Lord of the Rings' The Shire looks beautiful in Minecraft

Many locales have been painstakingly rebuilt in Minecraft, but this recreation of The Shire from Lord of the Rings is pretty breathtaking. According to this Imgur page, which collects some choice images from the map, the project involves 25 builders and is a 1:58 scale recreation of the Hobbit stomping ground.

According to the Imgur page, the map measures "around 3500x2500" blocks. It helps that one of the map builders is a professional geologist, as the team is aiming to "adhere to geological and botanical realism". That this is even possible in Minecraft is a testament to the brilliance of the game. It's easy to forget, sometimes.

Here are some choice images, but check out the rest here.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.