Here's The Witcher, Half-Life, Stardew Valley, and Doom built in Minecraft
Minecraft builders have been busy recreating iconic videogame landscapes.
Minecraft update: What's new?
Minecraft skins: New looks
Minecraft mods: Beyond vanilla
Minecraft shaders: Spotlight
Minecraft seeds: Fresh new worlds
Minecraft texture packs: Pixelated
Minecraft servers: Online worlds
Minecraft commands: All cheats
Minecraft build ideas: What to build next
Once again, I am astounded by just how creative the Minecraft building community is. We've seen Disneyland parks, the entirety of Tolkien's Middle-earth, the wizarding world of Harry Potter, and Cyberpunk cities all meticulously recreated, but now it's time to give the videogame builds some love.
Mojang itself has produced some crossovers, releasing both Skyrim and Fallout packs that include textures, skins, and epic scenery from both games, but it's the community builds where you'll find the most impressive creations. You'll find the best ones below.
Before you jump in, why not match your Minecraft skin with your chosen game world (we've got a link to a Gordon Freeman skin for City 17, you're welcome) and make sure you have some of the best Minecraft texture packs installed to give these worlds that extra sheen.
The Witcher
Although the entirety of the Witcher world, the Continent, has yet to be built in Minecraft, players have recreated some of the series most iconic cities and landscapes. Up for a quiet game of Gwent? There's the Kingfisher Inn in Hierarch Square from Novigrad for all your tavern needs. There's also Toussaint's Beauclair Palace, the Corvo Bianco vineyard from Blood and Wine, and Geralt's very own stomping ground Kaer Morhen.
Half-Life
Not only have these builders recreated Half-Life Alyx locations in Minecraft, but they've also recreated the gameplay too. If you're after something that's a little more classic Half-Life, have a look at this open-world build of City 17. The dystopian city isn't quite ready to download yet, but there's a progress bar in the description about the project and its development.
Doom
Doomed is a Minecraft adventure map that's been in the works since March 2020. It's a single-player campaign featuring combat, weapons, abilities, and boss fights all inspired by the iconic FPS. It's currently not out yet, but definitely check out the screenshots and the project's YouTube channel where you can see the levels in all their gory glory.
Stardew Valley
Since you can grow crops in Minecraft, why not do it from your very own Stardew Valley farm? This build not only has a farmhouse for you to inhabit, but also has the entirety of Pelican Town, including The Stardrop Saloon, Pierre's General Store, and Robin's carpentry shop. This build doesn't have any abandoned mines for you to delve into, but that can be the first thing you can get a start on when you download it.
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NieR: Automata
This NieR: Automata build has recreated several places from Yoko Taro's iconic machine-driven dystopia. So far, you can explore the City Ruins, Desert Zone, and, my personal favourite, the Amusement Park. There's also a special appearance from a certain robot opera singer—make sure you watch the trailer above for a sneak peek.
Kingdom Hearts
With the multiverses of Kingdom Hearts, there are plenty of landscapes for Minecraft builders to recreate. Similar to the Half-Life Alyx build, this KH recreation also has a bunch of gameplay mechanics woven in, including a leveling up system, different abilities, puzzles, and parkour sections. When you're done with that, you can make a start on Kingdom Hearts 2.
Rachel had been bouncing around different gaming websites as a freelancer and staff writer for three years before settling at PC Gamer back in 2019. She mainly writes reviews, previews, and features, but on rare occasions will switch it up with news and guides. When she's not taking hundreds of screenshots of the latest indie darling, you can find her nurturing her parsnip empire in Stardew Valley and planning an axolotl uprising in Minecraft. She loves 'stop and smell the roses' games—her proudest gaming moment being the one time she kept her virtual potted plants alive for over a year.