Minecraft is getting its first-ever themed hotel. Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios have announced details of Minecraft World, a new area at Chessington World of Adventures near London. In 2027 it will offer nearly 70 game-themed rooms and the first roller coaster inspired by the Nether. The whole project is valued at 50 million pounds.

A hotel four floors high, built from blocks

Minecraft World Hotel will have 69 rooms spread across four floors: 20 premium rooms and 49 standard ones. The decor draws on the game's biomes, mobs and signature pixelated look. Right in reception, guests will see blocky trees and animals that set the Overworld mood. The elevators are designed around a Nether Portal theme, and the corridors are meant to resemble the mineshaft tunnels you know from playing Bedrock Edition and Java.

On site there will also be an immersive restaurant and a bar serving "potions", inspired by the look of the Woodland Mansion. Daisy Mercedes, creative producer at Merlin Entertainments, says in the press release that "every room, corridor and detail has been designed with enormous love for this game, the stories created in it and its community". Filip Keatley Thoms, creative lead at Mojang Studios, adds that the goal was to create an experience that "feels authentically like Minecraft and gives guests a chance to experience the game in a completely new way".

Escape the Nether: the first coaster

The flagship attraction of the new area will be Escape the Nether, the world's first Minecraft-based roller coaster. The track starts with a fast, covered section simulating dark mine tunnels, then the train exits the building through a visual Nether Portal and emerges in a themed area recreating the Overworld. Merlin Entertainments and Mojang haven't yet shared detailed technical specs for the ride, such as top speed or track length.

Minecraft World will also include smaller attractions for the youngest guests, including a building area made of blocks, themed food outlets and shops selling merchandise tied to the brand. Chessington World of Adventures Resort is just 35 minutes by direct train from London Waterloo, which should make it easier to reach for families from outside the UK, including tourists from Poland planning a trip to London.

From announcement to opening

Minecraft World was first announced in March, while the name of the Escape the Nether coaster was only revealed on September 28 during Minecraft LIVE. Merlin Entertainments and Mojang have now clarified that the park and the hotel will launch together in 2027, though no specific opening date has been given yet. It's the first project of its kind in a broader strategy of taking Minecraft beyond the computer or console screen, following earlier Minecraft Experience events held in the United States.

For Polish fans of the game, this is mostly a travel curiosity. Like the earlier Minecraft Experience events in Atlanta and New Jersey, Minecraft World won't replace playing at home, but it shows how far the brand has grown beyond procedurally generated worlds, known from popular seeds or community-made builds. Fans of building and creating their own worlds can for now follow the project online rather than book tickets, since Merlin hasn't yet started selling tickets for 2027.

Minecraft as an entertainment brand

Mojang's decision to get involved in a physical theme park fits the trend of bringing popular gaming brands into real-world experiences. Minecraft has been one of the best-selling games of all time for years, and its community regularly uses tools and calculators to plan their own building projects, which now have a counterpart in the architecture of the hotel in Chessington. It's worth adding that this isn't the first time the brand has stepped off the screen: Minecraft Experience was previously run as mobile, ticketed exhibitions in several US cities.

The opening of Minecraft World will test whether fans are ready to pay for a night's stay in a world built from blocks, rather than one simply recreated in a launcher. Merlin Entertainments hopes the complex will attract not only families with kids but also adult players who grew up on Minecraft and want to experience it in a new, physical form.

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