Minecraft shines as an addictive open-world romp that lets you play the way you want, offering a literal virtual sandbox to customize and manipulate. It encourages connectivity and rarely disappoints when it reveals its potential. This social nature and depth of customization have naturally led to the creation of some fun, clever, and very cool custom buildings and biomes.

Not only are these worlds out of this world, but they can also be downloaded. By downloading their map files, you'll be able to delve into these enthralling maps listed below.

It'll soon become clear that the sky - and sometimes even beyond that - is truly the limit after gazing upon some of these awesome and unique creations built in both survival and creative mode. These Minecraft worlds may inspire you to create some unique, abstract builds and locales of your own.

Updated by Geoffrey Martin on November 22, 2021: Minecraft really needs no introduction, especially as this gaming juggernaut continues to churn out one creative project after another. The people who create maps and worlds in Minecraft are highly talented and brimming with passion. If you can think of it in your imagination then you can probably bring it to life in Minecraft.

Due to the overwhelming amount of Minecraft worlds it seemed appropriate to share a couple of more in this extensive list. The creativity and ingenuity flows all throughout this game and for good reason; it's essentially digital Legos. Let's check out a couple more wonderful Minecraft worlds.

17 A Snowy Christmas

a snowy christmas minecraft world in minecraft

When words like "Christmas Town" pop up in your mind, it's easy to conjure up the likes of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or The Nightmare Before Christmas. Minecraft is brimming with holiday worlds to explore with some of the very best stemming from the creator's love of Halloween, or in this case, Christmas.

A Snowy Christmas is a truly magical environment filled with snowy hills, a picturesque village that feels straight out of a Thomas Kinkade painting, and plenty of holiday cheer to plaster a smile on your face. If you are in the mood for a jolly and festive Minecraft world then look no further than A Snowy Christmas.

16 The Forest

the forest village in minecraft

Simply put, The Forest is a beautiful fantasy-inspired map. While it might be on the smaller end of the spectrum, it's filled with nuance, charm, and detail. The Forest is a medieval village location smack dab in the middle of an overgrown forest. There are cozy cottages, rising spires, and even a babbling brook running through the center of the map.

Sometimes the very best worlds in Minecraft and the most subtle and even the most simple. While this map isn't as extensive as some other ones in the game, you can tell a great deal of love and care went into crafting it. After exploring The Forest, you might just want to call it home.

15 Futuristic City

Minecraft custom map skyline of futuristic city

It's quite impressive that a blocky game like Minecraft can serve as the foundation for such a rich, detailed city like this one. Crafted in the Bedrock Edition, rendered in Blender, and taking nearly four months to build, this epic metro looks like the setting of a grand sci-fi saga that never was.

While this map, unfortunately, can't be downloaded, the intricate workings of this city can be admired in greater detail.

14 Instant Elevator Apartment Block

Minecraft custom map Modular Piston building in the sky

This world merely takes the form of a building, though it's a particularly tall one, equipped with loads of depth given its compact nature. The vibe is that of a cramped apartment building in the sky, and a distinct one to be sure.

It features 14 customizable floors and a piston elevator that propels up and down, transporting you to any floor you wish. And as a nice little touch, there's even a small "ding" that triggers when your floor is reached. This slim-but-detailed building is well worth a closer look.

13 Rocket Riders

Minecraft Rocket Riders custom challenge zombie on floating platforms with magic dust and TNT

Rocket Riders is a thrilling explosive mesh of hazards within an aerial arena. As its name suggests, there are ample explosions and propulsions to be had. Two teams compete to outlast each other amidst a barrage of missiles, TNT, and fireballs while scurrying across moving platforms.

This is more a competitive shooting brawl than an explorable world, but it's certainly a fun one. This chaotic scene is largely inspired by another competitive Minecraft romp by the name of Missle Wars. Players can join in on the intense, frenzied challenge on Planet Minecraft.

12 Clock Arena From The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Minecraft custom map of Hunger Games Catching Fire Clock arena clock in center of lake with palm trees

Since the release of the dystopian sci-fi saga known as The Hunger Games, Minecraft has proven a great complement to the outdoor arena fighting and survival aspects of the film. There even exist entire servers that pit players against each other in thrilling battle royales Hunger Games style.

This map, however, takes a more passive approach by stripping those custom game elements and stressing the detail of the Hunger Games arena itself. Specifically, it's a representation of the memorable clock map from the second film, Catching Fire. This awesome outdoor arena of death can be explored by downloading it.

11 Gotham City

Minecraft custom map Gotham City police station in rainy night

Holy Minecraft, Batman! One Planet Minecraft user has managed to construct a highly detailed representation of the Dark Knight's stomping ground of Gotham City. Reviving an abandoned project from another user, ilRaptorli is in the process of crafting a true metropolitan marvel, complete with the Wayne Manor, clocktower, and the GCPD building.

This is all dressed with an ominous dark hue, glowing lights, and rainy skies to further add to the atmosphere. More information and visuals of the lush Bat-city can be found on the site.

10 Starkiller Base From Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Minecraft custom map Star Wars Starkiller base tie fighters

Someone dared to recreate the famous Starkiller Base in Minecraft. Right down to the characters walking around, there is a high degree of similarity between the movie and this Minecraft world. Although, the world doesn't likely have Kylo Ren or other Force Awakens characters.

Stormtroopers and random admirals, however, were present when someone snapped a screenshot of this brilliant Starkiller Base. Can we pilot one of those Tie-Fighters? Possibly the world's most impressive features are the Tie-Fighters and the First Order emblem on the wall behind the stage. Star Wars fans will want to explore the Starkiller Base map themselves.

9 France's Notre-Dame Cathedral

Minecraft custom map Notre Dame cathedral sunset

You may have heard that Assassin's Creed Unity contains the most detailed computer design of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The fire of Notre Dame was a tragic event which many are still recovering from, and Ubisoft even gave away Unity for free so people could explore it digitally in the aftermath of the disaster.

While it is widely known that Assassin's Creed Unity has a detailed Notre-Dame cathedral design, did anyone consider Minecraft's? Various Minecraft designs can be downloaded for you to further explore Notre-Dame Cathedral. This grand structure can be viewed in greater detail by visiting the artist's Pinterest page.

8 Creation Through Minecraft Level Generator

Minecraft custom map hollowed mountains and floating platforms

Using Minecraft world generators, you don't have to build anything to make an incredible world. Playing with Minecraft generator settings can produce vast chasms, like the one in the above photo, and it can also inspire new creations—some of which are quite abstract. Minecraft worlds have many customization options if you are playing on a console or PC.

If you can imagine it, it can be built in the game of Minecraft. The elevation of the hollowed mountain in the above photo seems really cool in a strange way. This is one of the most awesome generated worlds we've seen thus far.

7 No One Can Hear You Build In Space!

Minecraft custom map space palace with columns and fountains

The vanilla version of Minecraft lets you venture into the depths of the Nether and the eerie realm of the End, but doesn't allow you to go to outer space or other planets. At a certain point, you can't move any further when touching the outer, upper bounds of Minecraft. Many mods on the internet allow people to change the appearance of the sky. Here is one celestial example, which allows you to build on the quaint, dark lunar surface.

Although you may be on the ground, the sky appears starry and black. If you move high enough in the air, it will seem like you are in outer space from some angles, but you probably aren't, unless you installed a height modifier.

6 Minas Tirith From Lord of the Rings

Minecraft custom map Minas Tirith from Lord of the Rings overhead view

Gondor's capital Minas Tirith (also known as the City of Kings) from Lord of the Rings received one of its most accurate recreations in this Minecraft world. You can't get Nazgul dragons to spawn in Minecraft, but you can do the next best thing and get Ender Dragons to spawn instead.

With this world, it would be possible to simulate a recreation for the battle of Minas Tirith. The only difference is that instead of iron swords, people would opt to use swords made out of diamonds. Surely Minecraft's diamond sword can slay a Nazgul dragon. We highly recommend that you take a look at this particularly impressive recreation of the glorious Gondorian city.

5 Epic Mountain Castle

Minecraft custom map mountain castle in the distance

The fact that this building rests on a steep mountain makes it extraordinary. The size of the building is similar to the size of the hill below it and the scale of the building is hard to comprehend, which is why this epic building seems so impressive.

It's unknown why the creator decided to build his castle on a mountain, but the result turned out to be brilliant. We can't see the inside of the towers, but it undoubtedly is remarkable. For some reason, the tower connected by a bridge is placed on top of an oddly shaped mountain.

For more information take a look at the artist's post and more detailed images.

4 For Valhalla

Minecraft custom map ancient Greek themed buildings on wheels

The wheels below the town must not be functional, and it makes little sense to have included them in this design but we appreciate them all the same. From a design standpoint, this must have taken many, many, working hours to build.

The structures are supposed to be part of a Roman palace. Many people who create Minecraft designs are not artists, and may not be interested in art. Michael, the designer of the Roman palace/colosseum is one person who "was never interested in art." However, apparently that changed and now the palace builder's source page and additional images are available to admire.

3 London's Great Fire Of 1666

Minecraft custom map London historical building on fire

This world is based on a historical event in the history of Britain. We are of course referring to the Great Fire of London, which occurred in 1666. Numerous buildings and structures are aflame in this glorious Minecraft creation. This is a top-tier world; not just because of the visual spectacle, but because of its historical value.

Most of the houses that perished in the Great Fire of London were made of wood, allowing the flames to spread quickly and fiercely. It is commendable how this designer was able to have such a giant blaze going without the fire putting itself out. Minecraft blocks usually disappear when they are lit on fire. To find out more take a look at this historical, fiery map.

2 Minecraft Pocket Edition World

Minecraft custom map of massive village of small wooden houses

The person who created this world must have devoted months to the creation of this massive open world. Most of the houses look like what you would see in default generated villages—it's just that, in this case, the villager is more like a massive metropolitan area.

The scale of this village and the fact it was made through Minecraft Pocket Edition makes it impressive beyond words. Minecraft is a jovial place when playing on worlds like this one. The town is well-equipped to house numerous players, grow farms, and protect from creeper invasions.

1 King's Landing Replica

Minecraft custom map overhead shot of King's Landing from Game of Thrones

To be a part of the team that created this structure, one would have to have a knowledge of computer graphic design and apply for the position. King's Landing is a representation of King's Landing from the dark fantasy drama Game of Thrones. Words cannot describe how impressive this creation is.

Looking at a side-by-side comparison for the real King's Landing and the Minecraft version, one can see that there is a high degree of similarity between the two. This Game of Thrones creation might be the most impressive Minecraft world in existence.

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