Weekly · Minecraft first
The week in games, Minecraft first: updates, snapshots, launches and announcements, each with its sources.
September 26 – October 2, 2026
A huge week for Minecraft: Minecraft Live revealed The Sift, the first new dimension since The End, the same week Minecraft Dungeons II launched with it. Java's 26.4 snapshots keep reworking the renderer, and outside Minecraft The Witcher 3 got a free remaster.
The Sift joins the Overworld, Nether and End as the game's fourth dimension. It comes to Java and Bedrock Edition in 2027; Minecraft Dungeons II has it from launch. The show also covered the Minecraft World theme park and Dungeons II's story.
Sources: Nintendo Life · Wikipedia: Minecraft Live · Minecraft.net recap
A rare underground extension of cold biomes with icicles, glowing ice crystals and calcite. Its new mob, the frozen zombie, stacks a freezing effect with melee hits and throws ice balls that knock you back.
Sources: Windows Central · Nintendo Life
Mojang and Double Eleven's action-RPG sequel is out on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Switch and Switch 2, and on Game Pass from day one. A bigger, connected world, up to four players with cross-platform co-op, and the first look at The Sift.
Sources: Minecraft Wiki · Game Rant: release time
Fog at the edge of render distance now fades out instead of painting a solid colour, the lower half of the sky hides the sun, moon and stars, and the F3 debug screen is grouped into categories. 53 bug fixes; data pack format 122.1, resource pack 99.0. Snapshot 1 (September 22) made Vulkan the default renderer.
Sources: Minecraft Wiki: Snapshot 2 · Minecraft Wiki: Snapshot 1
Better performance and visuals on Switch 2, with Vibrant Visuals (directional lighting, volumetric fog) on by default and a free upgrade for existing Switch owners.
Sources: Nintendo Life · Windows Central
Out on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2, free for everyone who owns the game. It adds path tracing on PC and a rebuilt skill system (your points are reset), and every owner now gets Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.
Sources: CD PROJEKT RED · Tech Times
Out on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam (Deluxe Edition owners started three days early). It brings Ace Combat Online, a cross-platform mode the producer calls the series' biggest online mode.
Sources: Bandai Namco (Ace Combat site) · Steam
Neil Druckmann confirmed it to close out The Last of Us Day. The studio hasn't said whether they're games, what they're called, or when they'll come out, and it is not a Part III announcement.
Sources: GameSpot · PlayStation Universe
Way of the Hunter 2 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S), Transport Fever 3 (PC, Mac, Linux, PS5, Xbox Series X|S) and TOEM 2 (PC, PS5, Switch) all launched on September 29.
Sources: DLCompare: week 40 releases
