Ice Caves

For the sub dungeon in Minecraft Dungeons, see Dungeons:Ice Caves.

For the location in Minecraft Dungeons II, see Dungeons II:Ice Caves.

This article describes content that is currently in development.

This content has appeared in development versions for Fourth Drop 2026, but the full update adding it has not been released yet.

Ice Caves

Lit

Natural

Climate
Structures	Woodland Mansion‌^{[BE only]}
Blocks	Packed Ice Brittle Ice Ice Snow Icicle Ice Crystal Calcite
Temperature	0.0
Downfall	0.0
Precipitation	No^{[verify for Java Edition]}
Snow accumulation‌^{[BE only]}	0.125-0.25
Colors
Fog color	#14559b
Grass color	#80b497
Foliage color	#60a17b
Dry foliage color	#8f7a5a
Water color	#14559b ^{[verify for Bedrock Edition]}
Water fog color	?
Vibrant Visuals
Atmospherics	Ice Plains Spikes
Lighting	Ice Plains Spikes
Volumetric fog	Ice Plains Spikes
Color grading	Ice Plains Spikes

Ice caves are cave biomes composed of packed ice, snow, and calcite. Strays and frostbites spawn here, and they are the only place where icicles and ice crystals naturally generate.

Generation

Ice caves generate as cave biomes at lower temperatures, typically below snowy biomes such as snowy plains, snowy taigas, and frozen oceans. They also sometimes generate below less-cold biomes like taigas.

The biome tends to generate at very high weirdness values. Ice caves are more common near oceans, while very high humidities reduce ice cave frequency.

Ice caves may intersect with lush caves when humidity increases, and less commonly, dripstone caves when continentalness increases. Sulfur caves can never border ice caves, but can generate nearby, usually separated by a river on the surface.

White shading on the graph indicates how far above the approximate seabed height (Y-axis) ice caves may generate in oceans at different weirdness values (X-axis).

In oceans, ice caves can rarely generate above the seabed at weirdness values above 1.25. It is much rarer for ice caves to generate above oceans or land, requiring even higher weirdness values. Ice caves may leak out of cave openings or ravines.

Description

The walls of ice caves consist of packed ice with some calcite blobs. The floor is covered with patches of snow and ice crystals, and icicles hang on the ceiling. Crevasses generate on the floor, consisting of brittle ice with water below.

Blobs of stone and deepslate generate throughout the packed ice. This allows ores and other stone variants like diorite and andesite to generate. Glow lichen, dirt, and granite do not generate, unlike in other cave biomes.

Water exposed to the sky freezes to ice, but in underground caves, the water from aquifers remains fluid. The light from lava lakes can sometimes cause icicles to fall down and damage mobs. Ice caves are a dry biome with no snowfall,^{[verify for Java Edition]} but existing snow does not melt.

Frostbites and strays spawn in ice caves, as well as common monsters. Glow squid and drowned can spawn in aquifers.

Like other cave biomes, woodland mansions may generate in ice caves, but this is nearly impossible.‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Ice caves use the same graphical settings as ice spikes with Vibrant Visuals. Atmospherics are gray, both at horizon and zenith, and there are barely any color changes during sunset and sunrise. Sunlight is half as bright, and tinted pale blue during the entire day. Volumetric fog effects increase these effects, and the biome has the coldest color grading temperature of all biomes.

Fog in Fancy graphics is dark blue, and the water color is slightly darker.

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Mobs

In **Java Edition**
Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Creeper	¹⁰⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Slime^{[note 1]}	¹⁰⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Spider	¹⁰⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Skeleton	⁹⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Zombie	⁵⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Frostbite	⁵⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Stray	¹⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Enderman	¹⁰⁄₅₂₀	1–4
Witch	⁵⁄₅₂₀	1
Zombie Villager	⁵⁄₅₂₀	1
Creature category
Glow Squid	1	2–4
Ambient category
Bat	1	8

↑ Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

{ "hasNotes": true, "notes": { "Slime": "Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks." }, "1": { "totalWeight": 520, "mobs": [ { "size": "4", "mob": "Creeper", "weight": 100 }, { "note": "Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.", "mob": "Slime", "weight": 100, "notename": "Slime", "size": "4" }, { "size": "4", "mob": "Spider", "weight": 100 }, { "size": "4", "mob": "Skeleton", "weight": 90 }, { "size": "4", "mob": "Zombie", "weight": 50 }, { "size": "4", "mob": "Frostbite", "weight": 50 }, { "size": "4", "mob": "Stray", "weight": 10 }, { "size": "1-4", "mob": "Enderman", "weight": 10 }, { "size": "1", "mob": "Witch", "weight": 5 }, { "size": "1", "mob": "Zombie Villager", "weight": 5 } ], "category": "monster" }, "2": { "totalWeight": 10, "mobs": [ { "size": "2-4", "mob": "Glow Squid", "weight": 10 } ], "category": "creature" }, "3": { "totalWeight": 10, "mobs": [ { "size": "8", "mob": "Bat", "weight": 10 } ], "category": "ambient" } }

In **Bedrock Edition**
Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Creeper	100	1
Drowned^{[note 1]}	100	2–4
Slime^{[note 2]}	100	1
Skeleton	90	1–2
Zombie^{[note 3]}	50.05	2–4
Frostbite	50	2–4
Spider	50	1
Stray	10	1–2
Enderman	10	1–2
Witch	5	1
Zombie Villager^{[note 4]}	4.95	2–4
Creature category
Glow Squid	1	2–4
Ambient category
Bat	1	2

↑ Adult drowned wielding a trident have a 50% chance of spawning mounted on a zombie nautilus.
↑ Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
↑ Internally a 91% chance within a combined weight of 55 for both zombies and zombie villagers.
↑ Internally a 9% chance within a combined weight of 55 for both zombies and zombie villagers.

{ "hasNotes": true, "notes": { "Zombie Villager": "Internally a 9% chance within a combined weight of 55 for both zombies and zombie villagers.", "Drowned": "Adult drowned wielding a trident have a 50% chance of spawning mounted on a [[zombie nautilus]].", "Slime": "Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.", "Zombie": "Internally a 91% chance within a combined weight of 55 for both zombies and zombie villagers." }, "1": { "totalWeight": 570, "mobs": [ { "size": "1", "mob": "Creeper", "weight": 100 }, { "note": "Adult drowned wielding a trident have a 50% chance of spawning mounted on a [[zombie nautilus]].", "mob": "Drowned", "weight": 100, "notename": "Drowned", "size": "2-4" }, { "note": "Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.", "mob": "Slime", "weight": 100, "notename": "Slime", "size": "1" }, { "size": "1-2", "mob": "Skeleton", "weight": 90 }, { "note": "Internally a 91% chance within a combined weight of 55 for both zombies and zombie villagers.", "mob": "Zombie", "weight": 50.05, "notename": "Zombie", "size": "2-4" }, { "size": "2-4", "mob": "Frostbite", "weight": 50 }, { "size": "1", "mob": "Spider", "weight": 50 }, { "size": "1-2", "mob": "Stray", "weight": 10 }, { "size": "1-2", "mob": "Enderman", "weight": 10 }, { "size": "1", "mob": "Witch", "weight": 5 }, { "note": "Internally a 9% chance within a combined weight of 55 for both zombies and zombie villagers.", "mob": "Zombie Villager", "weight": 4.95, "notename": "Zombie Villager", "size": "2-4" } ], "category": "monster" }, "2": { "totalWeight": 10, "mobs": [ { "size": "2-4", "mob": "Glow Squid", "weight": 10 } ], "category": "creature" }, "3": { "totalWeight": 10, "mobs": [ { "size": "2", "mob": "Bat", "weight": 10 } ], "category": "ambient" } }

Sounds

Music

Ice caves reuse the sulfur caves music set. These music tracks play while the player is in the ice caves:

Title	Preview	Java Edition		Bedrock Edition
Title	Preview	Weight	Probability	Weight	Probability
Ebb		2	11.76%	2	13.33%
Nightly		2	11.76%	—	—
Shores		2	11.76%	2	13.33%
An Ordinary Day		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Danny		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Deeper		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Eld Unknown		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Endless		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Infinite Amethyst		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Key		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Oxygène		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
pokopoko		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Subwoofer Lullaby		1	5.88%	1	6.67%
Wending		1	5.88%	1	6.67%

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Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Ice Caves	`ice_caves`	`biome.minecraft.ice_caves`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID
[No displayed name]	`ice_caves`	`196`

Biome Definition

Press "show" to display json contents

{
  "attributes": {
    "minecraft:audio/background_music": {
      "default": {
        "max_delay": 24000,
        "min_delay": 12000,
        "sound": "minecraft:music.overworld.sulfur_caves"
      }
    },
    "minecraft:gameplay/natural_mob_spawns": {
      "argument": {
        "spawn_costs": {},
        "spawns_by_category": {
          "ambient": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:bat",
              "count": 8,
              "weight": 10
            }
          ],
          "monster": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:creeper",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 100
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:skeleton",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 90
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:stray",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 10
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:frostbite",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 50
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:slime",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 100
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:spider",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 100
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:zombie",
              "count": 4,
              "weight": 50
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:enderman",
              "count": {
                "type": "minecraft:uniform",
                "max_inclusive": 4,
                "min_inclusive": 1
              },
              "weight": 10
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:witch",
              "count": 1,
              "weight": 5
            },
            {
              "type": "minecraft:zombie_villager",
              "count": 1,
              "weight": 5
            }
          ],
          "underground_water_creature": [
            {
              "type": "minecraft:glow_squid",
              "count": {
                "type": "minecraft:uniform",
                "max_inclusive": 4,
                "min_inclusive": 2
              },
              "weight": 10
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      "modifier": "overlay"
    },
    "minecraft:visual/fog_color": "#14559b",
    "minecraft:visual/sky_color": "#7fa1ff",
    "minecraft:visual/water_fog_color": "#14559b"
  },
  "carvers": [
    "minecraft:cave",
    "minecraft:cave_extra_underground",
    "minecraft:canyon"
  ],
  "downfall": 0.0,
  "effects": {
    "water_color": "#14559b"
  },
  "features": [
    [],
    [
      "minecraft:lake_lava_underground",
      "minecraft:lake_lava_surface"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:amethyst_geode",
      "minecraft:large_icicle"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:monster_room",
      "minecraft:monster_room_deep"
    ],
    [],
    [],
    [
      "minecraft:ore_diorite_upper",
      "minecraft:ore_diorite_lower",
      "minecraft:ore_andesite_upper",
      "minecraft:ore_andesite_lower",
      "minecraft:ore_tuff",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_coal_upper",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_coal_lower",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_iron_upper",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_iron_middle",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_iron_small",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_gold",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_gold_lower",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_redstone",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_redstone_lower",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_diamond",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_diamond_medium",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_diamond_large",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_diamond_buried",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_lapis",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_lapis_buried",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_copper",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_gravel",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_diorite_upper",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_diorite_lower",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_andesite_upper",
      "minecraft:ice_cave_ore_andesite_lower",
      "minecraft:disk_sand",
      "minecraft:disk_clay",
      "minecraft:disk_gravel"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:snow_layers",
      "minecraft:ice_crystals",
      "minecraft:icicle_cluster"
    ],
    [
      "minecraft:spring_water",
      "minecraft:spring_lava"
    ],
    [],
    [
      "minecraft:freeze_top_layer"
    ]
  ],
  "has_precipitation": true,
  "temperature": 0.0
}

Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Adventuring Time	Discover every biome	Visit all of these 56^{[until: Fourth Drop 2026]}/57^[upcoming] biomes: Badlands Bamboo Jungle Beach Birch Forest Cherry Grove Cold Ocean Dappled Forest Dark Forest Deep Cold Ocean Deep Dark Deep Frozen Ocean Deep Lukewarm Ocean Deep Ocean Desert Dripstone Caves Eroded Badlands Flower Forest Forest Frozen Ocean Frozen Peaks Frozen River Grove Ice Caves Ice Spikes Jagged Peaks Jungle Lukewarm Ocean Lush Caves Mangrove Swamp Meadow Mushroom Fields Ocean Old Growth Birch Forest Old Growth Pine Taiga Old Growth Spruce Taiga Pale Garden Plains River Savanna Savanna Plateau Snowy Beach Snowy Plains Snowy Slopes Snowy Taiga Sparse Jungle Stony Peaks Stony Shore Sunflower Plains Sulfur Caves Swamp Taiga Warm Ocean Windswept Forest Windswept Gravelly Hills Windswept Hills Windswept Savanna Wooded Badlands The advancement is only for Overworld biomes. Other biomes may also be visited, but are ignored for this advancement.

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History

Announcement

February 20, 2021							kingbdogz says ice caves might be cool.
September 26, 2026							Ice caves have been announced at Minecraft LIVE – September 2026.

Java Edition

Upcoming Java Edition
26.4			snap3				Added ice caves.
26.4			snap4				Crevasses now generate ice caves with Brittle ice on top.

Bedrock Edition

Upcoming Bedrock Edition
26.60 Experiment Drop 4 of 2026	Preview 26.60.29	Added ice caves.
26.70	Preview 26.70.20	All features from the "Drop 4 of 2026" experiment have been fully implemented.
26.70	Preview 26.70.20	Brittle ice now generates in ice caves.

Issues

Issues relating to "Ice Caves" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Gallery

Screenshots

Mineshafts in some large ice caves
Inside a mineshaft in ice caves, with melting icicles
An aquifer in an ice cave
A lava lake in an ice cave
Ice caves and lush caves together
The blue classic fog in ice caves
The extremely rare occurence of ice caves on the surface, on mushroom fields
An ice caves single biome world with a woodland mansion in the distance in Bedrock Edition