Minecraft 26.4 is bringing a new underground biome, freezing hazards, hostile mobs, and more building materials. Ice Caves are the main attraction, with unfamiliar terrain and threats that make exploring colder regions more challenging.
Mojang introduced the final planned gameplay features in Snapshot 7 on November 3, 2026. Whether you're exploring alone or playing with friends on a Minecraft server, here's what the upcoming update includes and how to try it early.
When Is The Minecraft 26.4 Update Coming Out?
Mojang hasn't announced a release date for the full 26.4 update. For now, its features are available in Java Edition snapshots, with Ice Caves first appearing in Snapshot 3 on October 6.
The following snapshots added more of the winter content:
- Snapshot 4 (October 13): Brittle Ice, crevasses, and Jukebox playlists.
- Snapshot 5 (October 20): Packed Ice Bricks and their variants.
- Snapshot 6 (October 27): Snow Bricks and the Cold Sulfur Cube.
- Snapshot 7 (November 3): New Calcite blocks and the Flurry music disc.
Snapshot 7 contains the final planned gameplay additions, but these are still test builds rather than the stable release.
Where To Find Ice Caves In Minecraft
Ice Caves generate underground beneath colder Overworld biomes. Their terrain is made mostly from Packed Ice and Calcite, with hanging icicles, glowing Ice Crystals, and patches of snow creating a very different environment from ordinary caves.
While exploring, you'll find:
- Icicles growing from ceilings and icy formations on the ground.
- Ice Crystals that provide natural light.
- Ore deposits inside Stone and Deepslate pockets.
- Strays and the new Frostbite zombie variant.
If you're using an existing world, travel into unexplored cold regions. Previously generated chunks won't automatically change into Ice Caves when you install the snapshot.
New Ice Cave Blocks And Environmental Hazards
Three additions are particularly important when exploring, as some of the new scenery can hurt you or collapse beneath your feet.
Icicles
Icicles look similar to Pointed Dripstone and can hang up to five blocks from Ice Cave ceilings. Falling icicles damage players and mobs beneath them, making them a hazard even before you reach the cave floor.
Landing on upward-facing icicles also increases fall damage. Their pointed sections can break when exposed to nearby light sources or placed in the Nether, which matters if you're collecting them for decorations.
Ice Crystals
Ice Crystals grow naturally in Ice Caves and emit light, replacing the Glow Lichen you'd normally see underground. They can be placed in different directions, making them useful for lighting frozen builds. Snapshot 6 also introduced ambient sounds, which Ice Crystals have a chance to play when a Packed Ice block is directly beneath them.
However, they break if the block supporting them is removed, so be careful when mining around them.
Brittle Ice
Brittle Ice can be surprisingly easy to overlook because it looks very similar to the surrounding ice blocks. If you pay close attention, you can notice differences in its surface texture, but it's easy to miss when you're busy exploring or collecting loot. Stepping onto Brittle Ice causes it to gradually crack before eventually breaking beneath you, potentially dropping you into one of the water-filled crevasses found throughout Ice Caves.
Interestingly, Frostbites can walk across Brittle Ice without breaking it, giving them an advantage when pursuing players. You can collect Brittle Ice using Silk Touch or create it when water flows against Blue Ice, so the mechanic isn't limited to naturally generated caves.
Meet The New Frostbite Zombie Mob
The Frostbite is a zombie variant that spawns in icy environments. It uses melee attacks up close and throws Ice Balls from a distance, making it harder to handle than an ordinary zombie.
Its melee attacks apply the Freezing effect, which builds up over time and can eventually damage you, much like Powder Snow. Wearing leather armor protects against freezing damage, while Snapshot 7 also added protection while you're on fire.
Defeated Frostbites can drop Ice Balls, which you can throw or use to brew Freezing potions. Killing a Frostbite with an Ice Ball also earns the "What Goes Around Comes Around" advancement.
New Building Blocks In Minecraft 26.4
The update adds several matching block sets for winter-themed houses, pathways, and larger builds.
Packed Ice Bricks
Snapshot 5 added Packed Ice Bricks, stairs, slabs, walls, and Chiseled Packed Ice. You can craft the basic bricks from Packed Ice and use a Stonecutter to produce their different shapes, giving icy builds more detail than ordinary full blocks.
Snow Bricks
Snapshot 6 introduced Snow Bricks with matching stairs, slabs, and walls. They're made from Snow Blocks and provide a brick texture for winter villages. Unlike Packed Ice Bricks, their variants aren't made with the Stonecutter; you'll need crafting recipes instead.
Calcite Blocks
Snapshot 7 expanded Calcite with pillars, polished blocks, polished bricks, and matching stairs, slabs, and walls. Several variants can be made in the Stonecutter, giving builders more ways to use Calcite's pale texture in walls and decorative details.
Other Changes Coming With Minecraft 26.4
The Cold Sulfur Cube is another new feature from Snapshot 6. When a Sulfur Cube absorbs Blue Ice, it gains the Cold archetype and can turn nearby water into Frosted Ice as it moves, similar to Frost Walker.
Jukeboxes can now play Music Discs from a chest placed directly above them, moving through the discs automatically. Snapshot 7 also added "Flurry" by Hyper Potions, a new music disc that can be found in Igloo basement chests.
How To Try Minecraft 26.4 With Friends
To test the new features in Java Edition, open the Minecraft Launcher, select Installations, and enable Snapshots. Create an installation using an available 26.4 snapshot, then launch it with a separate test world.
Multiplayer servers must run the same snapshot version as the players joining. If you're self-hosting, download the matching server file from Mojang's snapshot announcement and run it on your machine or dedicated server.
With Minecraft server hosting, snapshots may be available through your provider's control panel. On Pine Hosting, you can install Minecraft snapshots directly through the Versions tab, without replacing server files manually.
Back up any existing world before changing versions. Snapshots can contain bugs, so testing on a separate world is safest.
Explore Minecraft 26.4 With Pine Hosting
Ice Caves give groups a new place to explore, while Frostbites and the new building blocks provide plenty to experiment with together. It's an update that works especially well when everyone can jump into the same world at their own pace.
With our Minecraft server hosting, your world can stay online without one player needing to keep their PC running. You can also manage versions, backups, and server settings through our game panel as the update develops.
