TL;DR: Sulfur caves are a new underground biome added in the Minecraft 26.2 Chaos Cubed update.
Look for a bubbling sulfur spring on the Overworld surface — a cave is always directly below it.
Dig a staircase down beside the spring to enter safely. Do not dig straight through the pool.
Use /locate biome minecraft:sulfur_caves in chat if you have cheats enabled.
Inside you will find sulfur blocks, cinnabar blocks, geysers, and the sulfur cube mob.

How to find sulfur caves in Minecraft is one of the top questions since the Chaos Cubed update (version 26.2) released on June 16, 2026. This free update adds a bright yellow and deep red underground biome full of new blocks, dangerous gas pools, and a brand new mob. This guide tells you exactly where sulfur caves generate, how to spot them from the surface, and what to do once you are inside. If you are new to exploration in Minecraft, check out our guide on how to find the Ancient City in Minecraft for more underground navigation tips.

Table of Contents

What Are Sulfur Caves in Minecraft?

Sulfur caves are a new underground cave biome introduced in the Chaos Cubed game drop. The walls are made of bright yellow sulfur blocks and deep red cinnabar blocks. The floors contain pools of bubbling water that leak noxious gas into the air. The biome has a volcanic, geothermal feel unlike anything else in the game.

This is also the only biome where the new sulfur cube mob spawns. The update is available on both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition for free. You can try features right now through Java snapshots or the Minecraft Bedrock Preview program before the full stable release.

Want a full list of every block type in the game? See our complete Minecraft blocks list.

Where Do Sulfur Caves Generate in Minecraft?

Sulfur caves generate underground below most Overworld terrain. They do not spawn under oceans or under high mountain peaks. The biome generates at roughly the same depth as lush caves and dripstone caves, so you do not need to mine all the way down to bedrock level to find one.

In very rare cases, a sulfur cave can generate partially on the surface. This happens near mountain rings or tall oceanic cliffs, where the biome leaks upward. These surface exposures are flat, filled with gas pools and geysers, and look dramatically out of place. They are uncommon, so do not count on finding one this way.

How to Find Sulfur Caves in Minecraft — Step by Step

Method 1: Look for a Sulfur Spring on the Surface

This is the fastest and most reliable method. A sulfur spring is a small surface pool surrounded by sulfur blocks, cinnabar blocks, sulfur spikes, and stone. You will see bubbling water and gas or steam rising from the pool. It looks very different from normal terrain, so it stands out easily as you travel.

The key rule to remember: a sulfur spring never generates without a sulfur cave directly below it. Every spring is a free signpost pointing straight down to the biome.

Here is how to use a sulfur spring to enter the cave:

Travel across the Overworld surface. Using an Elytra makes this much faster.
Watch for a small yellow and red pool with bubbling water and rising gas.
Once you spot a spring, note the coordinates. Take a screenshot or place a sign.
Stand beside the spring, not inside it. Gas from the pool causes the Nausea effect.
Dig a staircase downward next to the pool, placing torches as you descend.
Keep digging until the walls around you turn yellow and red. You are inside the sulfur cave.

Do not dig straight down through the middle of the sulfur pool. There can be open drops, mob spawns, and gas hazards directly below. A staircase dig from the side is always safer.

Method 2: Use the /locate Command

If you have cheats enabled in your world, this is the quickest approach. Open the chat and type:

/locate biome minecraft:sulfur_caves

The game returns the coordinates of the nearest sulfur cave biome. Click the coordinates in chat to teleport directly to the location. This method works in both Java and Bedrock editions. Note that this command finds underground sulfur caves. The rare surface-exposed versions are not a separate biome type and cannot be located this way.

Method 3: Mine Through Existing Caves

If you are already underground exploring a cave system, you can reach a sulfur cave through normal mining. The biome generates at similar depths to lush caves and dripstone caves. Keep digging and exploring existing tunnels. The moment the walls change from grey stone to bright yellow sulfur and dark red cinnabar, you have entered the biome. This method takes longer but works without cheats and without needing to surface scan first.

Method 4: Use a Seed Map Tool

Third-party seed map websites let you enter your world seed and see exactly where sulfur cave biomes generate. This is useful if you want to find one without any surface exploration at all. Check sites like Chunkbase or similar tools and look for the sulfur caves biome layer. This also helps locate the rare surface-exposed sulfur caves, which the /locate command cannot find.

What to Watch Out for Inside Sulfur Caves

Noxious Gas from Sulfur Pools

The sulfur pools inside the biome are the main danger. Potent sulfur blocks sit at the bottom of these pools and release a cloud of noxious gas that rises upward and spreads across the water surface. Any player or mob that touches the gas receives the Nausea effect, which badly distorts your screen. Drink milk to clear the effect quickly. Do not stand inside suspicious bubbling pools for long. Bridge over them or walk around them when possible.

Geysers

When potent sulfur sits above a magma block under one to four water blocks, it creates a geyser that erupts roughly every 50 seconds. The geyser launches nearby players and mobs upward for a short time without dealing direct damage. If a lava source is underneath instead of water, the geyser erupts continuously. Watch your footing near any bubbling column of water in the biome.

Sulfur Cube Mob

The sulfur cube is a new passive mob that only spawns in sulfur caves. You can feed it blocks and it changes its movement behavior depending on what block you give it. Feed it a wooden block and it becomes buoyant and bouncy. Feed it a wool block and it becomes slow and floaty. Feed it TNT and it becomes explosive — useful for creative players but risky near your builds. You can pick up a sulfur cube using a bucket to transport it back to your base safely.

What Blocks Can You Find in Sulfur Caves?

The two main new block sets from this biome are sulfur and cinnabar. Both come with a full set of variants including stairs, slabs, walls, bricks, polished versions, and chiseled versions.

Sulfur Block: Bright yellow with a crystalline texture. Mine with any pickaxe. Great for yellow accent builds, desert builds, and futuristic structures.
Cinnabar Block: Deep red veins running through the cave walls. Requires at least a stone pickaxe. Works well for accent walls and contrasting color builds alongside the yellow sulfur.
Potent Sulfur: A rarer variant that drops from sulfur spikes. It glows brighter than regular sulfur and can be used in certain building interactions. Found most often near the bottom of sulfur pools.

If you enjoy collecting new block types, also check out our guides on all wood block variants and all terracotta block variants for more building options.

Bonus: Abandoned Mineshafts Near Sulfur Caves

If you find an abandoned mineshaft that intersects with a sulfur cave, loot every chest you find there. Chests in mineshafts that overlap with sulfur caves have a chance to drop the brand new “Bounce” music disc. This disc is currently exclusive to this overlap scenario, making it one of the rarer collectibles in the Chaos Cubed update.

Is the Chaos Cubed Update Free?

Yes. The Chaos Cubed update is a free addition to your existing copy of Minecraft. You do not need to pay anything extra to access sulfur caves, the sulfur cube mob, or the new block sets. The update is available on both Java and Bedrock editions. You can get Minecraft on the official Minecraft website, through Xbox, or try the mobile version on Google Play.

For more exploration guides, see how to find a Woodland Mansion, how to find Trial Chambers, and our list of the best Minecraft seeds for 2026.