5 best Minecraft horror maps for beginners

Minecraft's capability as a creative outlet has led some builders to create eerie and mysterious worlds where players can experience scares alongside puzzle solving and exploration.

There are tons of horror maps for Minecraft, all depicting their own stories at varying lengths and complexities. Some maps involve simply escaping a dangerous adversary, while others use incredibly sophisticated puzzles that can take a substantial amount of time to complete.

For beginners who may not be acclimated to Minecraft horror maps, the task of finding a good fit for their experience level may be daunting.

Fortunately there are plenty of hugely popular Minecraft horror maps, and some of the best are very friendly to newcomers.

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Minecraft: Top 5 horror maps by popularity and beginner friendliness

#5 - Phasmophobia in Minecraft

Image via Mojang

Kinetic Games' 2020 title Phasmophobia took the gaming world by storm last year with some 4-player co-op ghost hunting action. Seeking to recapture this intense hype, creator NeoMC set out to recreate the game within Minecraft's engine.

Centered on the once sleepy town of Pawnee, Indiana, players assume the role of a "ghost crew" member investigating the now-vacant locations of the town. Players will lurk through haunted locales, collecting clues and hoping to leave the house with all they need before the resident spirit is enraged and begins hunting them,

NeoMC has also provided a required resource pack that must be downloaded for the map to work effectively, but it is a small inconvenience to pay for such an impressive recreation of one of 2020's highest-selling horror titles.

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#4 - The Whispers

Image via Mojang

Taking Minecraft players through multiple spooky areas, The Whispers has an appealing backstory and does surprisingly well at creating a macabre atmosphere within the constraints of Minecraft's world.

Players will venture through dark forests, an old mansion's living spaces, as well as its attice and decrepit catacombs. Although the map is only for single player experiences, it is still good fun in Adventure Mode.

The story concerns Mr. Overwoods, a wealthy and brilliant individual who moved his family to the newly-dubbed Overwoods Mansion. Once Mr. Overwoods turned 51 however, he began to hear whispers that drove him mad, driving his family away to parts unknown. Villagers would report finding Overwoods' body in the mansion soon after.

As an investigator into the circumstances of Overwoods' death, players enter Overwoods Mansion, unsure of what awaits.

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#3 - Blackout

Image via Mojang

Inspired by games such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R and Escape from Tarkov, Blackout brings Minecraft scares to an Eastern European setting. A story-driven adventure, Blackout takes place in a post-apocalyptic Russian city. The player wakes at a train station accompanied only by the sounds of rain and the faint whispers that seem to know who they are.

Players will travel through the city's sprawling streets, scavenging for supplies and defeating bandits. If players think that is all that awaits them in this Minecraft map, however, they are sorely mistaken. Invincible creatures have overtaken the city, and will hunt players endlessly.

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#2 - Back to School

Image via Mojang

Although only playable in Minecraft version 1.10.2, Back to School is one of the most popular horror maps in the community. The story is deceptively simple but the atmosphere is top-notch.

The narrative for players is that they play Daniel, a teacher at a nearby school. A student has recently been murdered, and authorities have been unable to solve any aspect of the crime. With the player acting through him, Daniel begins his journey to find out what happened and hopefully find the student's killer.

Creator KillerCreeper55 has set forth some ground rules for maximum enjoyment:

• Do not use Optifine, this can cause technical issues with the map.
• Play in single player.
• Play with a render distance of eight chunks.
• Read the rules included with the map.
• Play quietly, explore everything and check item descriptions.

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#1 - Poison

Image via Mojang

Likely Minecraft's most well-known horror map, Poison is an adventure that prides itself on eerie atmosphere and dreadful vistas instead of loud noises and jump scares. Created by PatotatoMan, creator of horror maps Demon Brain and Pacheco's Hell, Poison was made specifically for Minecraft 1.16.5 and is considered his passion project for fans.

In addition to its creepy aesthetic, Poison is also multiplayer friendly and has no upper limit to the number of players that can participate in it, PatotatoMan simply requests that all players begin at the same time.

The rules he has set for the world are as follows:

• Must be played in Minecraft 1.16.5!
• Play with a render distance of 10 chunks.
• Read the rules contained in the map provided at the start.