Java Realms Content Creator Program Categories Overview

Key Takeaways

Point	Details
The program has five official categories	Minigames, World Templates, Adventures, Experience, and Inspiration.
The Experience category stopped	The Experience category stopped accepting new maps after September 2025; existing maps are being moved to other categories.
Submissions begin on the	Submissions begin on the r/realms subreddit, then proceed to the Atlas portal for full review.
Only one submission per	Only one submission per user may be in the queue at any given time.
Approved maps are scheduled	Approved maps are scheduled for publication and announced on minecraft.net.

If you're a mapmaker looking to share your creations with a wide audience, the Java Realms Content Creator Program is the official path to get your maps onto Realms for Minecraft: Java Edition.

The program currently publishes content under five distinct categories. Knowing which category fits your map is the first step to a successful submission.

The Five Content Categories

The Java Realms Content Creator Program defines these categories:

The program currently publishes content under one of the following five categories: Minigames - Short, self-contained, and repeatable game modes.

• Minigames – Short, self-contained, and repeatable game modes. Think parkour courses, PvP arenas, or puzzle races.
• World Templates – A way for players to start a new survival game with something extra, such as a castle or a village.

World Templates - A way for players to start a new survival game with something extra, such as a castle or a village.

• Adventures – Longer experiences meant to be played from start to finish, often with a storyline.

Adventures - Longer experiences, meant to be played from start to finish.

• Experience – Maps without a defined goal, like a theme park or scenic exploration area.

Experience - Maps without a defined goal, like a theme park.

• Inspiration – Visually informative creations designed to inspire potential builders.

Inspiration - Visually informative creations designed to inspire potential builders.

For builders creating competitive maps, avoiding common pitfalls can improve replayability — see our guide on 7 Common Minecraft Speedrun Mistakes Killing Your PB for ideas on tight game design.

Important Category Change: The Experience Shutdown

As of September 2025, the Experience category is no longer accepting new maps, except for special projects. Existing Experience maps will gradually be moved to other categories where they fit better.

Following September 2025 and except for special projects, this category is no longer accepting new maps, and existing maps will be gradually moved to other categories.

If your map doesn't have a clear goal, consider reworking it into a Minigame or Adventure before submitting.

How the Submission Process Works

To submit a map, start by posting it on the official Realms subreddit (r/realms). Your submission enters a queue for initial review by a Mojang content coordinator.

To apply for the program, one should submit a map that they have made on the Realms subreddit r/realms.

Only one submission per user may be in the queue at a time. If approved, you gain access to the Atlas submission portal, plus the program's Slack and Discord channels. From there, you can submit maps for a full review. After a full review, approved maps are scheduled for publishing that month or the next.

After a map passes the full review, it will be scheduled for publishing in the current or next month, and announced via a blog post on minecraft.net.

All submissions must follow the Realms Map Guidelines, and maps must function in the latest stable release of the game.

Whether you're building a competitive minigame or a sprawling adventure, matching your map to the correct category is the key to getting it in front of thousands of Realms subscribers.