Minecraft WinterNode is back at Cubed! for 2026, this time as a Diamond Sponsor with our own booth. Cubed! 2026 runs October 2 to 4 on play.cubedcon.com, and a standard ticket is free. If you play Minecraft, there is no reason to miss it.
This is our third year at the convention. We joined as a Diamond Sponsor in 2024, built our first booth in 2025, and this year we are doing both.
What is Cubed!?
Cubed! (you will also see it written as CubedCon) is the biggest free-to-play Minecraft convention held inside Minecraft. There is no venue, no travel, and no badge to pick up. You connect to a server and walk the convention floor as your own character.
The weekend covers:
- Booths from Minecraft servers, creators, studios, and companies, each built by the exhibitor
- Panels with creators and community figures, streamed live on Twitch
- Mini-games and competitions that run all weekend
- Fundraising for SpecialEffect, a UK charity that puts specialist controllers and eye-gaze technology in the hands of gamers with physical disabilities
Cubed! has raised over $56,000 for SpecialEffect across its previous events. The 2024 convention alone brought in $15,756.
Cubed! 2026 at a glance
| Detail | Cubed! 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 2 to 4, 2026 |
| Where | Inside Minecraft Java Edition at play.cubedcon.com |
| Cost | Free (standard ticket) |
| VIP tiers | $9.99, $24.99, and $49.99 with cosmetics, early access, and reserved slots |
| Charity | SpecialEffect |
Tickets and the full guest list are on cubedcon.com.
The WinterNode booth
Last year we built a winter-themed space with snow, ice, and a red carpet leading into a parkour course. Every completed run turned into a donation to AbleGamers.
For 2026 we rebuilt from the ground up. The new booth is a stone plaza with a dark oak pergola running through the middle, lanterns hanging from every beam, and a stream of water cut into the paving that leads you to a snowflake set into the floor. Above the entrance sits a big blue WN sign you can spot from across the convention floor. Still a winter theme, just a lot more polish than last year’s snowbank.
Look for the WN sign. Our team will be in and around the booth all weekend, so if you have a question about hosting, a server you are trying to grow, or just want to say hello, stop by.
Why we sponsor Cubed!
WinterNode started with Minecraft hosting and it is still the largest share of what we run. The people at Cubed! are the people we build for: server owners, plugin developers, builders, and players who want somewhere to play with friends. Showing up in-game, in the same world they play in, is a better way to meet them than any ad.
Sponsorship also helps keep the event free. The standard ticket costs nothing, and the optional ticket upgrades raise money for SpecialEffect.
This is part of the same commitment behind our yearly charity campaigns. Over five years we have donated to Team Trees, Girls in Tech, Carbon180, Second Harvest, Gamers Outreach, and AbleGamers, and Cubed! is where that work connects directly with the Minecraft community.
How to join Cubed! 2026
- Open Minecraft Java Edition.
- Go to Multiplayer, then Add Server.
- Enter
play.cubedcon.comas the server address. - Join during the event weekend, October 2 to 4.
Standard access is free. VIP tiers add one to two hours of early entry, chat prefixes, cosmetics, and reserved server slots when the convention is at its busiest. Buy those on cubedcon.com before the weekend.
If you are new to joining servers, our guide to connecting to Minecraft servers covers the basics.
Running your own server after the convention
Plenty of people leave Cubed! wanting to start something of their own. A Minecraft server from WinterNode is $1.99/GB, includes a free 48-hour trial, and is online within minutes of ordering. Paper, Spigot, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, and modpacks all install from the Game Control Panel.
Come say hi at the booth first. We will see you in October.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cubed!, often written CubedCon, is the biggest free-to-play Minecraft convention held inside Minecraft itself. Servers, creators, studios, and companies build booths you walk through in-game, with panels, mini-games, and a fundraiser for the charity SpecialEffect.
Cubed! 2026 runs October 2 to 4, 2026. Higher ticket tiers get one to two hours of early access before the doors open to everyone.
Open Minecraft Java Edition, add a new server, and connect to play.cubedcon.com during the event weekend. A standard ticket is free. Details and paid VIP tiers are at cubedcon.com.
Yes. WinterNode is a Diamond Sponsor of Cubed! 2026 and has its own booth on the convention server. This is WinterNode's third year at Cubed!, after joining as a Diamond Sponsor in 2024 and building its first booth in 2025.
No. The standard ticket is free. Optional VIP tiers ($9.99 to $49.99) add cosmetics, early access, and reserved slots, and the proceeds support SpecialEffect.