Minecraft Dungeons II — Release Date, Platforms, Co-op and Everything Confirmed So Far

Minecraft Dungeons II releases September 29, 2026 on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. It’s day-one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. You don’t need to have played the first Minecraft Dungeons — Mojang’s own FAQ says so directly, though it also notes you’ll get more out of the sequel if you have.

What Minecraft Dungeons II Actually Is

Per Mojang, Minecraft Dungeons II is the sequel to 2020’s Minecraft Dungeons, an action-RPG dungeon crawler distinct from mainline Minecraft’s survival/creative gameplay. It expands on the original’s weapons, enemies, and features rather than replacing them — Mojang’s framing is “all-new, yet familiar.” New missions, new enemies, and entirely new areas are confirmed; a specific plot beyond that hasn’t been detailed.

One piece of naming housekeeping worth settling: Mojang’s own FAQ confirms “Minecraft Dungeons II” and “Minecraft Dungeons 2” refer to the same game, so don’t be thrown by which version of the title you see used.

Platforms and Release

Question	Status
Release date	September 29, 2026
Platforms	Steam, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Day-one Game Pass	Yes — Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Requires Minecraft Dungeons I?	No, but recommended for a fuller experience
Co-op	Solo or up to 4 players, online and local
Pre-order bonus expires	September 28, 2026

How Co-op Works

Minecraft Dungeons II supports solo play or co-op with up to three other players — four total — across both online and local (couch) co-op. Mojang hasn’t published a platform-by-platform breakdown of exactly which co-op options are available where, so if local couch co-op specifically is a dealbreaker for your platform of choice, that’s worth confirming against Mojang’s own storefront listing for your system before buying.

Editions and Pre-Order Bonuses

Two editions are confirmed: a Standard Edition with the base game, and a Digital Deluxe Edition that adds extra cosmetics and access to the first two DLC packs once they release. Anyone who pre-orders either edition before the September 28, 2026 cutoff gets two exclusive hero skins, the Twisted Cape, and the Twisted Chicken pet — that bonus goes away once the window closes, regardless of which edition you buy. There’s also a separate cross-title reward: playing both Minecraft Dungeons I and II on the same Microsoft account unlocks a Hero Cape usable in Dungeons II and in Minecraft’s Java and Bedrock editions.

What’s New: The Sift

Mojang’s own teaser describes mysterious rifts opening across the Overworld leading to the Sift, a new dimension exclusive to Dungeons II, framed as home to “uncharted lands” and enemies unlike anything in the first game. Beyond that setup, Mojang hasn’t detailed what’s actually inside the Sift, how it fits into a broader story, or what threat specifically awaits there — treat anything more specific you see elsewhere as speculation from trailer footage rather than confirmed detail, since shown footage isn’t the same as a documented mechanic or story beat.

Do You Need to Play the First Game?

No. That’s Mojang’s own answer, not an inference — “you don’t need to play the first Minecraft Dungeons to play Minecraft Dungeons II, but you might get a better experience out of the sequel if you do.” If you’re coming in fresh, expect the sequel to work as a starting point; if you’ve played the original, you’ll likely recognize more of what’s being built on.

The Bottom Line

Three weeks out, what’s actually locked in is straightforward: a September 29 release across five platforms, day-one Game Pass access, solo-to-four-player co-op, no requirement to have played the original, and a new Sift dimension as the headline addition. Everything about what’s specifically inside that dimension, and how the story around it plays out, is still Mojang’s to reveal.

For more on what’s landing across gaming this season, see our Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave release guide, the latest on Xbox Cloud Gaming’s monthly limits, and what’s coming out of September’s Nintendo Direct. For the full picture across every platform, visit our Gaming hub.