And finally… blockbuster

This marks the coming together of a 21st-century phenomenon with one of the most influential architects the UK has ever seen and is Minecraft Education’s first ever world dedicated to creative thinking, architecture and design in the AI era.

Through complex problem solving, creative thinking and critical analysis the game will encourage students to learn, reinterpret and digest information, and utilise technology as a tool for creative expression.

No block of classical antiquity will be left unturned when Soane’s Portals to the Past launched on 21 January 2026 for educators and learners to access in Minecraft Education.

Sir John Soane will be able to talk to every pupil up and down the country as the blocky version of the architect shows them around his house, full of artefacts of inspiration, and talk about his life-long work, his design process and his wonderful Museum.

And it’s not just the Regency era that pupils will be transported to, but far beyond – they can also visit Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt in the game-within-a-game as they discover the ancient cultures that inspired Soane’s own designs and collection.

The game will allow young audiences to study key artefacts in the Museum’s collection and then design and build their own structures inspired by the ancient civilisations that influenced Sir John Soane (1753-1837), including sites like the Pantheon, the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, and Seti I’s Hypostyle Hall.

After exploring the limestone, granite, and sandstone columns of the ancient world, students will find themselves back in London, in Sir John Soane’s Model Room, where they will have the chance to build their own architectural legacy, inspired by design practices they have learnt about in the game.

It was Soane’s wish that his former home and collection should become an ‘academy’ where the public can learn and be inspired to foster their own creativity, therefore what better partner than the globally renowned computer game which has been engaging a new generation with the fun, beauty and importance of design.

The video game is launched at a time of record-breaking visitor numbers for Sir John Soane’s Museum. Over 160,000 people visited the London museum during 2024-25 and over 2,700 children and young people engaged with the Learning team. Now with the consolidation of the collection, building and architecture through this online space, it is hoped that hundreds of thousands more can engage with one of the UK’s foremost architects and his legacy through Soane’s Portals to the Past.

The video game has been created by BlockBuilders, a UK-based third-party developer, and the classroom resource will be available alongside lesson plans for free on the Minecraft Education website as part of the Microsoft Office 365 Education subscription. 

Will Gompertz, director of Sir John Soane’s Museum, said: “Minecraft’s gamifiaction of our incredible Museum is a brilliant application of technology to help fulfill Soane’s ambition for his Museum to be an Academy of the Arts, free to all. At a flick of a switch, we can now share Soane’s remarkable collection and visionary architecture with a truly global audience of students through one of the world’s most beloved game‑based learning platforms.”

Justin Edwards, director of learning experiences at Minecraft Education, said: “Creativity and problem solving are unique human abilities that are in increasing demand from employers. This Minecraft Education world provides a unique opportunity to connect the past with the present to give young people the skills they need to thrive in the increasingly digital world. We are absolutely delighted to have worked with Sir John Soane’s Museum on this project, given their history in promoting design, architecture and creative thinking.”

Soane’s Portals to the Past has been supported by John Clappier, Lady Brittan, The Rothschild Foundation and Lord and Lady Sassoon.