Minecraft's First New Dimension in 15 Years: The Sift

Did you ever think Minecraft would get a brand-new dimension? Well, after more than 15 years, it's finally happening. During today's Minecraft Live, Mojang revealed The Sift, the game's first new dimension since The End arrived back in 2011. That's a huge deal for a sandbox that has pretty much seen it all.

So what exactly is The Sift? It's an ethereal fourth dimension that was first created for Minecraft Dungeons 2. But now it's been confirmed that it's also coming to the base game in 2027. Unlike the Nether and The End, which greet you with fire, lava, and angry mobs, The Sift is designed to feel like somewhere you could actually settle down. "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," said Minecraft Dungeons 2 creative director Mans Olson in an interview with GameSpot. "We already have two dimensions that clearly scream, 'I'm evil!'"

That doesn't mean The Sift is totally safe, though. In Minecraft Dungeons 2, the dimension is under threat from the Illagers, which puts its ecosystem in danger. Olson explained, "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. 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." So expect red and orange stone, green vegetation, sculk-like elements, and pools of a hazardous liquid called icor. Sounds like a mix of beauty and danger.

How will you get there? In Minecraft Dungeons 2, you'll step through mysterious rifts opening across the Overworld. For vanilla Minecraft, the likely entry point is Ancient City portals, which would give players more control over the experience. While Minecraft Dungeons 2 will feature multiple new mobs in The Sift—like Sifters, Singers, Neesters, and Sprouts—it's not yet confirmed which of those will make the jump to the main game.

The Sift was originally born out of necessity for Minecraft Dungeons 2's story, but the developers worked closely with the vanilla Minecraft team throughout its creation. "When we do something new, we always look at, like, is there something there that we can reuse, or modify, or change that will suit the purpose? If there isn't, the new thing that we do, could it be added to [vanilla] Minecraft?" Olson said. "That doesn't mean that it will or that it has to, but we want to make sure that everything could theoretically fit in there."

So when can you explore The Sift? It first appears in Minecraft Dungeons 2, which launches on September 29. After that, it arrives in vanilla Minecraft in 2027. That's still a wait, but after 15 years without a new dimension, what's a little longer?

What do you think of The Sift? Are you excited for a more peaceful dimension, or do you prefer your Nether chaos? Let us know in the comments!