Middle Earth

In terms of fantasy literature, Game of Thrones and the entire Song of Ice and Fire is still the new kid on the block. The grandaddy of them all remains J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

That trilogy led to some fantastic movies, and the designs of those movies are preserved in this ambitious Minecraft server. This project grows by the day and, until the new Amazon show comes out, maybe your best way to experience new adventures in the familiar land of Middle Earth.

Westeros

Look, we get it: the Game of Thrones show ended with all the sizzle of a wet fart. But the design and architecture in the show was always top-notch, and WesterosCraft brings this world to life in Minecraft.

This map covers nearly 500 square miles and includes familiar sites such as King’s Landing. And as this mod grows, you’ll eventually be able to check out every famous building from this fantasy series.

The Uncensored Library

At first glance, The Uncensored Library may not look as impressive as some of the other builds on this list. But this Minecraft creation is more impressive for what it does rather than how it looks (though it still looks pretty cool).

In short, this virtual library houses news, books, and other media from countries that otherwise try to repress journalism and free speech. As silly as it may sound, this build may be proof that video games are the last truly free space for many players around the world!

New Port Notch

What’s the sign that you’re in a real-life big city? Simple: that it would take you days and days to explore even part of what the city has to offer.

And that’s certainly the case with New Port Notch, a fictional Minecraft city so large that players must utilize a subway system to see everything. And in a time when it is increasingly difficult to fly to faraway cities, this virtual escape gives you a seemingly endless amount of things to see.

Fallingwater

The debate over whether video games are works of art has been going on longer than you were born and will continue long after you are gone. But this Minecraft creation makes a pretty solid case that games can be art by recreating a famous work of art.

Specifically, Fallingwater is a game recreation of Franklyn Lloyd Wright’s amazing creation. The real Fallingwater is a house built over a waterfall in Pennsylvania. We recommend visiting the real one when you can, but until that happens, this Minecraft creation is the next best thing.

Mattupolis

What is the dividing line between reality and fiction? That seems to be the question at the center of Mattupolis, a fictional city that combines various design elements and landmarks from real cities like Seattle and Vancouver.

Interestingly, version 1.0 of this build came out over a decade ago, and it is still growing and evolving to this day. Have fun finding landmarks like the Space Needle or just enjoying the sprawling architecture.

Adamantis

“Size isn’t everything” is a phrase you hear from everyone from Minecraft creators to your last girlfriend. But size does matter, and Adamantis is proof of that.

This build is made of over sixty million blocks. The number alone would be impressive, but we loved to experience the creative landscape of reflecting pools, intricate doors, rolling hills, and so much more. Visiting this build is like going on a virtual vacation!

Columbia

Recreating video games inside a video game may seem a bit reductive. But if you’re a fan of Bioshock Infinite, you simply have to check out this Minecraft recreation of the floating city Columbia.

You’ll find recreations of sections such as New Eden and Battleship Bay. This build is so cool and inspirational, but its beauty still isn’t enough to make the ending to that game any more sensible.

Mount Olympus

Of course, if you like cities in the sky, why stop at Columbia? You can always embrace the classics and check out Mount Olympus!

There are actually many builds based around Olympus, but we prefer the one from ChaosOlymp's team. While all of the architectural details are pretty cool, God of War players in particular will enjoy the aesthetic of this map.

The Titanic

There are many different Titanic builds floating around (so to speak). But our favorite is this version that hails all the way from France!

The colors are vivid, and you’ll quickly notice the attention to detail. If you’d like to feel like “the king of the world” without watching that damn movie again, this Minecraft creation is your best bet.