Great Fire 1666 for Minecraft: Frequently asked questions

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is a ‘sandbox’ video game that can be played across a number of platforms for a one-off payment. It's called a sandbox game because it allows users to play around, explore and create what they want. The creative and building aspect of Minecraft allows players to build 3D constructions using textured cubes. The virtual landscapes in which building or game play takes place are often referred to as ‘maps’ because of their simulation of geographic areas.

To date Minecraft has sold over 100 million copies and is one of the most popular video games in history. It's used by players of all ages, and is becoming increasingly popular within education as an engaging learning platform.

More information on Minecraft can be found at https://minecraft.net/en/.

What is Great Fire 1666 for Minecraft?

Great Fire 1666 is a set of 3 Minecraft ‘maps’ that tell the story of the Great Fire of London. Great Fire 1666 maps are available for free to existing players of Minecraft on PC or Mac.

Minecraft ‘maps’ are virtual environments or games created in Minecraft, often by players themselves, and made available for others to download and play.

How do I play Great Fire 1666?

Great Fire 1666 maps are available for free to players of Minecraft on PC or Mac. Each of the maps can be downloaded as individual zip files by clicking the links on the individual game pages:

Pre-fire London map (available 29 July 2016)

Fire of London map (available 2 September 2016)

After the Fire of London map (available 31 March 2017)

How do I install the Great Fire 1666 map in Minecraft?

Once you have downloaded the Great Fire 1666 zip file (containing an individual map), to play, follow these instructions:

Download a map file by clicking one of the links above

Extract the map files with a ZIP extractor (saving the file to your desktop or Documents folder so that you can easily find it). ZIP files can usually be opened by your operating system without any problems. Click the ‘Extract’ button and you will be asked for a location to extract to. Extract the folder to your desktop or Documents folder so that you can easily find it

For Windows - Click the Start menu and select ‘Run’. Type %appdata% and press Enter. Open folder named ‘.minecraft’ and then ‘saves’

For OS X - Click the Go menu in Finder and select ‘Go to Folder’. Type ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/saves and press Return

Copy the extracted map folder into the ‘saves’ folder that opens

Start the game. Your newly downloaded map will be available in your ‘Worlds’ list in Minecraft. Select it to begin playing and exploring your new map.

What are the system requirements?

Great Fire 1666 maps were created in Minecraft version 1.10.2 To play Great Fire 1666 via your Minecraft account you will need the latest version of Minecraft.

See also: How do I run Minecraft page on Mojang’s website

See also: Support page on Mojang’s website

Is Minecraft safe to play for all age groups?

Mojang, creators of Minecraft, recommend the game for players aged 13+, mainly owing to the one-off payment required to download the game. However, many younger children will enjoy playing Minecraft and Mojang offers guidance to parents for account users under 13.