Minecraft's First New Dimension in 15 Years, The Sift, Arrives in 2027

Mojang announced during Minecraft Live that the game is receiving its first new dimension in over 15 years. Called The Sift, it will launch in vanilla Minecraft in 2027, arriving first in Minecraft Dungeons 2 on September 29.

The Sift marks the first dimension added since The End in 2011. Unlike the Nether and The End, which feel immediately hostile with dangerous hazards and aggressive mobs, The Sift was designed as a peaceful, habitable space. Minecraft Dungeons 2 creative director Mans Olson explained the design philosophy: "We thought of it more as a, kind of, different Overworld. It's this idea that it should be a place where you could see yourself living, a place that's a bit peaceful, sometimes maybe even serene. We already have two dimensions that clearly scream, 'I'm evil!'"

Visually, The Sift features red and orange stone, green vegetation, sculk-like elements, and pools of hazardous liquid called icor. While the dimension presents dangers, it avoids the oppressive atmosphere of existing dimensions. "We wanted to make sure that, although it is dangerous, it doesn't feel as hostile or as imposing as the Nether and The End," Olson said. "But rather just be an ecosystem of its own, to be rich and lush and vibrant, and provide a new color palette that's pretty different from what we've seen already."

Players will access The Sift through Ancient City portals in vanilla Minecraft, or through mysterious rifts in Minecraft Dungeons 2. The dimension will introduce new mobs including Sifters, Singers, Neesters, and Sprouts, though it remains unconfirmed which will appear in vanilla Minecraft. The Sift was originally created for Minecraft Dungeons 2's story, but Mojang developed it in close collaboration with the vanilla team to ensure it could theoretically integrate into the base game.