Minecraft has spent 15 years as the game people build inside. Starting in 2027, it’ll be a place they can physically walk through. Minecraft World, the first fully immersive theme park land based on the franchise, is coming to Chessington World of Adventures in Greater London. Mojang Studios and Merlin Entertainments made it official during Minecraft Live 2026, backing up years of rumors with concept art, content creator tours, and a budget that leaves little room to doubt how seriously both companies are taking this.
The project carries a reported budget of 50 million pounds (roughly $70 million) and represents one of Merlin Entertainments’ largest theme park investments in recent memory. Merlin operates as one of the world’s largest theme park companies, with Alton Towers and Thorpe Park among its portfolio of UK attractions. Choosing Chessington for the Minecraft build puts the park within a 35-minute direct train from London Waterloo, a decision the company says was deliberate to serve both international tourists and local families looking for a day trip that doesn’t require a flight.
What Minecraft World will actually include
Details remain broad at this stage, but the confirmed feature list already separates this from the pop-up experiences and traveling exhibitions that Minecraft fans have seen before. The land will include a world-first Minecraft roller coaster, interactive adventures, and what Merlin describes as “epic block-built playscapes” modeled on the game’s most recognizable biomes. Concept art released alongside the announcement shows outdoor areas populated by life-size versions of the game’s mobs, including pigs, Creepers, and zombies, set against the blocky terrain that has defined the franchise’s visual identity since 2011. One interior sketch reveals passengers riding along a track lined with TNT blocks, one of the most iconic items in the Minecraft universe.
Themed retail and dining round out the offering, because of course they do. Chessington’s Facebook page teased “huge shop” and “Minecraft food” alongside the attraction announcements, and Torfi Frans Olafsson, the franchise’s creative director, described the goal as creating “an experience that feels immersive, authentic and welcoming.” Kayleen Walters, Head of Mojang Studios, put it more directly when speaking to the BBC, noting a growing appetite from fans who want to be immersed in Minecraft in ways that go beyond a screen. “You’re going to smell and taste and feel and touch and just be surrounded by all things Minecraft,” she said.
Eight years in the making
This isn’t a deal that came together over a few Zoom calls. Angela Jobson from Merlin told BBC Newsbeat that conversations around the project date back roughly eight years, a timeline that explains why the collaboration feels less like a licensing agreement and more like a co-development effort. Merlin and Mojang brought in popular Minecraft content creators, including Grian, Aimsey, DanTDM, and LDShadowLady, to tour the construction site and contribute to the authenticity of the build. Walters confirmed that the creative team actually built portions of the park inside the game itself, workshopping layouts and designs with members of the Minecraft community before translating them into physical spaces.
That level of community involvement matters for a franchise that has sold more than 300 million copies and built a YouTube presence reportedly generating over one trillion video views. Minecraft fans are famously particular about what counts as authentic to the source material, and Mojang appears to be treating the theme park build with the same attention it brings to the game’s content updates.
More Minecraft beyond the park
Minecraft Live 2026 wasn’t only about the theme park announcement. Mojang also revealed Minecraft Experience: Moonlight Trail, a pop-up outdoor nighttime adventure opening in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in May. The hour-long event walks visitors through iconic Minecraft biomes under moonlight, with crafting, diamond mining, mob battles, and a quest to restore an ancient beacon woven into the experience.
On the game side, the Tiny Takeover drop arrives March 24 with redesigned baby mobs and a golden dandelion that freezes baby mobs in their young form. A follow-up update called Chaos Cubed will arrive later this year, adding a sulfur cube with physics that change depending on what materials it absorbs. And Minecraft Dungeons II, the sequel to the 2020 spinoff, is now officially confirmed with a wishlist page live as of March 21.
Where this fits in the theme park landscape
Minecraft World joins a growing trend of video game franchises crossing into physical theme park experiences. Super Nintendo World opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2021 and later expanded to Universal parks in the United States. PokePark Kanto launched near Tokyo earlier this year. The London Natural History Museum recently hosted a Pokemon pop-up shop, and the British Museum opened a Samurai exhibit tied to Assassin’s Creed: Shadows.
Merlin will eventually face direct competition from Universal Studios UK, an entirely new theme park expected to open near Bedford in 2031. Jobson said the company welcomes the competition, calling it a positive development for the UK visitor economy. In the meantime, Minecraft World gives Chessington a headline attraction that could redefine the park’s appeal for the generation that grew up placing blocks and fighting Creepers.
The BBC also noted that Merlin previously announced a US version of Minecraft World as part of the broader deal, though no new details were shared during Minecraft Live 2026. A US location hasn’t been confirmed, but the partnership agreement covers a stateside build.
Fans can follow updates and eventual ticket information at chessington.com/minecraft.
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