How to Find Slimes in Minecraft
Guide Java Bedrock
Quick answer: Slimes spawn in swamps and mangrove swamps between Y=51 and Y=69 at light level 7 or less (most often on a full moon, never on a new moon), or in slime chunks below Y=40 regardless of light or weather. About 1 in 10 chunks is a slime chunk.
What you need
- Torches (they do not stop slimes, but stop everything else)
- A decent sword - big slimes hit hard
- Optional: iron golem + name tag for a farm
- Optional: Chunkbase slime chunk finder (Java)
Step by step
- Swamps: go to a swamp or mangrove swamp. Slimes spawn there between Y=51 and Y=69 (inclusive) when the light level is 7 or less, which also lets them spawn in dim areas where most hostile mobs cannot.
- Watch the moon: swamp slimes spawn most often on a full moon and never on a new moon.
- Slime chunks: below Y=40 in the Overworld, slimes spawn in groups of four in Java Edition or individually in Bedrock Edition, regardless of lighting or weather.
- About 1 in 10 chunks is a slime chunk, determined by an algorithm. In Java Edition it depends on the world seed; in Bedrock Edition they are at the same coordinates in every world.
- Give them room: a slime needs a clear space of about 2.04x2.04x2.04 blocks to spawn, and any block in that space, even a glass pane, can stop a spawn.
- Slimes split into smaller slimes on death, and slimes are a major source of slimeballs.
Java vs Bedrock
In Java slimes spawn in groups of four in slime chunks; in Bedrock they spawn individually, and slime chunks are at the same coordinates in every world. Swamp spawning works in both.
Versions: Describes the current Java and Bedrock releases. See the edition note above for differences.
Frequently asked questions
What Y level do slimes spawn at?
In swamps and mangrove swamps: Y=51 to Y=69 at light level 7 or less. In slime chunks: below Y=40, regardless of light or weather.
How big a space does a slime need?
About 2.04x2.04x2.04 blocks, clear of solid and liquid blocks.
Do slimes spawn on a new moon?
Not in swamps: they never spawn on a new moon and spawn most on a full moon. Slime chunks ignore light and weather.
How common are slime chunks?
About 1 in 10 chunks. In Java Edition it depends on the world seed; in Bedrock Edition it is the same for every world.