The overworld is coming to the real world in the form of a theme park, according to the most recent Minecraft LIVE. Set to debut in 2027, ‘Minecraft World’ will be a full-fledged theme park experience, complete with rollercoasters, shops, and stores all themed to blocky perfection.
The $70 million Minecraft project is currently under construction in Chessington, an area just outside of London, at Chessington World of Adventures. While not too much information has been revealed yet, tantalizing teasers through interviews and concept art seem to promise an incredibly immersive experience.
What is Minecraft World?
Minecraft World, first revealed at Minecraft LIVE, is the world’s first theme park based on the enduringly popular sandbox game. According to the description from Chessington World of Adventures, Minecraft World is “inspired by the game’s most iconic biomes, mobs and items.”
“Whilst we’re keeping pretty tight lipped on the exact plans for now… we can reveal the land will feature: Minecraft-themed attractions, including a thrilling world first coaster, interactive adventures, epic blockbuilt playscapes, and themed retail and dining.”
Beyond that short blurb, there’s not too much information on what exactly Minecraft World will look like yet, as only a handful of concept art images have been released. Based on what’s been revealed thus far, Minecraft World strikes similar vibes to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios in the United States and Japan.
What has been confirmed for Minecraft World?
With a 2027 opening date set, there’s not much else to tell about what Minecraft World will be like. At least one rollercoaster has been confirmed, with concept images showing a minecart-like ride vehicle taking guests through both The End and The Nether, complete with at least one angry Ghast.
Other images show families dining by torch-light in restaurants, browsing stores stocked with Minecraft merch, entering ride queues in a mossy cave, or exploring themed outdoor areas.
Building Minecraft World
It seems that the recent success of A Minecraft Movie triggered the creation of Minecraft World, though executives were clear that the theme park will be based entirely on the game, not the movie or its upcoming sequel. In an interview with Variety, executives from Micosoft and Merlin Entertainment (the parent company of Chessington World of Adventures) went in-depth on the creation of Minecraft World.
Kayleen Walters (Microsoft Gaming’s head of Mojang Studios and franchise development), explained: “They haven’t taken the sets from the movie or that sort of thing. But what the Merlin team did so well is they worked really closely with the Mojang creative team, and they designed together, and they actually designed using the game, too, which was really great… I think what you’ll really discover is a unique, immersive experience that brings to life what you would want to see if you were to actually get to step into a real ‘Minecraft’ world and get to experience the gravity and the physics and the smell of the different biomes”.
Angela Jobson (Merlin Entertainment Senior Vice President of global brand marketing), gave a small hint at what fans might see beyond the concept art:
“There are some features in that land that I’m still not quite sure how we’re even doing it from an engineering perspective. There’s a giant floating island in the middle of it, and that we held on to from one of our initial visuals. And sometimes you go really big with your creative vision, but somehow we put our arms around it. I’ll never know, but we all believe that we really need to have this feature in it. It’s going to look quite spectacular”.
Video game attractions have become both increasingly popular and increasingly well made in recent years. Beyond the obvious Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios (which is receiving a Pokémon expansion soon), the recent debut of PokéPark Kanto in Japan, and even the appearance of Five Nights at Freddy’s and Fallout at the 2025 Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios have proven that attractions based on video games are here to stay.
Hopefully Minecraft World will live up to expectations and join the pantheon of successful gaming theme parks.
