Nvidia has partnered with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity to create the biggest winter wonderland ever, all built in Minecraft.
This is an interactive Santa's grotto and winter wonderland experience that spans a whopping 38 acres of virtual space. All lovingly crafted in Minecraft.
The experience includes several hidden treats of references to classic Christmas films and a full recreation of Great Ormond Street hospital too.
It's not just to show off what's possible with RTX Minecraft either. As the experience is also part of an effort to raise money for the charity. Users can donate in the virtual hospital or directly via this link. Those donations will help seriously ill children get one step closer to being home this Christmas.
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How to play the RTX Winter World
In order to try out the winter wonderland experience, you just need to follow these simple steps. Though you will need to be running an RTX graphics card to do so:
- Download GeForce Experience and install the latest GeForce Drivers
- Ensure you have a GeForce RTX GPU installed in your PC
- Download and install the latest version of Minecraft for Windows
- Download the NVIDIA RTX Winter World, here: https://www.planetminecraft.com/project/nvidia-rtx-winter-world
- Locate the downloaded file and double click
- Minecraft for Windows will open and a dialogue box at the top of the screen will let you know when the world is installed
- Click Play > Create > Scroll to the bottom to the ‘imported templates’ section & click Christmas Adventure RTX
- Click Create & the Christmas adventure will start
- To check if Ray Tracing and DLSS are enabled: Go to Settings > Video > scroll down and make sure Upscaling and Ray Tracing are enabled.
- Depending on the RTX GPU you have, you can increase the Ray Tracing Render Distance from 8 chunks in the video settings
Christmas tree
No winter wonderland would be complete without a brightly and colourfully lit Christmas tree.
No winter wonderland would be complete without a brightly and colourfully lit Christmas tree. So naturally, this is one addition to the Minecraft one that comes complete with presents underneath.
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Nvidia has partnered with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity to create the biggest winter wonderland ever, all built in Minecraft.
A logical part of the charitable winter wonderland construction is the addition of the Great Ormond Street Hospital in virtual form.
A brilliant snowman
What's not to love about a giant snowman complete with a Santa hat and an enormous present?
What's not to love about a giant snowman complete with a Santa hat and an enormous present?
He's a giant
It's a most wonderful time of year. Even better when you don't have to go out into the freezing cold to see a snowman. Even one that someone else constructed.
It's a most wonderful time of year. Even better when you don't have to go out into the freezing cold to see a snowman. Even one that someone else constructed.
It's also not every day you see a brightly lit snowman either.
Explore away
There are plenty of things to explore in the virtual wonderland. Including numerous nooks and crannies worth poking around in.
There are plenty of things to explore in the virtual wonderland. Including numerous nooks and crannies worth poking around in.
Little workers
Work your way through the winter wonderland and find a factory stocked with presents and little workers busying themselves for Christmas.
Work your way through the winter wonderland and find a factory stocked with presents and little workers busying themselves for Christmas.
The London Eye
The views are complete with the London Eye reimagined in Minecraft form.
The views are complete with the London Eye reimagined in Minecraft form.
All in giant snowglobes
The winter wonderland is split across three giant snowglobes. One you case the top of one of them in this shot.
The winter wonderland is split across three giant snowglobes. One you case the top of one of them in this shot.
Three locations
The settings within the three globes include a winter wonderland, Santa's village and a winter environment.
The settings within the three globes include a winter wonderland, Santa's village and a winter environment.
It's said to be four times bigger than the real-world seasonal celebration that happens in Austria.
Penguin post
You'll even find hidden attractions like this penguin postal service. a petting zoo tent, with playable storylines and missions from Santa.
You'll even find hidden attractions like this penguin postal service. a petting zoo tent, with playable storylines and missions from Santa.
Residence of Santa Claus
Poke around enough and you'll find the home of Santa Claus. Just don't disturb him as he's a busy chap this time of year.
Poke around enough and you'll find the home of Santa Claus. Just don't disturb him as he's a busy chap this time of year.
Rollercoaster
There's even a virtual rollercoaster and a frozen ice skating lake. So plenty to admire.
Hidden Easter Eggs
Keep an eye out while you're exploring as you'll also find hidden treats like Easter Egg tributes to classic Christmas films.
Keep an eye out while you're exploring as you'll also find hidden treats like Easter Egg tributes to classic Christmas films like Elf, It's A Wonderful Life and The Polar Express.
Adventures galore
Adventure across frozen lakes and through snow-covered parts of the world to discover all that's on offer.
Adventure across frozen lakes and through snow-covered parts of the world to discover all that's on offer.
Ray traced lighting
As you'd expect from an Nvidia crafted environment the RTX Winter World takes full advantage of ray tracing.
As you'd expect from an Nvidia crafted environment the RTX Winter World takes full advantage of ray tracing. Expect to see plenty of realistic reflections, shadows and impressive lighting effects.
Small details
It's the small details that make it really shine. Like the individually lit windows and carefully constructed buildings.
It's the small details that make it really shine. Like the individually lit windows and carefully constructed buildings.
It's for the kids
Don't forget this is all for the children. So donate to the charity if you can.
Don't forget this is all for the children. So donate to the charity if you can.