Snowy Plains

The snowy plains or ice plains are snow-covered grassland biomes in the Overworld that usually generate near other snowy biomes.

Generation

Snowy plains generate in areas with very low temperature and low to medium humidity, more frequently at negative weirdness. They can border plains, snowy taigas, ice spikes, forests and windswept gravelly hills.

At higher elevations, snowy plains give way to snowy slopes, jagged peaks and frozen peaks, less frequently to groves. Regular snowy plains are often separated from ice spikes or snowy taigas by frozen rivers.

In coastal areas, snowy plains border frozen oceans, with snowy beaches or stony shores generating along the coastline.

Description

Snowy plains are plains covered with snow layers, which are often stacked in Bedrock Edition due to a higher snow accumulation. Aquifers and springs freeze over soon after generation due to the temperature if not exposed to light; thus, sugar cane that generates alongside water sources often uproot itself shortly after. Lava lakes and lava springs that generate within the snowy plains biomes melt the snow layers around them.

Polar bears and rabbits are the only passive mobs spawning here. At nighttime, in Bedrock Edition, no other hostile mobs than skeletons, and their cold stray variants can spawn here. Rarely, zombie horsemen can also spawn, as well as other hostile mobs in Java Edition.

Igloos are typical structures in snowy plains. Villages generate commonly, with structures made of spruce wood, and pillager outposts can also be found.

With Vibrant Visuals, snowy plains use default atmospherics with a strong cold color grading, making the biome appear icy blue. They have cold sunlight, which appears slightly brighter at dusk and dawn.

Mobs

The following mobs naturally spawn here:

In **Java Edition**
Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Creeper	¹⁰⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Slime^{[note 1]}	¹⁰⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Spider	¹⁰⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Zombie	⁹⁵⁄₅₂₀	4
Stray	⁸⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Skeleton	²⁰⁄₅₂₀	4
Enderman	¹⁰⁄₅₂₀	1–4
Witch	⁵⁄₅₂₀	1
Zombie Horse^{[note 2]}	⁵⁄₅₂₀	1
Zombie Villager	⁵⁄₅₂₀	1
Creature category
Rabbit	¹⁰⁄₁₁	2–3
Polar Bear	¹⁄₁₁	1–2
Underground water creature category
Glow Squid	1	4–6
Ambient category
Bat	1	8

↑ Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
↑ Always spawns ridden by a zombie with an iron spear unless the difficulty is peaceful.

In **Bedrock Edition**
Mob	Spawn weight	Group size
Monster category
Slime^{[note 1]}	100	1
Stray	96	1–2
Skeleton	24	1–2
Zombie Horse^{[note 2]}	5	1
Creature category
Glow Squid	10	2–4
Rabbit	4	2–3
Polar Bear	1	1–2

↑ Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.
↑ Always spawns ridden by a zombie with an iron spear.

Sounds

Music

These music tracks play while the player is in snowy plains:

Title	Preview	Java Edition		Bedrock Edition
Title	Preview	Weight	Probability	Weight	Probability
A Familiar Room		1	2.70%	—	—
Below and Above		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Broken Clocks		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Clark		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Comforting Memories		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Danny		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Dry Hands		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Ebb		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
Featherfall		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Fireflies		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Floating Dream		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Haggstrom		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Home		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
Key		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
komorebi		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Left to Bloom		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Lilypad		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Living Mice		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Memories		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
Mice on Venus		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Minecraft		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Nightly		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
One More Day		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
O's Piano		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Oxygène		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Puzzlebox		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Shores		2	5.41%	2	5.56%
Subwoofer Lullaby		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Sweden		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Watcher		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
Wet Hands		1	2.70%	1	2.78%
yakusoku		1	2.70%	1	2.78%

In Creative mode, the following tracks can play:

Title	Preview	Java Edition		Bedrock Edition
Title	Preview	Weight	Probability	Weight	Probability
Aria Math		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Biome Fest		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Blind Spots		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Dreiton		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Haunt Muskie		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Taswell		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Key		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Subwoofer Lullaby		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Living Mice		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Haggstrom		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Minecraft		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Oxygène		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Mice on Venus		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Dry Hands		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Wet Hands		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Clark		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Sweden		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Danny		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Left to Bloom		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
One More Day		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Floating Dream		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Comforting Memories		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
A Familiar Room		1	3.03%	—	—
Featherfall		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Watcher		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Puzzlebox		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
komorebi		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
yakusoku		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Lilypad		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Below and Above		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
O's Piano		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Broken Clocks		1	3.03%	1	3.13%
Fireflies		1	3.03%	1	3.13%

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Translation key
Snowy plains	`snowy_plains`	`biome.minecraft.snowy_plains`

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID
[No displayed name]	`ice_plains`	`12`

Achievements


Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
PS4	Other	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS)
		Adventuring Time	Discover 17 biomes.	Visit any 17 biomes. Does not have to be in a single world.	40	Silver

Advancements

Icon	Advancement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)
	Adventuring Time	Discover every biome	Visit all of these 55^{[until: Third Drop 2026]}/56^[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 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.

Videos

History

Java Edition

Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.0	preview	Added biomes, including tundras with oak trees and frozen deserts; these largely supersede the preceding winter mode system.
Java Edition Beta
1.8	Pre-release	Biomes have now received an overhaul, removing the tundra. See here for more details.
Java Edition
1.0.0	September 15, 2011	Markus Persson teased a screenshot of what he called "snow biomes".^[1]^[2]^[3]
	Beta 1.9 Prerelease	Re-added tundras as ice plains.
		Tundras have been renamed to ice plains.
		Ice plains contain short grass.
1.7.2	13w36a	Ice plains no longer contain oak trees. Instead, spruce trees generate.
1.7.2	13w36a	Ice plains are now required for the new "Adventuring Time" achievement.
1.9	15w43a	Added igloos, which now generate in ice plains and snowy taigas.
1.10	16w20a	Polar bears and strays have now added; both now spawn in ice plains.
1.10	16w20a	Ice plains no longer spawn most passive mobs.
1.13	18w19a	Renamed "Ice Plains" to "Snowy Tundra".
1.13	pre5	Changed the ID `ice_flats` to `snowy_tundra`.
1.14	18w49a	Villages can now spawn in snowy tundras. These villages can be composed of packed ice and blue ice.
1.18	21w37a	Prior to the removal of numerical biome IDs, this biome's numerical ID was 12.
	21w40a	"Snowy Tundra" has been renamed to "Snowy Plains".
	21w40a	The ID `snowy_tundra` has been changed to `snowy_plains`.
1.20	23w17a	"A Familiar Room" can now be played in snowy plains.

Bedrock Edition

Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.1.0		Added biomes, which includes small tundras without trees or short grass.
v0.9.0	build 1	Added the ice plains and ice plains spikes biomes and many others.
v0.9.0	build 1	Added short grass and spruce trees to ice plains.
v0.13.0	build 1	Added rabbits, which can now spawn in snowy plains biomes.
v0.14.0	build 1	Chickens, cows, pigs and sheep now rarely spawn in snowy plains.
v0.15.0	build 1	Added strays, which can now spawn in snowy plains biomes and variants.
v0.15.0	build 1	Villages can now generate in snowy plains biomes.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0	alpha 0.17.0.1	Added igloos, which can now generate in snowy plains.
1.0.0	alpha 0.17.0.1	Added polar bears, which can now spawn in snowy plains biomes and variants.
Bedrock Edition
?		Chickens, cows, sheep and pigs no longer spawn in snowy plains biomes and variants.
?		Zombies, creepers, spiders, endermen, witches and spider jockeys no longer spawn in snowy plains and snowy mountains biomes.
1.10.0	beta 1.10.0.3	Added pillager outposts, which can generate in snowy plains biomes.
1.21.90	Preview 1.21.90.26	Added cold color grading and lighting to snowy plains with Vibrant Visuals.
1.21.100	Preview 1.21.100.20	Trees now generate more frequently.

Legacy Console Edition

Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU0	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added biomes, including tundras.
TU5							Biomes have received an overhaul, removing the tundra.
TU7							Re-added tundras as ice plains.
TU7							Ice plains contains short grass.
TU25	CU14	1.17	1.17	1.17			Added the custom superflat biome selection menu, which refers to the biome as "Ice Flats".
TU43	CU33	1.36	1.36	1.36	Patch 13		Added igloos and polar bears, which are both features of ice plains.
TU46	CU36	1.38	1.38	1.38	Patch 15		Added strays, which can now spawn in ice plains.
			1.91				Added pillager outposts, which can generate in snowy tundra biomes.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added ice plains

Issues

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

Gallery

Screenshots

A pumpkin patch in snowy plains
The Snowy Village seed template thumbnail
A snowy plains single biome world
Naturally generated snowlogged vegetation in snowy plains.

Historical screenshots

An Ice Plains biome in Beta 1.9 after it was re-added for the new world generator
An igloo on the shore of a frozen lake, with some polar bears
A snowy tundra village reaching to the neighboring savanna
A jungle edge and snowy tundra generated next to each other
An old frozen river running through a snowy plains biome.
A snowy plains single biome world before 1.18
A snowy tundra with ray tracing

Mojang screenshots

The image teased by Notch of snowy biomes.
Several ice biomes in java and bedrock

In other media

Ari underneath a snowy plains, as monsters roam above
Artwork of a snowy village
An bamboo sherpa decorated with a snowy plains and its residents

References

↑ "Snow biomes! SNOOOOW!" – @notch (Markus Persson) on X (formerly Twitter), September 14, 2011
↑ "Pretty! http://imgur.com/5Gsyy?full" – @notch (Markus Persson) on X (formerly Twitter), September 15, 2011
↑ http://imgur.com/5Gsyy?full

External links

"Around the Block: Snowy Tundra" by Duncan Geere – Minecraft.net, October 2, 2020.

[Slime-1] Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

[Zombie_Horse-2] Always spawns ridden by a zombie with an iron spear unless the difficulty is peaceful.

[Slime-3] Spawn attempt succeeds only in slime chunks.

[Zombie_Horse-4] Always spawns ridden by a zombie with an iron spear.

[5] "Snow biomes! SNOOOOW!" – @notch (Markus Persson) on X (formerly Twitter), September 14, 2011

[6] "Pretty! http://imgur.com/5Gsyy?full" – @notch (Markus Persson) on X (formerly Twitter), September 15, 2011

[7] ttp://imgur.com/5Gsyy?full