Minecraft Bedrock: How to enable ice caves

Ice Caves are coming to Minecraft Bedrock as part of the new underground world-generation features. These environments introduce frozen blocks, crystals, icicles, and creatures that pose new dangers during exploration.

To find them on an Android phone or iPhone, players need a compatible version of the game and must enable the Drop 4 of 2026 experiment. Here's how to activate it, where to look for these caves, and what new features they include.

How to activate Ice Caves in Minecraft Bedrock

The process is practically the same on Android and iOS. First, players need to make sure Minecraft is updated to version 26.60 or later. On Android, updates can be checked through the Google Play Store, while iPhone users can check the App Store.

Once the game is updated, open Play, select Create New, and access the world settings. Under the Game section, scroll down to Experiments and enable Drop 4 of 2026. After accepting the confirmation prompt, finish configuring the world and create it.

This feature can also be enabled in an existing world. To do so, return to the Play menu, tap the pencil icon next to the selected world, and follow the same steps under Game > Experiments. Once the changes are applied, Minecraft automatically creates a copy of the world to preserve the original.

Where to find Ice Caves

After enabling the experiment, the caves will not automatically appear near the starting point. Players need to explore new underground areas, particularly beneath cold biomes such as Snowy Plains, Snowy Taigas, and Snowy Slopes.

Generation depends on the temperature of the surface biome, so there is no universal coordinate that guarantees finding an Ice Cave. In existing worlds, it is also recommended to explore new terrain, since previously generated areas will not automatically change to include these features.

What new features do Ice Caves introduce?

These caves introduce new elements that change both the environment and the exploration experience. Their main features include Packed Ice and Calcite blocks, icicles hanging from ceilings that can fall and cause damage, and ice crystals that appear on the ground and provide light. Small patches of snow can also generate inside these caves.

Players may encounter enemies such as Strays and the new Frostbites, as well as the Freezing effect, which causes shaking, reduces jump height, and can eventually deal damage.

The Frostbite and the Freezing effect

The Frostbite is a zombie variant adapted to frozen environments. It can attack players at close range, apply the Freezing effect, and throw ice balls when it keeps its distance from its target.

To stay protected while exploring, wearing leather armor is useful. It prevents players from becoming completely frozen while wearing it, although it does not remove the effect once it has been applied.

Should players enable experimental features?

Mojang warns that experimental features may cause bugs, instability, or compatibility issues with future updates. Additionally, a world using these experiments cannot return to its original state without experimental features.

For this reason, it is recommended to create a backup or use a separate world to test Ice Caves, especially if the original save contains many hours of building and exploration.

Ice Caves can be enabled in Minecraft Bedrock on mobile devices through the Drop 4 of 2026 experiment, without requiring commands, external apps, or additional modifications. Once enabled, players simply need to explore new underground areas beneath cold biomes to find them. However, bringing suitable equipment is recommended to deal with icicles, hostile creatures, and freezing effects.