Short answer: the Sift is a new dimension in Minecraft — the fourth in the game's history and the first new one in over 14 years. It's playable today in Minecraft Dungeons II and arrives in Minecraft Java & Bedrock Edition in 2027. Below is what Mojang has confirmed, and what they're still keeping quiet.
Where the name comes from
"The Sift" wasn't always the internal name. Community datamining recorded the dimension under the codename Wellspring before Minecraft LIVE, and the rename to The Sift only happened in the run-up to the show. That detail is community-documented rather than official — treat it as trivia, not fact.
What the Sift is
The Sift is a separate reality that sits alongside the Overworld, the Nether and the End. Mojang introduced it as Minecraft's first new dimension in over 14 years, and confirmed it will join Java & Bedrock Edition as the game's fourth dimension.
In Dungeons II, the Sift announces itself before you ever set foot in it. Strange events start disrupting the natural order of the Overworld, new enemy types show up, and souls begin flying through the world. Players then discover the Sift as part of Dungeons II's main story — it's not a post-game area.
Visually it's nothing like Minecraft's existing dimensions. Mojang describes red and orange stone, green vegetation, and sculk, with a "colourful new look" that sets it apart from both the Nether's lava fields and the End's emptiness.
The Sift's biomes
Mojang has named exactly two:
- Meadows
- Carapace
That's the complete official list. Mojang has explicitly said they're keeping other areas of the Sift secret so players can discover them in Dungeons II. If you see a list of "all Sift biomes" anywhere, those names came from community datamining or from in-game location labels — not from Mojang.
How you enter the Sift
In Minecraft Dungeons II: the world is interconnected, and rifts appear throughout it. Walk into one and it transports you to the Sift. That is the only officially described entry method.
In Minecraft Java & Bedrock: unannounced. Mojang has said it isn't talking much about how players will access the Sift in the main game. No portal block, no ritual, no item — nothing has been confirmed. If a page tells you there's a Sift portal in vanilla Minecraft, it's guessing.
New mobs and mechanics
What Mojang has confirmed at a high level:
- New mobs, both companions and threats. Notably, some of them are friendly — the Sift isn't purely hostile territory.
- Shifting tides. Described as a mechanic that "can affect your character and those around you." The rules haven't been explained.
- Hazardous new blocks that change how you approach exploration.
Community playthroughs of Dungeons II have recorded far more detail than that — mob names, boss encounters, tide variants, achievements — but those records are still being compiled and revised. They haven't stabilised yet, and some sources disagree with each other — including on the boss roster. We're not printing a definitive mob list here until the in-game details can be verified; publishing a wrong list is worse than publishing a short one.
What's still unknown
- The exact 2027 release date for Java & Bedrock
- How you enter the Sift in vanilla Minecraft
- Any biome name beyond Meadows and Carapace
- How shifting tides will work in the main game
- Mob stats, drops, spawning rules and boss details
- Whether the Ice Caves drop is connected to the Sift (Mojang hasn't linked them)