The best Minecraft servers focus on recreating a wealth of other worlds in block form. GTA, Pokemon, the Walking Dead, Batman - the list goes on. There's an endless list of Minecraft games, TV and movies being recreated if you know where to look. To save you the hassle of actually having to dig through everything that's out there we've gathered together a list of the best Minecraft servers around that can give you world of different experiences in Minecraft signature blocky style. We'll also cover the basics to get you up and running, in wherever you decided to call home.
Once you've found a Minecraft server that you like the look of, you'll need to grab the host name or IP address of that particular one - don't worry, we've included the relevant host names for our selection of the best Minecraft servers. Start up your game, head to Minecraft multiplayer and then "add a server". Just whack the IP address in that bar, name the Minecraft server and hit done. Then it's just a case of heading back to your list of Minecraft servers and selecting the one you want to play around in today.
If you thought a child-friendly Grand Theft Auto wasn't possible, think again. In Minecraft, anything is possible, and thanks to Grand Theft Minecart you can head on down to a prostitute-free version of Los Santos, known better as MineSantos. Featuring custom weapons and vehicles, the option to own your own apartment or even join a gang, there's plenty to make sure Grand Theft Minecart feels like a jaunt down to Los Santos. There are even two game modes: Grand Theft Minecart itself, with its more traditional GTA gameplay, or ViceMC, which is a factions-inspired game mode, where you need to grow different types of drugs and attempt to build a drug cartel empire. Okay, so maybe not entirely child friendly after all.
Of all the Pokemon-themed Minecraft servers out there, our favourite has to be PixelmonCraft. It takes the popular Pixelmon mod and turns it into a full multiplayer server. Pokemon MMO anyone? Well, actually it's spread across two servers, to recreate well-known locations from Kanto and Johto regions from the game series with amazing attention to detail. There are Gym Leaders to fight, PokeMarts to shop in, and even long-grass to avoid. If only this was a real Pokemon MMO, but it's close as we're getting for now, and that's incredible.
There are definitely plenty of Lord of the Rings themed servers to choose from, but for us it's Minecraft Middle-earth that deserves to be on our list of best Minecraft servers, despite the fact it's not actually complete yet. Based on the Peter Jackson cinematic version of Middle-earth, this is already an incredible feat, and you can help continue to build it (just make sure you follow those rules). Or, you can just explore the Shire, take a sightseeing trip, or drop into the server's PVP zone and test your mettle.