Multiple Worlds on a Minecraft Server with Multiverse: Survival, Creative and Minigames at Once

Before you start

Multiverse is a plugin: you need a Paper server (or Purpur, Spigot). On Fabric, Forge or NeoForge it doesn't work; there, extra worlds are done with mods and it's a different path. If you don't know what you have, the Paper, Fabric and Forge guide explains it.

Make a backup before installing anything: in the panel, “Backups” → create. Creating worlds doesn't touch the one you already have, but deleting one by mistake does.

The commands in this guide are typed as they are in the panel console, or in the in-game chat with a / in front if you're an operator (op).

Installing Multiverse-Core

1. Find it in the panel

   Inside your server, “Mods & plugins” → search for “Multiverse-Core” → “Install”. Only versions that work with your Minecraft version are shown. If it doesn't appear, download it from its official page (Modrinth, Hangar or BukkitDev) and upload it to the plugins folder from “Files”.

2. Restart

   Press “Restart”. On startup, Multiverse detects the worlds that already exist (the normal one, the Nether and the End) and registers them by itself.

3. Check that it works

   Type mv list in the console: your worlds should be listed. If it says the command doesn't exist, check the console for an error when the plugin loaded (usually a version that doesn't match).

Creating a new world

The format is mv create <name> <type>, where the type is normal, nether or the_end. Use names without spaces or accents: creative, resources, minigames. A separate world is exactly where a minigame arena goes (BedWars step by step, Hunger Games).

1. A normal world

   mv create resources normal. It takes a few seconds while it generates the terrain around the spawn point; the console tells you when it's done.

2. With a specific seed

   mv create survival2 normal --seed 12345 (or -s 12345). Without a seed, you get a random one.

3. A flat world for building

   mv create creative normal --world-type flat (or -t flat). If you also don't want villages or structures, add --no-structures. Other types: amplified (huge mountains) and large_biomes (bigger biomes). With layers to your liking, in a superflat world on the server.

4. A Nether or End of its own

   mv create events_nether nether. Note: a portal built in another world doesn't lead to this Nether by itself; see “Portals” further down.

Each world with its own rules

Multiverse stores each world's settings separately. You change them with mv modify <world> set <setting> <value>, and anyone entering that world is switched to its game mode automatically.

1. Game mode

   mv modify creative set gamemode creative. The values are survival, creative, adventure and spectator.

2. Difficulty

   mv modify resources set difficulty hard (peaceful, easy, normal or hard).

3. No monsters or animals

   mv modify creative set spawning false: in a creative building world you don't want creepers blowing anything up.

4. Game rules per world

   mv gamerule <rule> <value> <world>, for example mv gamerule keep_inventory true minigames. In current Minecraft versions rules are lowercase with underscores (keep_inventory, not keepInventory), and PvP is also a rule: mv gamerule pvp false creative. The names of each rule are in the gamerules guide.

5. Spawn point

   Stand where you want people to appear in that world and type mv setspawn in chat.

Moving between worlds

mv tp creative takes you to that world's spawn point; mv tp Name creative takes another player. For your players to move around on their own without being operators, give them permission with LuckPerms: lp group default permission set multiverse.teleport.self.w.creative true lets them go to the creative world, and multiverse.teleport.self.w.* to every world. The LuckPerms guide explains groups.

With Multiverse-Portals (from the same team) you can build a portal at spawn leading to each world, which is the most convenient option for people who don't know commands.

Separate inventories: essential if there's a creative world

Multiverse-Core on its own shares the inventory between worlds: someone grabs 64 diamonds in creative, goes back to survival and takes them along. For each world (or group of worlds) to have its own inventory, health and experience, install Multiverse-Inventories and restart.

The usual setup is to group survival with its Nether and End so they share an inventory, and keep creative separate. Do it before opening creative to players: whatever has already slipped through won't be separated by itself.

Portals to the Nether and the End

By default, a Nether portal lit in any world leads to the server's main Nether. If you want survival2 to have its own Nether, create survival2_nether (type nether) and install Multiverse-NetherPortals: it automatically links each world to the Nether and End named the same but ending in _nether and _the_end.

Bringing in a world you already have

1. Upload it

   Compress it on your PC, upload it with “Files” to the server's main folder and unzip it there. Inside, you should see level.dat directly, not another folder with the world inside it.

2. Register it

   mv import folder_name normal (or nether or the_end if that's what it is). From then on you can go to it with mv tp. On Paper 26.1 or later, the first time, the server moves it into place by itself (see “Where worlds are stored”).

3. If it comes from another version

   A world from an earlier version gets upgraded when it loads, and there's no going back: make a backup. The other way round doesn't work: a world from a newer version than your server won't load.

Where worlds are stored

Since 26.1, Paper stores worlds the way the regular game does: inside the main world's folder, in world/dimensions/minecraft/. That's where overworld, the_nether and the_end are, and where the ones you create with Multiverse show up too (world/dimensions/minecraft/creative). On servers with earlier versions, each world was a separate folder in the main folder (world_nether, creative…).

Knowing this helps you download a specific world from “Files” or move it aside manually. To delete one, it's better to use the command below, which also unregisters it in Multiverse.

Resetting or deleting a world

mv regen resources regenerates that world from scratch with the same seed; with mv regen resources --seed, with a new random seed, and with --seed 12345, with that one. It's the classic move for a resource world that gets used up: it resets every month and the main survival world isn't touched.

mv delete creative deletes the world and its files for good; Multiverse asks you to confirm with mv confirm. If you only want it to stop loading, mv unload creative unloads it without deleting anything, and mv load creative loads it again.

How much RAM several worlds need

Each loaded world uses memory, especially when there are players in it: the server keeps the terrain around each one in memory. A flat creative world or an empty lobby costs little; a second survival world with people exploring costs almost as much as the first.

To save memory, unload unused worlds with mv unload and load them again with mv load when needed. If there's still stuttering or the console warns about running out of memory, the Minecraft RAM guide tells you how much you need; on NapNodes you give it more RAM without reinstalling or losing your worlds.

Frequently asked questions