Minecraft adds its first new world in over 14 years. Players reach it first in a spin-off that goes on sale on 29 September

The stories

12 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   Minecraft adds its first new world in over 14 years. Players reach it first in a spin-off that goes on sale on 29 September

   425m+

   copies of Minecraft sold

   over more than 17 years, by Xbox's own count on the day of the show [3]

   300,000

   people playing Minecraft for the first time, on an average day

   the figure Xbox's head posted; no outside count was given [3]

   4

   dimensions in Minecraft once the Sift arrives in 2027

   the Nether came in 2010 and the End in 2011 [2][1]

   What happened

   • Mojang, the studio that makes Minecraft, held its Minecraft LIVE show on Saturday 26 September. [7][1]
   • Its biggest news is a new dimension, a whole separate world that players travel to, called the Sift. [1][3]
   • Minecraft has had three dimensions since 2011: the Overworld, the Nether and the End.
   • The Sift is the first new one in more than 14 years. [1][3]
   • Players meet the Sift first in Minecraft Dungeons 2, a spin-off where friends fight through dungeons together.
   • It goes on sale on 29 September. [5][2]
   • Dungeons 2 comes out on PlayStation 5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 and PC, and on Game Pass, Xbox's subscription, on the same day. [6]
   • The Sift reaches Minecraft itself, in both main versions of the game, in 2027.
   • Mojang said almost nothing about how it will work there. [1][3]
   • The next update, which Mojang calls a game drop, adds ice caves underground.
   • They bring a new enemy, the frozen zombie, which throws ice balls. [4][2]
   • More sound effect packs come to the Minecraft Marketplace, the game's own shop, by the end of the year.
   • Kotaku expects them to cost money. [1][2]
   • Minecraft itself comes to Nintendo Switch 2 on 27 October. [1][2]
   • Asha Sharma, the new head of Xbox, wrote that more than 300,000 people play Minecraft for the first time on an average day.
   • It has sold more than 425 million copies. [3][22]
   • The show came four days after Xbox cut 268 more jobs across its studios. [1][22]

   2010The Nether

   ↓→

   2011The End

   ↓→

   2027The Sift

   Who is involved

   • Mojang the studio that makes Minecraft and Minecraft Dungeons 2; it ran the show
   • Asha Sharma the new head of Xbox, Microsoft's games business; she posted the player figures
   • Chessington World of Adventures a UK theme park; it is building a Minecraft area with a hotel and a rollercoaster
   • Minecraft players buyers of more than 425 million copies; they get the Sift in 2027

   How it unfolded

   1. 2010 The Nether is added to Minecraft [2]
   2. 2011 The End is added, and the game leaves testing as version 1.0 [2][1]
   3. Mar 2026 Minecraft Dungeons 2 is announced at an earlier Minecraft LIVE [5]
   4. 26 Sep Minecraft LIVE shows the Sift and the ice caves [1]
   5. 29 Sep Minecraft Dungeons 2 goes on sale [5]
   6. 27 Oct Minecraft comes to Nintendo Switch 2 [1]
   7. 2027 The Sift arrives in Minecraft; a Minecraft hotel and rollercoaster open at Chessington [1]

   Why it matters

   Watch what the Sift turns out to be in Minecraft itself: Mojang showed only a glimpse, so Dungeons 2 on 29 September is the only full look players get this year. [3][2]

   How it works

   A game nobody finds cannot sell, so makers go where players already look

   Most games on an open store are never seen, so makers place them beside a famous game, a big date or a festival page.

   The twist

   A good game that nobody sees earns nothing. So many makers put their first effort into standing where players are already looking.

   The picture

   5,000Wishlists hoped for

   vsvs

   750,000Wishlists in two weeks

   Step by step

   1. 1 Putting a game on Steam costs $100, so almost anyone can
   2. 2 New games arrive faster than players can look at them
   3. 3 Players find games where they already look: a famous name, a big date, a show, a festival page
   4. 4 So makers work to stand in those places
   5. 5 A game that already has a crowd starts far ahead

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • A three-person game takes GTA 6's day

     Brgames puts its game on Steam on the day GTA 6 comes out without a PC version, so it sits beside the biggest release of the year.

   • Happy Wheels draws 750,000 Steam wishlists

     A name players remembered from Flash brought 750,000 wishlists in two weeks, where its maker had hoped for 5,000.

   • Mexican and Serbian games get Steam weeks

     Hundreds of small games share one festival page, so each one stands where players are already browsing.

   • Minecraft's new world

     Mojang shows the Sift in a new spin-off first, so Dungeons 2 opens with the attention of a game that has sold 425 million copies.

   Where you've seen this

   Bookshops

   a new novel sells more on the table by the door than on a shelf at the back

   Music apps

   a new song gets played when it lands on a playlist people already follow

   Food stalls

   they set up outside a stadium on match day, where the crowd already is

   The catch

   Being seen gets a game a first look, not players who stay. Every one of Hard Shark's 217 Steam listings could be found, and the busiest never had more than 13 players at once.

   And the whole of it

   Giant publishers, tiny studios, Steam and players all shape which games get seen, and none of them can see the whole store. A player choosing a game tonight chooses from the few that happened to reach them.

   The truth

   • What is really going on Mojang is putting the first new Minecraft world in more than 14 years into Minecraft Dungeons 2, a new game that goes on sale on 29 September. [3][5]Minecraft itself, which Xbox says 300,000 people start playing every day, gets the same world in 2027. [1][3]
   • Why it works on people Showing a new world a year before it reaches the main game makes the one place it can be played now, Dungeons 2, feel like the way in.
   • Who gains Mojang, the maker of Minecraft — Dungeons 2 goes on sale on every major console and PC, and it is the only place to play in the Sift until 2027. [6][1]
   • Who pays Minecraft players who want the Sift now — They have to buy Dungeons 2 or play it on Game Pass, because Minecraft itself gets it in 2027. [1][6]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How the Sift will work inside Minecraft.

     Mojang showed only a glimpse during the show and gave no details, and Kotaku called it the biggest and least explained news of the day. [3][2]

   • Nobody knows yet

     What players will pay for the new Minecraft Marketplace sound packs.

     Polygon says they arrive by the end of the year, and no price has been given; Kotaku only expects players to pay. [1][2]

   Good news

   • More than 300,000 people play Minecraft for the first time on an average day, more than 17 years after it began.

1. 02

   Wolverine lets players switch off its hints

   What happened

   • Insomniac Games, the Sony studio behind Marvel's Wolverine, released update 1.001.006 on 25 September. [10][9]
   • It adds switches that turn off three kinds of hints: scent trails to whiskey bottles, sound clues for crates, and roots pointing to doors. [10]
   • Players had complained that the game, out on PlayStation 5 since 15 September, holds their hand too much. [9]
   • An update on 18 September had only made the trails fainter. [10]
   • Hints the studio calls story-critical stay on. [10]

   Why it matters

   The game's hints were changed twice in its first ten days on sale, both times after players complained.

   The same patch fixed a bathroom sign that players had taken as a sign of AI-made art. [9][10]

   The truth

   • Who gains Wolverine players who disliked the hints — They can now switch off scent trails, sound clues and door roots one by one. [10]
2. 03

   Arc Raiders tests a mode without fighting

   What happened

   • Embark Studios will test a version of its shooter Arc Raiders with no player-against-player fighting, from 13 to 20 October. [11]
   • In the normal game, players grab loot and try to get out with it while other players can attack them. [11]
   • Embark says about 37% of its players play as friendly teammates, a share that has grown since launch.
   • About 34% mainly fight other players. [11]
   • Loot in the test will be worth less, because the danger is lower. [11]

   Friendly teammates37%

   Mainly fight players34%

   A mix of both27%

   Why it matters

   Embark built the game around the risk of other players, and a large share of its players chose not to take it.

   Embark says the test is not a promise of a permanent mode. [11]

   The truth

   • Who pays Arc Raiders players in the October test — Loot in the fight-free version will be worth less, and Embark is watching the game's economy. [11]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Arc Raiders keeps a mode without player fighting.

     Embark says the October test does not mean a permanent mode, only that it is seriously considering one. [11]

   Good news

   • About 37 in every 100 Arc Raiders players team up with strangers instead of fighting them, and that share has grown since the game came out.
3. 04

   TinyBuild's older games earn two-thirds

   What happened

   • TinyBuild, the publisher of Hello Neighbor and Graveyard Keeper, said its revenue rose 18% to $20 million in the six months to June. [15]
   • Games already on sale made 68% of its game money. [15]
   • Games whose rights TinyBuild owns made 85%. [15]
   • Its gross profit fell 5.7% to $9.8 million, because it paid more to the outside studios behind its new hits. [15]
   • A second profit measure fell 23% to $3.2 million, because it spent more on marketing.
   • Staff stayed near 200. [15]

   Games already on sale68%

   New games32%

   Why it matters

   The older games paid for this year's launches, and getting the new ones noticed cost money.

   TinyBuild says it now plans several games that cost more than $5 million each. [15]

   The truth

   • Who pays TinyBuild — A profit measure fell 23% to $3.2 million, because it spent more on marketing its new games. [15]

   Good news

   • TinyBuild's revenue rose 18% in the first half of 2026, and its staff of nearly 200 stayed about the same size.
4. 05

   One publisher puts 29 games on Steam

   What happened

   • Hard Shark Games released 29 games on Steam on 15 September, PC Gamer reported. [13]
   • Every one is unfinished and sold in early access, and each store text opens with the same sentence. [13]
   • A Steam store page costs $100, paid back once a game earns $1,000. [13]
   • Hard Shark has 217 listings, and the busiest has never had more than 13 players at once. [13]
   • Low estimates from review counts put three of the new games at $1,783 in five days. [13]

   217Hard Shark's Steam listings

   vsvs

   13Most players at once

   Why it matters

   When a store page costs $100, many cheap games can pay even if almost nobody plays them.

   Polygon calls such copies clutter that threatens smaller studios' income. [12]

   The truth

   • What is really going on Smaller makers spent the week trying to be noticed: one publisher put 29 games on Steam in a day, and a three-person studio chose GTA 6's release day. [13][12]
   • Who gains Hard Shark Games — A $100 Steam page is paid back after $1,000 of sales, and three of its 29 games may have made $1,783 in five days by the low estimate. [13]
   • Who pays Small studios on Steam — Polygon calls cheap copies a threat to smaller developers' income, and Hard Shark's 217 listings sit on the same store as their games. [12][13]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Hard Shark Games makes money from its 29 new games.

     PC Gamer's figures are estimates from review counts, from $1,783 to about $5,350 for three of the games, and nobody outside knows what the games cost to make. [13]

5. 06

   A three-person game takes GTA 6's day

   What happened

   • Brgames Interactive, a studio in Turkey with three people by its own website's count, will put Phantom Vice Auto on Steam on 19 November. [12]
   • That is the day Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6 comes out, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox but not on PC. [12]
   • The game offers driving, shooting and a Miami-style city, and goes on sale unfinished. [12]
   • Polygon says most other publishers are keeping their games away from the six weeks around GTA 6. [12]

   Why it matters

   Rockstar leaving PC out on launch day leaves PC players without the year's biggest game.

   A tiny studio is putting its game in front of exactly those players, on exactly that day. [12]

   How it works

   Brgames puts its game on Steam on the day GTA 6 comes out without a PC version, so it sits beside the biggest release of the year.

   The idea, in story 01: A game nobody finds cannot sell, so makers go where players already look →

   The truth

   • Who gains Brgames Interactive — Its game goes on sale on Steam the day GTA 6 comes out without a PC version. [12]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether Phantom Vice Auto will be what its store page promises.

     The page promises three playable characters and a 32-player online mode, while the only trailer is more than a year old and shows driving and shooting. [12]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Why Rockstar is leaving PC out of GTA 6's release.

     Rockstar's stated reason is to serve its main players and fixed hardware first; Polygon suspects fear of illegal copies, which Rockstar has not said. [12]

6. 07

   Happy Wheels draws 750,000 Steam wishlists

   What happened

   • Happy Wheels, a gory ragdoll racing game first played in web browsers through Adobe Flash, came to Steam this week for $5. [14]
   • It has been online for 16 years. [14]
   • Its maker, Jim Bonacci, rebuilt it to run without Flash in 2020; Chrome stopped running Flash in 2021. [14]
   • Two weeks after its Steam page went up, 750,000 players had wishlisted it, marking it as a game they want.
   • He had hoped for 5,000 at best. [14]

   Why it matters

   A game players already remember starts with a crowd that a new game has to find.

   Nobody has said yet how many of those wishlists became sales. [14]

   How it works

   A name players remembered from Flash brought 750,000 wishlists in two weeks, where its maker had hoped for 5,000.

   The idea, in story 01: A game nobody finds cannot sell, so makers go where players already look →

   The truth

   • Nobody knows yet

     How many of Happy Wheels' 750,000 wishlists turn into sales.

     A wishlist is a mark of interest, not a purchase, and no sales figure has been given. [14]

   Good news

   • Happy Wheels, a web game first put online 16 years ago, had 750,000 wishlists two weeks after it got a Steam page. Its maker, Jim Bonacci, had hoped for 5,000 at best.
7. 08

   Memory costs push computer prices up

   What happened

   • Jason Chen, head of the PC maker Acer, expects PC prices to rise another 20% before they fall in the second half of 2027, Digitimes reported. [16]
   • He also said memory suppliers have a reason to push the story that costs are rising. [16]
   • Apple's new Mac mini starts at $899, $300 more than the 2024 model with the same memory and storage. [17]
   • IGN says Valve's new Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Steam Controller arrived quietly because prices rose across the board. [18]

   Why it matters

   PC prices, the Mac mini and Valve's new machines all rose with the price of memory.

   IGN links the rising costs to AI. [17][18]

   The truth

   • Who gains Memory chip suppliers — PC prices are expected to climb another 20%, and Acer's chief says suppliers have a reason to push the story that costs are rising. [16]
   • Who pays People buying a new computer — Apple's new Mac mini costs $300 more than the 2024 model with the same memory and storage. [17]
   • Nobody knows yet

     When computer prices stop rising.

     Acer's chief expects a fall in the second half of 2027, but he also says memory suppliers have a reason to talk costs up. [16]

8. 09

   Mexican and Serbian games get Steam weeks

   What happened

   • Steam is running two national game festivals until 28 September. [19]
   • The Mexican Entertainment System shows more than 300 games from over 200 Mexican studios. [19]
   • Serbian Games Week shows more than 200 games. [19]
   • A third event, Out of the Box, gathers 130 games with unusual ideas. [19]
   • Day of the Devs, a show aired on 9 December, the day before The Game Awards, takes entries from indie studios until 28 September. [19]

   Why it matters

   Each festival puts one country's small games together on a page Steam players already visit.

   Engadget says a studio does not have to pay curators large sums to get its game seen. [19]

   How it works

   Hundreds of small games share one festival page, so each one stands where players are already browsing.

   The idea, in story 01: A game nobody finds cannot sell, so makers go where players already look →
9. 10

   A Minecraft hotel and coaster for 2027

   What happened

   • Minecraft World, a Minecraft area being built at Chessington World of Adventures, a UK theme park, will include a rollercoaster called Escape the Nether. [1][2]
   • It opens in 2027 alongside the first official Minecraft hotel. [1][8]
   • Drawings released so far show wooden houses, Creepers, TNT blocks and a dining area styled on the Nether. [8]
   • The news came at the same Minecraft LIVE show as the Sift. [8]

   Why it matters

   Minecraft now sells hotel rooms and rides as well as copies of a game.

   They open in the same year the Sift reaches Minecraft itself. [1]

10. 11

    Counter-Strike 2 adds pet chickens

    What happened

    • Valve quietly added pet chickens to Counter-Strike 2, its online shooter, on 23 September; they are not in the update notes. [20]
    • A player can get an egg in the weekly reward drop, but it cannot be traded and uses up both of that week's drops. [20]
    • After a week it hatches.
    • Fed, it grows into a chicken in one of 35 looks of different rarity, and it can learn tricks. [20]

    Why it matters

    The egg costs a player the week's other free rewards, so a pet now competes with them.

    PC Gamer notes Valve added pets rather than fixing the game's anti-cheat system. [20]

11. 12

    Delta Force tests a bomb mode at two

    What happened

    • Team Jade, the studio behind the free shooter Delta Force, opens a test of Detonation, a bomb-defusal mode, on 27 September for PC and phone players. [21]
    • Consoles get it later in the year. [21]
    • The game is turning two, and a new map, Siege: Valkyrie, built on Unreal Engine 5, comes in early 2027. [21]
    • There, players from different difficulty levels will share a match for the first time, the studio says. [21]

    Why it matters

    Two years in, the studio is still adding modes, and the game now runs on PC, phones and Xbox.

    These plans come from the studio itself, so they are promises until they arrive. [21]