The Dungeons line is Minecraft's action branch: two games in six years, both built by Mojang Studios with Double Eleven. This page connects them, because the sequel assumes you remember how the first one ended.
The timeline
| Year | Release | Type | What it added |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Minecraft Dungeons | Base game | Mission-based dungeon crawler, four-player co-op, the Arch-Illager storyline |
| 2020-2022 | Six DLC packs | Expansions | Jungle, winter, howling peaks, ocean, nether and end themed mission packs |
| 2025 | Project Spicewood leaks | Rumor | The sequel's existence surfaces under its codename in March 2025 |
| 2026 | Minecraft Dungeons II announced | Reveal | Confirmed at Minecraft Live in March 2026 |
| 2026 | Dungeons II launches | Sequel | September 29, 2026, with the Sift dimension and rebuilt systems |
Where the story connects
Dungeons II opens precisely where the first game ended. After your party defeated the Arch-Illager, the heroes returned to their camp on Squid Coast to celebrate. The camp was attacked. The sequel's first act is helping the villagers escape across the sea to found Brave Haven, and from there the story discovers that the world's troubles did not end with the Arch-Illager: soul corruption is bleeding into the Overworld, and an Illager High Council is behind it. The new dimension the corruption leads to.
What the sequel rebuilt
The sequel is a sequel in story but closer to a redo in systems:
| System | Dungeons (2020) | Dungeons II (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| World structure | Separate missions | Interconnected regions |
| Armor slots | One piece | Four pieces |
| Combat slots | Six | Twelve |
| Passive gear | Artifacts | Artifacts plus talismans |
| Movement | No jumping | Jumping and jump attacks |
| Arrows | Finite pickups | Unlimited, self-replenishing |
| Base | A camp | The town of Brave Haven with upgradeable merchants |
Questions the series keeps getting asked
Is Dungeons canon to Minecraft? Mojang has not published an official statement on the canonical status of the Dungeons storylines. The games use Minecraft's creatures and settings freely; whether their events "happened" in the main game's world is unstated.
Why does Minecraft keep adding things from Dungeons? The main game has folded in ideas that debuted in the spin-off, which is why searches ask about the direction of borrowing. Both directions exist: the spin-off borrows settings and creatures, and the main game has adopted mechanics and mobs that appeared in Dungeons first. The practical takeaway for a Dungeons II player is that the two products develop side by side, and the crossover runs both ways. What Dungeons II itself is.
Is there a third Dungeons game? Nothing exists beyond Dungeons II. No next entry has been teased, and the sequel's DLC plans are the announced future. What the DLC says.
FAQ
Do I need to play the first game first?
No. The story hands you its context in the opening act, and the systems are rebuilt from scratch. Returning players get the emotional payoff; new players lose nothing mechanical.
Are my Dungeons 1 saves or items transferable?
No transfer has been announced. The sequel is a separate product with separate progression.
Will the first game's DLC content appear in the sequel?
Nothing announced. The two dated DLC packs for the sequel are described as new locations, not remasters of the first game's packs.