Minecraft:Fourth Drop 2026

The fourth drop of 2026 is an upcoming Minecraft:game drop that will release as Minecraft:Java Edition 26.4 and Minecraft:Bedrock Edition 26.70 in the fourth quarter of 2026. It introduces Minecraft:ice caves, a new cave Minecraft:biome featuring Minecraft:icicles, Minecraft:ice crystals, and Minecraft:brittle ice, as well as the Minecraft:frostbite, Minecraft:ice balls, the Minecraft:Freezing effect and updated Minecraft:jukeboxes. It was announced at Minecraft:Minecraft LIVE – September 2026.

Experimental features for the update will be released prior to the finalized release as part of Minecraft:Bedrock Edition 26.60.

Additions

Blocks

Template:Animate Minecraft:Brittle ice

• A fragile Minecraft:ice block that generates naturally in Minecraft:ice caves as part of Minecraft:crevasses.
• Begins to crack when stood on by players or mobs, eventually breaking.
  • The Minecraft:frostbite mob can stand on brittle ice without breaking it.
• Does not melt.
• Is created when Minecraft:water touches Minecraft:blue ice.
  • Any water block that borders the blue ice block horizontally will turn into brittle ice.
• Can only be obtained using Minecraft:Silk Touch.

File:Ice Crystal.png Minecraft:Ice crystal

• A crystal block which generates on the ground in ice caves.
• Emits a Minecraft:light level of 4.
• Can be placed on all full sides of a block, and breaks if the support block is removed.

Template:AnimateTemplate:Animate
Template:AnimateTemplate:Animate Minecraft:Icicle

• A spike block that generates as stalactites on the ceiling in ice caves.
  • Can also be placed on the ground as stalagmites.
• The column part breaks at a Minecraft:light level of 5 or above or in Minecraft:the Nether.
  • Icicle stalactites falls and deals damage depending on the height.
• Falling to a bottom icicle will increase damage.
• Like other spikes blocks, icicles can be broken by a thrown Minecraft:trident.
• Icicle stalactites will grow longer if Minecraft:packed ice is above them, unless they are in the Nether.
• It has been confirmed that Minecraft:player-placed icicles will not be affected by Minecraft:light, although this feature has not been added yet.

Items

File:Frostbite Spawn Egg BE1.png Minecraft:Frostbite spawn egg

• Used to spawn a Minecraft:frostbite.

File:Ice Ball BE1.png Minecraft:Ice ball

• A throwable Minecraft:projectile that deals damage.
• It does more damage based on its projectile speed, having a sharp deceleration like Minecraft:snowballs.
• Deals consistent knockback.
• Can be used to brew Minecraft:potions of Freezing.
• Obtained by Minecraft:frostbites, which have a chance to drop them when killed.

Template:Animate Minecraft:Potion of Freezing

• Minecraft:Brewed using an Minecraft:ice ball.
• Applies the Minecraft:Freezing effect.

File:Arrow of Freezing BE1.png Minecraft:Arrow of Freezing

• A Minecraft:tipped arrow which causes the Freezing effect.

Effects

File:Freezing JE1 BE1.png Minecraft:Freezing

• An effect version of Minecraft:powder snow freezing that causes an entity to Minecraft:freeze, dealing damage over time and slowing their movement.
• Since it had the same effect as Minecraft:powder snow freezing, it can be prevented when an entity wears a piece of Minecraft:leather armor, but will not keep the effect from being applied and will not remove the effect.
  • Minecraft:Frostbites are completely immune to Freezing, while Minecraft:snow golems, Minecraft:polar bears, and Minecraft:strays can be inflicted with it but are unaffected.
  • Mobs that are vulnerable to Freezing (Minecraft:blazes, Minecraft:magma cubes, and Minecraft:striders) have a five times multiplier to the damage taken.

Mobs

width=55x55 File:Baby Frostbite.png Minecraft:Frostbite

• A Minecraft:zombie variant that can be found in snowy biomes.
  • Zombies convert into frostbites when they stay in Minecraft:powder snow too long.
• Immune to Minecraft:Freezing.
  • Does not sink in Minecraft:powder snow nor make Minecraft:brittle ice crack.
• Burns in Minecraft:sunlight.
• It has two modes of attacking: a melee attack and a ranged attack.
  • Most frostbites use a standard melee attack, which gives the Minecraft:Freezing effect.
  • Some frostbites spawn holding Minecraft:ice balls, which they throw as a ranged attack.
• Drops Minecraft:rotten flesh and ice balls when killed, regardless if holding one or not.
• Converts into a Minecraft:zombie when underwater for 30 seconds.

World generation

Biomes

Template:BiomeLink

• A Minecraft:cave biome that generates underneath frozen, cold, or semi-cold surface biomes.
• On very rare occasions, they generate on the surface.
• Minecraft:Calcite, Minecraft:packed ice, Minecraft:icicles, Minecraft:ice crystals and sometimes patches of Minecraft:snow can generate here.
  • Giant speleothems made of packed ice can generate here.
  • Minecraft:Crevasses can generate here.
• Does not generate Minecraft:glow lichen.
• Higher chances of Minecraft:ores generating inside blobs of Minecraft:stone and Minecraft:deepslate.
• Common cave monsters along with Minecraft:strays and Minecraft:frostbites can spawn here.

Features

File:Crevasse.png Minecraft:Crevasse

• Small cracks in the terrain which generate in ice caves.
• Covered with Minecraft:brittle ice and filled with Minecraft:water below.

Sounds

Ice and its variants

• Added unique sounds for Minecraft:ice, Minecraft:packed ice, Minecraft:blue ice, and Minecraft:frosted ice.

Changes

Blocks

Minecraft:Blue ice

• When water touches blue ice, it creates Minecraft:brittle ice.

File:Jukebox JE3.png Minecraft:Jukebox

• Changed its texture.
• Placing a Minecraft:chest, Minecraft:trapped chest, or any variant of Minecraft:copper chest directly above a jukebox causes it to play Minecraft:music discs as a playlist.
  • When there is no disc currently playing in it, the jukebox takes the first available music disc in the above chest and begins playing it.
  • When the disc is finished playing, the jukebox swaps it with the next available disc in the chest and begins playing that one.
  • Discs are taken and played in slot order, skipping empty slots and other non-music-disc items and looping back to the start when it reaches the last music disc in the chest.
  • Ejecting the current disc from the jukebox while it is still playing immediately plays the next available disc.
  • If the chest has no music discs, the disc in the jukebox plays again.
  • The tooltip of the next music disc includes the text “Playing next”.

Mobs

Minecraft:Drowned, Minecraft:husk, and Minecraft:zombie

• Now are immune to freezing.
• Zombie converts into a Minecraft:frostbite when in Minecraft:powder snow for 30 seconds.
• Drowned and husk converts into a zombie when in powder snow for 30 seconds.

Gallery

Mojang images

• A view of some ice pillars and icicles from the ground in an ice cave
  A view of some ice pillars and icicles from the ground in an ice cave
• A view of the ice caves with a Minecraft:stray and Minecraft:frostbites
  A view of the ice caves with a Minecraft:stray and Minecraft:frostbites
• A frostbite in an ice cave
  A frostbite in an ice cave
• A frostbite attacking a player
  A frostbite attacking a player
• Lava flowing to an ice cave
  Lava flowing to an ice cave
• Ice crystals
  Ice crystals
• A cluster of icicles hanging from the top of an ice cave
  A cluster of icicles hanging from the top of an ice cave
• Minecraft:Kai with the Freezing effect and a potion of Freezing
  Minecraft:Kai with the Freezing effect and a potion of Freezing
• Adult and baby frostbites inside an ice cave
  Adult and baby frostbites inside an ice cave
• An ice cave illuminated by ice crystals and the eyes of a Minecraft:stray
  An ice cave illuminated by ice crystals and the eyes of a Minecraft:stray
• A crevice inside the ice cave biome
  A crevice inside the ice cave biome
• Minecraft:Makena relaxing on a red cushion in an igloo, next to a jukebox.
  Minecraft:Makena relaxing on a red cushion in an igloo, next to a jukebox.
• Minecraft:Ari walking on brittle ice
  Minecraft:Ari walking on brittle ice
• A brittle ice crevasse
  A brittle ice crevasse

Official artwork

• Minecraft:Steve freezing in some ice. Above them, item and block content from the game drop announced in the Minecraft live can be seen
  Minecraft:Steve freezing in some ice. Above them, item and block content from the game drop announced in the Minecraft live can be seen