether that refers to the same version of the dimension or to a separate project announcement within the same show.

Background

Minecraft has not received a new official dimension since the End was introduced. That puts The Sift directly into the small group of core game dimensions, alongside the Overworld, the Nether, and the End. That makes the announcement notable within the game’s long development history, which @asha_shar’s post says now spans more than 17 years and more than 425 million copies sold.

The available information still leaves open how the new dimension will work in the main game. Mojang has not shared details about access, generation, or any differences between Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. It is also not known whether The Sift will be folded into a future game drop, or whether the studio will continue to expand on it later through snapshots, previews, or other test builds.

In the Minecraft LIVE coverage, The Sift was also mentioned alongside other reveals, including Minecraft Dungeons II. The official Minecraft.net recap also lists new content such as ice caves and a Minecraft World theme park, showing that the presentation covered multiple projects and updates. However, the sources do not make clear whether those projects are connected or simply separate announcements.

@asha_shar’s post adds one more context detail: it says more than 300,000 people play Minecraft for the first time on an average day. That figure is separate from The Sift itself, but it does show the broader marketing context in which Mojang placed the reveal. For now, the key takeaway is that Mojang has announced the dimension, 2027 is the stated timing, and the mechanical details are still unknown.

Sources

• Minecraft.net: Minecraft LIVE September 2026 recap
• IGN: "Minecraft Is Getting Its First New Dimension in Over 14 Years"
• Xbox News: official announcement page