Introduction – About Minecraft Maps
Minecraft is a wonderful game to play. Its sandbox style leaves the possibilities for gameplay wide open, and the randomly generated maps give you plenty of surprises and re-playability.
But if you’re looking for something more, you’ll want to dive right into the world of player-created Minecraft Maps. These maps, which are freely distributed on several websites and forums, take Minecraft gameplay to an entirely different level. The maps available range from simple showcases of impressive buildings and lands to epic and complex adventures and games-within-a-game.
So, if you’re curious about what you can find, read on to explore the fascinating world of Minecraft Maps.
Minecraft Map Categories
The best Minecraft maps are available in a number of different genres and categories. Some maps are so different that they defy categorization. But here are the most common types of map that you’ll find.
Adventure
Adventure maps are one of the most common style of maps you’ll find for Minecraft. These maps typically take you on a wide-ranging journey with either a single major goal or a series of smaller goals and quests to complete. There are many sub-categories of the Adventure genre, including Horror, PVE/PVM, RPG, Story-Driven, Episodic, and even Educational. Some of the best-known and top-rated Adventure maps include Terra Restore 2, Soulbound, Assassin of Steve 3: Endergeddon, and The Legend of Willow Valley.
Parkour
Parkour maps are all about showing off your running and jumping skills. Modeled after real-life parkour obstacle courses, these maps require you to think quickly about your in-game environment, and show off your movement skills and quick reflexes. Parkour maps often use timers or countdowns and force you to think and act quickly to survive. Some of the most popular Parkour maps include Parkour Spiral, Parkour Paradise, This is the Only Level, and The Jump.
Survival
Sure, Minecraft already has a survival mode, but survival maps take things to an entirely new level. The best survival maps start you off in a difficult spot with limited resources. You’ll need to figure out how to stay alive with your wits, experience, and a little luck. Most survival maps also contain specific goals and objectives for you to complete. The best-known survival map is SkyBlock, where you begin the game on a tiny little island high up in the air. One wrong step and you’ll fall to your death. This map has spawned hundreds of similar variations. Other popular maps in the Survival genre include Cube Survival, Stranded Raft, and Deadly Orbit.
Puzzle
Do you like solving puzzles? Puzzle maps in Minecraft force you to use your brain to solve mazes, puzzles, and other difficult challenges. Most puzzle maps require you to solve one puzzle before moving onto the next. Many are modeled after the very popular real-world Escape Rooms. Other genres of puzzle maps include trivia and maze maps. A few popular puzzle maps include 30 Ways to Die, Roomscape: Escape the Rooms, Room to Room, and Escape the Mad Scientist.
Mini-Games
Mini-game maps create game-within-a game experiences in Minecraft. They often borrow mechanics found in other popular video games, allowing you to enjoy Minecraft in a whole new way. Some of the most popular mini-game maps include Rainbow Runner, Fun World Amusement Park, Would You Rather, and Platform Party.
Builds
Sometimes you don’t need epic storylines or mind-bending puzzles to solve. Sometimes you just want to enjoy impressive and often breath-taking creative constructions. Build maps offer just that: landscapes and buildings for you to admire and explore. They also offer creative inspiration for your own map-building adventures. Get some ideas from popular Build maps such as Funland 3, Mountain Sky Village, Modern Mansion, and Cruise Ship.
The Best Maps (according to MinecraftMaps.com)
Terra Restore 2
This is a hybrid map, and it combines elements of an adventure map with a complete the monument map. You travel through the lands of a world known as Nira, alongside your Enderman friend, Exiel. Your quest is to restore peace to the land and its inhabitants: humans, animals, and monsters. Terra Restore 2 is an epic adventure on a grand scale. Note that it requires you have an older version of Minecraft (1.9) installed. It won’t work properly in newer versions of the game.
Soulbound
Soulbound is a two-player co-operative adventure map and cannot be played in solo mode. In Soulbound, you and a friend will play through 12 episodic levels, each with a mix of adventure and puzzle elements. Some levels feature complex puzzles to solve and others have story-driven events and dialogue and even feature major boss fights.
The Shadowmaker
The Shadowmaker is a large puzzle map that features over 17 different challenging puzzles to solve. It provides special and innovative new game mechanics that will challenge both old and new Minecraft players.
You can create a shadow, move him placing a light, teleport yourself to the shadow, create instable shadows, and more.
The map contains three separate overworld settings with with 17 levels and one giant bonus world with nine additional levels to provide extra gameplay and challenge.
The Shadowmaker is only compatible with version 1.11.2 of Minecraft.
