Fourth Drop 2026

The fourth drop of 2026 brings a frozen twist to Minecraft’s underground, introducing Ice Caves, Brittle Ice, Frostbites, and new ways to use ice in combat. Updated Jukeboxes also bring chest-powered playlists to the game. Announced at Minecraft LIVE – September 2026, the upcoming game drop is planned for Java Edition 26.4 and Bedrock Edition 26.70 in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Early features were introduced through experimental testing in Bedrock Edition 26.60.

Additions

Blocks

Brittle Ice - Normal Brittle Ice

A fragile ice block found naturally in Ice Caves.
Does not melt.
Forms when water comes into contact with Blue Ice.
Breaks after an entity stands on it for 4 seconds, or when jumped on.
Requires Silk Touch to collect.

Ice Crystals Ice Crystal

A crystal block that grows on the floor of Ice Caves.
Emits a light level of 4.
Can be attached to any full block face.

Icicle Icicle

An icy spike that hangs from Ice Cave ceilings as a stalactite.
- Can also be placed upright as a stalagmite.
Its column breaks at light levels of 5 or higher, or in the Nether.
- Hanging icicles can fall and damage entities, with damage depending on the fall height.
Landing on an upward-pointing icicle increases fall damage.
A thrown Trident can break an icicle.
Hanging icicles can grow beneath Packed Ice outside the Nether.
Player-placed icicles are planned to resist light-induced breaking; this behavior has not yet been implemented.

Items

Frostbite Spawn Egg

Used to spawn a Frostbite.

Ice Ball

A throwable projectile that damages entities on impact.
Damage scales with projectile speed. Like Snowballs, Ice Balls slow sharply as they travel.
Can be used to brew potions of Freezing.
Can drop from defeated Frostbites.
Deals consistent knockback.

Potion of Freezing Potion of Freezing

Brewed using an Ice Ball; available in regular, splash, and lingering forms.
Applies the Freezing effect.

Arrow of Freezing

A Tipped Arrow that applies Freezing to its target.

Mobs

Baby Frostbite Frostbite

A Zombie variant found in snowy biomes and Ice Caves.
- Zombies convert into Frostbites after 30 seconds in Powder Snow. Husks first convert into Zombies.
Immune to Freezing.
- Walks over Powder Snow without sinking and over Brittle Ice without cracking it.
Burns in sunlight.
Uses either melee or ranged attacks.
- Most attack at close range, applying Freezing.
- Some spawn holding Ice Balls and throw them at their targets.
Can pick up and use Spears, but does not perform their charge attack.
Can drop Rotten Flesh and Ice Balls when defeated, including when it was not holding an Ice Ball.
Converts back into a Zombie after 30 seconds underwater.

Effects

EffectSprite Freezing Freezing

A status effect that reproduces Powder Snow freezing, slowing movement and dealing damage over time.
Wearing any piece of Leather Armor prevents the freezing consequences, but does not stop the status effect from being applied or remove it.
- Frostbites are immune. Snow Golems, Polar Bears, and Strays can receive the effect but are unaffected by it.
- Blazes, Magma Cubes, and Striders take five times the freezing damage.

World Generation

Biome Sprite - Ice Caves Ice Caves

An underground biome beneath frozen, cold, and semi-cold surface biomes.
Can rarely appear at the surface.
Contains Calcite, Packed Ice, Icicles, Ice Crystals, and occasional snow patches.
- Giant Packed Ice formations rise from the floor and hang from the ceiling.
- Deep crevasses can form beneath Brittle Ice, with pools of water below.
Does not generate Glow Lichen.
Ore is more likely to generate within its Stone and Deepslate deposits.
Hosts familiar cave monsters alongside Strays and Frostbites.

Sounds

Ice Ice and it's variants

Ice, Packed Ice, Blue Ice, and Frosted Ice gain distinct sounds.

Changes

Blocks

Blue Ice

Water touching Blue Ice forms Brittle Ice.

Jukebox_V2 Jukebox

Updated the Jukebox texture.
Place a single Chest, Trapped Chest, or Copper Chest variant directly above a Jukebox to turn its Music Discs into a playlist. Ender Chests and double chests are not supported.
Discs play in chest slot order. Empty slots and other items are skipped, and the playlist loops after its final disc.
When no disc is playing, the Jukebox takes the first available Music Disc from the chest and starts playback.
At the end of a track, the current disc returns to the chest and the next available disc begins playing.
If no Music Discs remain in the chest, the disc already in the Jukebox plays again.
Ejecting a disc while it is playing immediately starts the next available disc.
The next disc in the queue displays Playing Next in its tooltip.