Quick answer: Minecraft Bedrock Edition 26.60 came out on October 27, 2026. To try Ice Caves, Frostbites, icicles and the new Freezing effect, update the game, create a new world, and turn on the “Drop 4 of 2026” experiment before you hit Create. Then dig down under a cold biome. Wear leather armor to stop the freeze, and bring a few light sources you can place from a distance, because icicles fall when the light gets too high.
Mojang’s last game drop of 2026 is not out yet, but Bedrock players can already explore a big chunk of it. Update 26.60 adds the ice cave features as an experiment, alongside more than 600 bug fixes and the native Nintendo Switch 2 version of Minecraft. Here is how to switch the new content on and what to expect once you are underground.
Step 1: Update to Bedrock 26.60
26.60 is a regular Bedrock update, so it should install on its own on Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and mobile. If it does not, check for updates in your console’s game menu or in your phone’s app store. You do not need the Preview or Beta program for the features in this guide. On Switch 2, Minecraft now runs natively with Vibrant Visuals. If you still own the original Switch version, read our Minecraft Switch 2 upgrade guide first.
Step 2: Turn on the Drop 4 of 2026 experiment
- Choose Play, then Create New World.
- Open the Experiments section of the world settings.
- Toggle on “Drop 4 of 2026”. Mojang lists the ice cave features under that heading in the official changelog.
- Create the world.
Experimental content is meant for testing, so do not switch it on in a survival world you care about. Make a fresh world or play in a copy. Experimental worlds also cannot earn achievements.
Step 3: Find an Ice Cave
Ice Caves are a new cave biome that generates under the colder Overworld biomes, so start in snowy or frozen terrain and dig down. You will know you have found one when the walls turn to Packed Ice and Calcite. There is no dirt, granite or glow lichen. Ores still show up in pockets of stone and deepslate, so the trip is worth more than the view.
The only natural light comes from Ice Crystals, a small glowing block that works a bit like amethyst. Mojang notes they are currently smaller than intended, so expect the caves to feel darker than the screenshots.
Step 4: Watch the ceiling
Icicles hang from the roof and act a lot like pointed dripstone. They can grow up to five blocks long, deal damage when they fall on you and add extra damage if you land on one. The catch for cave explorers is that icicles can drop when light levels get high enough. Lighting a cave with torches is normally the safe move, but here it can bring the ceiling down on your head. Place light from the edge of a room, then wait a moment before walking under it.
Step 5: Survive Freezing and the Frostbite
The new Freezing effect makes you shake, lowers your jump height and eventually starts hurting you. Leather armor stops the freeze itself, though it does not block the effect from being applied.
The Frostbite is a zombie variant that spawns in cold biomes, next to Strays in the Ice Caves. It throws Ice Balls from range and freezes you in melee. It is immune to freezing and can stand on powder snow, so do not try to trap it there. Zombies and Husks that sit in powder snow turn into Frostbites, and a Frostbite that stays underwater long enough turns back into a regular Zombie.
Step 6: Turn Ice Balls into weapons
Frostbites drop Rotten Flesh and Ice Balls. You can throw Ice Balls yourself for up to 4 damage plus knockback, with damage falling as the ball slows down. You can also brew them into Potions of Freezing, which come in normal, splash and lingering versions. Fill a cauldron with the potion and dip arrows in it to make Arrows of Freezing. Mobs that are vulnerable to freezing take five times the damage from it, so a few frozen arrows go a long way.
What else is in 26.60, and what is not yet
Outside the experiment, 26.60 renames the explorer maps (the Trial Explorer Map is now the Buried Trial Chambers Map), adds snappable trapdoor placement and fixes more than 600 bugs, 89 of them reported by the community. Switch players also get a Realms free trial.
Some features you may have seen in Mojang’s posts are still Preview and Beta only. Brittle ice, crevasses, jukebox playlists, packed ice bricks and the new snow bricks are not in the regular 26.60 build. Java players can test the drop in the 26.4 snapshots. Mojang has not given a date for the full drop, though it is expected before the end of the year.
Running a Bedrock server for friends? Our Minecraft SRV record guide shows how to give it a clean address.
Sources: Minecraft Bedrock Edition 26.60 changelog, Mojang’s drop testing hub.
