If you, like us, often wonder “That looks cool. Can I build it in Minecraft?” when you see an interesting structure in real life or online, this lineup of awesome Minecraft build ideas is just for you.
From a vast variety of material blocks to an infinite number of projects, there are so many possibilities when it comes to things to build in Minecraft, it can get confusing for die-hard fans as well as new players wanting to create something awesome.
This is the list you need to center your focus on making a Minecraft creation worthy enough to show off to your friends, frenemies and randoms. We haven’t listed your typical skyscraper or mansion or park here.
Now we don’t have the heart to encourage you to construct the buildings pictured here in Hardcore mode, considering that you lose absolutely everything in the game if you get taken out by a hostile Minecraft mob. So do have a go at them in Creative or Survival mode.
You can try your hand at smaller versions of the the Minecraft building ideas listed below which are created on too grand a scale. We’ve also linked to a lot of smaller and easier, but interesting options you could draw inspiration from for your next project. Let’s go.
Grand Theft Auto 5 In Minecraft
If you and your friends love Grand Theft Auto as well as Minecraft content, why not get together and build a landmark or area famously associated with GTA? We’re not telling you to build the entire GTA 5 map in Minecraft, like YouTube user @TheN11cK.
But you could certainly take notes from this mind-blowing Minecraft build to challenge yourselves to recreate popular GTA V landmarks like the Galileo Observatory or the Los Santos International Airport or the Vinewood sign.
You can witness the original creation in all its glory by launching the game, going to Play > Multiplayer > Direct Connection and then adding “N11cK.net” as the server address.
It’s a wonder to behold and totally worthy of the awe it inspires. We can only imagine the long hours of patience and dedication that have been spent on painstakingly constructing this “GTA in Minecraft” map block by block.
Drivable Car
Speaking of GTA, you could try building a classic car like the Shelby Cobra GT 350 or a 1957 Corvette C1, or some other elusive concept car of your dreams. There are hundreds of YouTube tutorials showing you exactly how to do this, with and without Minecraft texture packs or mods installed.
Use invisible item frames to customize the look of your vehicle to a high degree. In fact, use them to customize all kinds of builds, not just cars. The level of detail you’ll be able to add with this hack will blow your mind.
But can you build a working car in Minecraft? Yes, you can do so using a variety of items and materials that mostly involve redstone, sticky pistons, normal pistons, slime blocks and similar stuff.
But YouTuber @Mysticat decided that’s boring. After all, you don’t have enough directional control if you create a redstone flying machine in the guise of a car as most of the tutorials you’ll find online usually do.
So he built a car in Vanilla Minecraft (the unmodded, official version of the game) that can be moved around in absolutely any direction with the help of command blocks and the “/clone” command. Take a look at it. It’s a really cool example of what you can do with a little imagination in Minecraft.
Tree House
This one is for the newbies. A treehouse may take you back to your childhood summers spent playing among the branches of a sturdy, broad tree. Recapture that fun with a Minecraft house on a tree.
You could try building something simple like a small structure housed in just a single oak tree, or you could expand on the concept and go all-out arboreal living with multiple structures linked across several trees, each packed with lavish interiors. The choice is yours. And you would feel safer from mobs too.
Pro tip: Instead of starting with a single tree, plant four or more saplings in adjoining blocks. Your tree house will have a thick, sturdy base and there will be enough space up there to make it more extravagant.
You can have a spiral staircase leading up to your castle in the sky, which will give it an interesting look. Or you could go for the classic ladder-and-trapdoor setup.
If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan too, do check out the ethereal Galadhrim treehouses that spawn in the Lothlórien biome in the LOTR Minecraft mod in the above video.
Orthanc or Tower of Isengard from LOTR
While we’re on the subject of The Lord of the Rings, check out this dizzying build of Orthanc, or the Tower of Isengard, shared by Reddit user phasix.
Throughout the years, many Minecraft players have tried their hand at building the iconic tower occupied by Saruman as well as other structures and landmarks from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth.
Although phasix’s version of Orthanc appears to have been created with brown blocks instead of black, there’s no mistaking it for anything else.
As described by Tolkien, the Tower of Isengard was a great black structure in which “four mighty piers of many-sided stone were welded into one”. Near the top, they separated into gaping horns with sharp pinnacles.
The above tutorial by YouTuber J0hnno, tells you how to build one of your own in under 5 hours.
We’re sure you have plenty of cobblestone and deepslate blocks stored away from all those mining excursions you’ve been making. So why not immerse yourself in this Minecraft challenge for fun?
Better still, if you have access to plenty of lava, you might want to try and build it using a more difficult-to-obtain item — obsidian blocks. That would definitely give your tower an impressive, “evil warlock” look. And you could try building one in the Nether biome for fun.
Theater
Another innovative Minecraft build is a theater and a typical theater has a block-like design anyway. You can recreate the magic of a cinema hall easily in Minecraft and the build should not take you very long.
Make sure you add exit signs and roof and wall speakers, mimicking a theater, but you could also recreate the lavish seating on the top rows of your theater. Whichever route you decide to take, you can’t go wrong with it if you’re wondering what to build next.
RELATED: Best Minecraft House Ideas
Theater building tips: Start with the large screen and then work your way around the hall. Cordon off sections of your cinema hall with railing and add an entry tunnel for a surreal feel.
Maze
Building a maze in Minecraft can take on various forms, and really this is one of the most creative suggestions on this list of best Minecraft building ideas.
You can use a variety of materials for its construction, from leaf blocks to stone to something even more outrageous like magma blocks.
Your maze can be a simple structure that someone might spend a few minutes in, or it can be an elaborate construction requiring every bit of ingenuity to solve.
Maze building tips: Create a paper-and-pencil template or design build ideas before you begin in Minecraft. That way you can plot things out thoughtfully, infusing some of your personality into your maze, which will give it your unique flavor.
Think about the kinds of things puzzle-solvers love – dead ends, traps, even switches. Most of all, remember to keep it fun.
Egyptian Pyramids
The pyramids of Egypt still to this day hold mystery. They are marvels of construction and emulating them in a virtual world would be wondrous!
The great thing about setting about building a pyramid in Minecraft is that the design, on the outside at least, is simple and you won’t have to think too hard before you start building.
If you want to construct the chambers inside, your Minecraft pyramid build will get a lot more complicated. But at the end of it you will have a masterpiece.
ALSO READ: 15 Must Have Minecraft Modpacks
Pyramid building tips: Choose a base size that you’re comfortable with and build your pyramid from the bottom up. This should leave the inside hollow, which is great if you want to add tunnels and chambers inside.
Don’t stop at the pyramid itself – build steps leading up to your magnificent building and a few pillars and plinths around the building should make it look even better.
A Roller Coaster
Now this will not only be a fun build, but it will be fun to ride too. Model your cool Minecraft rollercoaster after a real life one or improve on existing designs to make yours tons more exciting.
A roller coaster is designed to elicit a response in the rider, something that is very difficult to do in a game. So the next best thing is to add surprises along the way in your Minecraft roller coaster – a scary visage popping up in an unexpected place, perhaps.
Roller coaster building tips: Create blind turns and build corners that block a rider’s line of sight to take away a little feeling of control from the rider. Creating vertical drops and the illusion of a crash, if you can fit those in, will excite the rider further.
Video game makers hide pathways and passages all the time to partially conceal a path that the player can go down. Create these by overlapping the perspective and using the same material to hide the roller coaster’s path until the last second.
Eiffel Tower
Why not recreate one of the most iconic structures ever built by man? This cool Minecraft build should be relatively simple and should allow you to visit the top of the Eiffel Tower without any difficulty, or other people getting in your way.
Be sure to include the restaurants on its lower levels and the observation deck to give it a wholly authentic feel.
ALSO READ: 15 Best Minecraft Mods That Are Worth Trying
Eiffel Tower building tips: As long as you keep the basic structure similar to the original building, you should have no trouble reconstructing the Eiffel Tower in Minecraft.
Start with the bases far enough apart to make it all the way to the top whilst giving your structure the same iconic look. Adding the antenna to the top would only enhance its look.
Pirate Ship
This build on our roster of Minecraft building ideas is both simple and fun, and you should be able to make a pirate ship in less than 30 minutes using mostly basic stuff. You can take inspiration from the many pirate films for your ship.
Make sure you have a tall mast on which to fly your pirate flag and from which you can have a crow’s nest looking far out into the ocean. Having a captain’s quarters will be an added bonus. And don’t forget cannons on the sides.
Pirate ship building tips: Start with the spine of the ship, running down the middle, then move to the periphery. A nice way to approach building your pirate ship in Minecraft is to start with a frame, get the shape right and then fill in the hull.
This way you get a much better result. Leave the mast and sails for after you have your ship’s hull and deck built. If you want to make it even more detailed, you can add a retractable plank on either side of the deck.
Castle
Tired of making castles in the sand? Why not try your hand at crafting a medieval castle complete with a drawbridge and moat, and maybe even a dungeon or a secret tunnel? You can make your castle as imaginative as you wish, building upon the classic designs from the middle ages.
You can take it a step further and build your castle on a hill, overlooking a rolling vista, ready for any trouble that may come your way. Either way, be sure to add sentry towers around your castle walls for good measure.
RELATED: Minecraft teleport command will let you zoom all over the map
Castle building tips: Work on your build idea beforehand and plan your castle well, accounting for all the rooms, adornments and additional structures you want, then start from the inside and move outward as you go. Make your castle an impregnable fortress by utilizing stone as a building material, and you could even have an extra thick wall.
Garden
Imagine a garden full of fragrant flowers to stroll through in the mornings. What a wonderful thought. Make your own behind your Minecraft house by gathering a mix of different plants and flowers in your garden. Create terraces to give your garden more depth and add cobblestones around paths for a grand feel.
RELATED: Can you make terracotta in Minecraft? Yes, here’s how
Garden building tips: Any tutorial worth its salt on how to build a garden in Minecraft will suggest creating stone terraces to make your garden stand out. Include creepers in your design.
Bridge
Building bridges in Minecraft are simple, if not taxing. It may take you a while to get this project completed, which is part of why we’ve added bridges to this list.
If you’re looking for a more detailed build, try recreating iconic bridges from around the world – San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and London’s Tower Bridge are great examples that come to mind.
If you’re looking for an even greater challenge, why not try building a rotating bridge?
Bridge building tips: A few basic things to keep in mind when building a bridge in Minecraft is to have both the ends on the same level. Marking the center of your bridge will make things easier, and you should have a good idea of where you want to put architectural designs such as arches. Use a mix of materials to give it a grand look.
Lighthouse
If you’ve got yourself some prime beachfront property, you could make the rocky sea bed beneath your bluffs a little safer by adding a towering lighthouse to the landscape.
Make your lighthouse a commanding structure looking out over the ocean, complete with a shining beacon on the very top. A nice touch would be to try a slight variation on the theme. Opt for medieval look with architectural cues from the period.
Lighthouse building tips: Stone is the best material for a Minecraft lighthouse, but you can use brick or sandstone too. Build a base first and then the walls of the lighthouse.
Put the staircase inside the structure and make multiple levels, perhaps with a small window on each. Create a small, modest living space with a library in the interiors for the lighthouse keeper to add an extra nice touch to it.
Japanese Palace
Think: a gorgeous palatial building dating to the 16th century. It would be a very coveted build in Minecraft indeed. Japanese palace castles have been a mastery of technical ingenuity and artistic expression, and that’s what you’d be emulating with your Minecraft version. Incorporate the typical roof design into your structure for a magical feel.
Japanese palace building tips: This isn’t going to be simple by any stretch of the imagination. Make sure to plan your build idea before you start. Use several different types of materials and give your Japanese palace finishing touches like lanterns and maybe even a tiny pond.
Sydney Opera House
Looking for a real challenge? Try recreating the Sydney Opera House. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sydney Opera House is the result of a design competition that was held in 1956.
It has more than 1 million roof tiles and is an awe-inspiring sight. So building it in Minecraft will take determination, skill and a whole lot of patience.
Building tips: Start with a broad base and map out where and how you want the structure placed. From there, hard work and painstaking effort will see you through to the end.
It will all be worth it because you will have a Minecraft version of one of the most recognizable buildings in the world.
Space Shuttle
If you’re looking to build an homage to NASA or you are intrigued by space travel, you can try your hand at recreating one of the American organization’s space shuttles or building an altogether alien craft.
Aim for the stars with your spaceship by giving it laser weaponry and a warp hyperdrive for interstellar travel.
Spaceship building tips: Start with a rough frame running the length of the spacecraft, then add to it on either side to form the shape and look you want.
If you find that building the interiors is getting complicated, simply make a shell and leave the insides hollow or fill them solid. It will still give you the look of a spaceship, and that’s what you’re going for anyway.
Farm
This may seem simple at first, but what you should try and aim for with your Minecraft farms is a mix of crops and animals. Also, the idea is to keep the entire farm going almost on its own with little outside intervention. If you’ve ever played a farming simulator you know how difficult a simple concept can be.
Farm building tips: Keep things small, and build up as you go along. This may sound like a beginner tip, but adding different colored patches on the ground around your farm will make it stand out quite nicely and break up a monotonous look and feel.
If you want to make the most of the space you have, try building vertical layers, each growing a different kind of crop.
Fountain
A lovely adornment for a house, a fountain can add a touch of elegance to a front lawn or a garden in Minecraft. You can also use a fountain to decorate a passageway or a roadway.
You can make a fountain with simple materials such as wood and stone, but if you’re feeling adventurous you could try quartz or glass to your design. And a hint of backlighting will make it sparkle at night.
Fountain building tips: Start with a fairly large base if you’re aiming for a tall fountain and then build a center spire for the water to pour out. You can add a pool at the base of your fountain and you could add several levels for the water to flow through.
Dock
You have your pirate ship; you have your village. How about building a dock? Want to make it even grander? Build a whole marina! You can add a strip for fishing and spend hours trying to hook the catch of a lifetime.
Dock building tips: Mix up your textures to give it a more natural look and feel. Add a long peer from which you can watch the sun set.
A statue
This is a nice build because it is something you can use as a focal point of your town or village. A towering statue can give your Minecraft city what it needs to feel complete. If you’re feeling confident, you could try a famous landmark like the Statue of Liberty or even Atlas, holding up the world.
Statue building tips: Start off with something small and easy just so you know the intricacies of how to build one. Cobblestone and stone brick are best for this build, but you could use just about any material, even wood and clay.
Conclusion:
There are endless possibilities in Minecraft. In case you’ve been feeling a little stuck or need some inspiration for your next world, we hope our best Minecraft building ideas guide helps get you started on designing something fantastic.
Some of the Minecraft designs we have mentioned may be basic and introduce new players to how the game is played but others provide advanced build ideas for more experienced builders who want to take their skills even further.
So if you’ve been looking for a little inspiration when it comes to creating something fantastic, we hope this list has given you some ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How do you get good at buildings in Minecraft?
A: If you want to get better at building things in Minecraft, the best thing you can do is start small and learn as you go. You have to walk before you can run, so don’t try something too ambitious before you have the right tools.
It may put you off from building in Minecraft. You can start by building smaller structures the size of houses. This will mean that your builds won’t take too much time or resources. Secondly, you should try changing things up and adding some variation to your builds. Try new materials and off-shoots of your original designs.
Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment. Experimentation is the key to growth, especially in something like Minecraft. Try innovative ways of representing what you have in mind. The most important thing if you’re looking to get good at building in Minecraft is to stay calm and try not to get frustrated.
Q: What is the easiest thing to build in Minecraft Creative?
A: If you’re looking for something simple to build in Minecraft, try constructing a fireplace. It won’t require a lot of resources and you can probably build it in less than 15 minutes.
Make sure to add a switch with which to turn your warm fire on and off, saving it for the cold nights. Other interesting things to consider that are also easy to build include a miniature golf course, a hot tub and a vault.
You could also build a simple hedge maze with a few dead ends and wrong turns that lead the unsuspecting visitor round in circles.
They are super simple to make and require very little resources. If none of these things interest you, try your hand at building an aquarium in Minecraft. You can build a simple one quickly and it is sure to provide more than just a few minutes of tranquility watching the little fishes swim about.
Q: What should I build in Minecraft survival?
A: If you’re just starting out in Minecraft survival, you’d need the same things you’d need to survive in isolation in the world. Gather a few raw materials and build a simple house to protect you from the elements.
Add a garden around your new home so that you have some food when you need it and a mine to generate more of those useful resources. Once you’re settled in and you have the basics you need to survive, you can expand your arsenal.
A farm is better than a garden and a factory will complement a mine. Try building a more fortified home, even a castle. How about an entire village? Where you go from there is up to you.
Q: What is the best material to build a house in Minecraft?
A: When building a house in Minecraft, the thing to remember is that what works in the real world will work in Minecraft too. You can use concrete and stone for the walls to give your house a modern or classic look.
You could also construct your Minecraft house out of wood: think log cabin. In an urban environment, white walls stand out nicely – use white concrete for this.
You could also use bricks, which will give your house that classic look and feel. Be sure to mix it up a bit and throw in some variation here and there. You don’t want your house looking too one-dimensional.
For the interiors, keep things simple but elegant. Your interiors will look great if they are free from clutter, and opting for an open plan layout inside is your best bet.
