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 the Minecraft:ice caves, a cave biome featuring Minecraft:icicles and Minecraft:ice crystals. It also adds the Minecraft:frozen zombie, Minecraft:ice balls, and the Minecraft:Freezing effect. It was announced at Minecraft:Minecraft LIVE – September 2026.

Additions

Blocks

File:Ice Crystals (U) pJE20260926.png Minecraft:Ice crystal

• A light source that generates in Minecraft:ice caves.

File:Icicle.png Minecraft:Icicle

• A spike block that generates as stalactite clusters in ice caves.
• Falls when a light source is nearby.

Items

Template:InvSprite Minecraft:Ice ball

• An item that may be thrown as a projectile.
  • It does more damage based on its projectile speed.

Template:AnimateSpriteMinecraft:Potion of Freezing

• Obtained by brewing an awkward potion with an Minecraft:ice ball.
• Causes the Minecraft:Freezing effect.

Template:InvSprite Minecraft:Arrow of Freezing

• A new kind of tipped arrow which causes Freezing.

Effects

File:Freezing Effect.png Minecraft:Freezing

• An effect that makes the player Minecraft:freeze, dealing damage and slowing their movement.
• Equipping a piece of leather armor shall prevent the Freezing effect.

Entities

width=55x55 Minecraft:Frozen zombie

• A zombie variant that can be found in ice caves.
  • Currently the name is still a placeholder.
• It has two modes of attacking: a melee attack and a ranged attack, similar to Minecraft:drowned.
  • Most frozen zombies use a standard melee attack, which gives Freezing.
  • Some frozen zombies spawn holding ice balls, and sometimes snowballs which they throw as a ranged attack.
• Frozen zombies holding ice balls have a chance to drop them upon being killed.

World generation

Biomes

Template:BiomeLink

• A cave biome that generates underneath frozen biomes.
• Calcite, ice, packed ice, blue ice, icicles and ice crystals can generate here.
• Ores generate as blobs beneath ice.
• Various monsters, Minecraft:strays and Minecraft:frozen zombies can spawn here.

Trivia

• The frozen zombie was originally from Minecraft:Minecraft Dungeons, making this the second mob from a spinoff game to be included in the original game, the first being the glow squid.

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
• View of the ice caves with a Minecraft:stray and Minecraft:frozen zombies in there
  View of the ice caves with a Minecraft:stray and Minecraft:frozen zombies in there

In other media

• Minecraft:Steve freezing to death in some ice
  Minecraft:Steve freezing to death in some ice