A perfect video whilst we wait for the 1.3 update – and therefore a whole new world of minecraft adventure and survival maps.

2D Minecraft is a minecraft survival map in which one dimension has been removed entirely. You want to work with length, width and height? Ha! Such decadence will not be tolerated in the two dimensional regime. In 2D minecraft survival you’ll work with just length and height. Those are all the dimensions you’ll need.

What sets this map apart from other similar maps, like the renowned Ant Farm Survival is the scope of the map. Instead of boxing you into a small space, this map lets you roam freely through all sorts of terrain -it’s just no wider than two blocks at any given point. Even with view settings set to super-uber-distant and panning out to a great distance, it was only possible to capture a portion of the map in the above screenshot.

You’ve been given a home where the zombies roam and where the only way to get around dangerous obstacles is to follow the old tune: if you can’t get over it, go under it – because there sure ain’t any way around it.

Download 2D Minecraft Survival Map!

It’s an island in the sky, but this time the island is made of netherrack and your job is to find chests, build houses and slay a dragon. Those are a lot of hats for one player to wear, and this isn’t TF2, so the hats are a lie. Confused yet? Build a wooden pickaxe and smash your way through netherbricks to chop down a tree, then talk to me about confusion.

Deception is a very neat, compact little survival map. It starts you out with just two blocks of wood, a bucket of lava and a bucket of water and little else. It’s up to you to make your way off the netherrack island and chop down the tree and it is up to you to craft a sky environment capable of not only supporting life, but creating the tools necessary to slay a dragon.

The simplicity of the map is refreshing, and the survival experience is a solid one. Is this anything especially wildly groundbreaking? Perhaps not. But when you’re tumbling into the void with the only iron ore you have and wondering where the heck you’re supposed to find flint the experience is as deep as you’ll need it to be.

Oh yeah, did I mention the custom nether? In this survival map, an island in hell isn’t a bad place to call home.

Download Deception, Minecraft Survival Map

We come now to the ninth popular minecraft survival map of all time according to me and my statistics (generated by pig men scientists of the highest order). Number nine is Sky Pyramid, a sky survival minecraft map in which you float in the sky and try to survive. Yes, it is quite a bit like SkyBlock (which appears quite a bit further up the Top 10 countdown) but it has some unique points and advantages which I will now list.

Sky Pyramid gives you a lot more space to explore and a lot more grass and dirt to work with than SkyBlock, which is pretty much a cobblestone generator of a map. There I said it. Sky Pyramid also benefits from knowledge of cobblestone generation techniques, but you could probably get away without them if you were prepared to work exclusively with wood and wood derived tools.

Unlike Sky Block, which hates you and secretly wants you to fail, Sky Pyramid loves you. It is generous with its bounty. Ultimately it’s just another island in the sky, but it’s an island in the sky where animals will frolic and waters will fall and where you can make your own isolated dreams come true.

Download Sky Pyramid Minecraft Sky Survival Map

This underwater minecraft survival map, correctly titled ‘Drown’ carries with it the imminent risk of dying by, you guessed it, drowning.

The twist in this survival map is the fact that the little sphere you find yourself spawned into is not the only sphere under the sea. There are others clearly visible in the distance and if you wish to survive you must make your way over to them through the crushing pressure of the water bearing down on you at all times, threatening to take your breath away.

Knowledge of cobblestone grinders is immensely useful in this map. Pro Tip: If your lava turns into obsidian, you’ve done something wrong.

The challenge of making one’s way through the watery depths of an unknown world is a great one. The additional spheres of glass provide goals to strive for and your basic minecraft survival skills will be constantly tested as you struggle to complete the challenges and eventually spawn new life under the sea.

Download Drown, Minecraft Underwater Survival Map!