Modders Build Entire Harry Potter World in Minecraft

A group of Minecraft modders known as the Floo Network has recreated basically the entirety of the Harry Potter universe, and the results are quite magical. Filled with plenty of places to explore and puzzles and quests to fulfill, players can visit some of the most recognizable Harry Potter locations like Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and much more. For what is essentially a Minecraft mod, the whole project looks surprisingly fleshed out. Aside from merely exploring, players will be able to fight enemies, trade in Diagon Alley, scavenge for loot and supplies, and even explore parts of London. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=igns-top-25-modern-pc-games&captions=true"] Players will even be able to visit the Quidditch Field and play a game or two with friends. Further, a lot of the locations in the Minecraft Harry Potter mod are interactive, like the Grand Staircase, where all the stairs are continuously moving. Additionally, there are a couple of puzzle rooms where players will have to use their wands to shoot at a target or cast a spell to move objects around in order to solve the mystery. Around four years ago, the group released a similar mod that was far less interactive and expansive, and a few years ago decided to relaunch the project with new ambitions. "This current project has been in the works for around two years, and has become gradually more ambitious along the way," one project lead, who goes by the username Wednesday Frog, told IGN. " If you count the old map as part of the project it's been closer to seven years." Wednesday Frog told us that their inspirations were drawn from their love for Harry Potter and Minecraft, and they've even visited some of the filming locations to make their digital world as accurate as possible. "Hogwarts itself was very complicated, said Wednesday Frog. He continued, "Since the castle layout changes a lot throughout the film series, it isn't very consistent." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2014/02/13/minecraft-pocket-edition-review"] However, despite some complicated builds, the team says that their love for Harry Potter, Minecraft, and their fans have encouraged them to keep going. "The inspiration to continue was the support and kind words from all the Harry Potter fans who enjoyed what we'd made a long time ago, and the knowledge that we could expand and improve the whole thing a lot with the experience we had gained over the course of the first version of the map." At launch, players will also be able to visit places like Privet Drive, The Great Hall, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the Green House, the Chamber of Secrets, Hagrid's Hut, and much more. Floo Network has not announced an official release date for the Harry Potter mod, but told us that they are aiming to release it to the public by the end of January. In the meantime, players can play as Baby Yoda in Minecraft thanks to the work of a dedicated fan. Further, there have been rumors that the Vatican may be getting its own Minecraft servers, in order to launch a friendlier place to play. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.