About r/worldbuilding
For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of Tolkien and Le Guin, to the science-fiction universes of Delany and Asimov, to the tabletop realm of Gygax and Barker, and beyond. This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes.
The community at a glance
r/worldbuilding is a Subreddit for Writers with roughly 1.9M members. It has been around since 2009. It has both a forum and a live chat communication style. It is the 3rd largest community in the Writing topic page.
Roughly 100K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Worldbuilding, Tools, and Magic. Product recommendations often mention map making program, books, and wiki site.
Community Topics
Subreddit Analysis
via GummySearchMember growth over time
All time (yearly)
- 2013: 13K members
- 2014: 20K members
- 2015: 19K members
- 2016: 41K members
- 2017: 120K members
- 2018: 114K members
- 2019: 147K members
- 2020: 170K members
- 2021: 171K members
- 2023: 483K members
- 2024: 404K members
- 2025: 132K members
- 2026: 75K members
Past year (monthly)
- Oct: 4K members
- Nov: 9K members
- Dec: 9K members
- Jan: 9K members
- Feb: 9K members
- Mar: 9K members
- Apr: 9K members
- May: 9K members
- Jun: 9K members
- Jul: 10K members
- Aug: 9K members
- Sep: 2K members
Topics
- Worldbuilding88 posts in the past month#188Worldbuilding
- Tools38 posts in the past month#238Tools
- Magic18 posts in the past month#318Magic
- Struggling With15 posts in the past month#415Struggling With
- Maps13 posts in the past month#513Maps
Flair
- Discussion53 posts in the past month
- Be wacky with your cultures. These are French sheperds in 1830
- I feel like getting space travel down is an important part of Sic-fi world building. Which is often over looked.
- Sci Fi Worldbuilders: how has the rise of ChatGPT and LLM's affected the role of AI in your stories and worlds?
#153DiscussionBe wacky with your cultures. These are French sheperds in 1830 · I feel like getting space travel down is an important part of Sic-fi world building. Which is often over looked. · Sci Fi Worldbuilders: how has the rise of ChatGPT and LLM's affected the role of AI in your stories and worlds? - Visual41 posts in the past month
- Do you have any unconventional, monstrous mounts in your setting? (Kozt Empire)
- Trophy hunters... [Project: Regress]
- Absurdist post soviet realm when people live with abominations
#241VisualDo you have any unconventional, monstrous mounts in your setting? (Kozt Empire) · Trophy hunters... [Project: Regress] · Absurdist post soviet realm when people live with abominations - Question36 posts in the past month
- What if the Greys that abducted people were actually their civilization's version of barbarians and pirates?
- What is missing to my 19 pages worldbuilding checklist?
- Do Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy settings often borrow from India as well?
#336QuestionWhat if the Greys that abducted people were actually their civilization's version of barbarians and pirates? · What is missing to my 19 pages worldbuilding checklist? · Do Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy settings often borrow from India as well? - Lore32 posts in the past month
- “Fading Humanity” and fungal symbiosis: how humanity is slowly becoming something else
- "Parry this, you filthy casual."
- First time worldbuilding — Eidos
#432Lore“Fading Humanity” and fungal symbiosis: how humanity is slowly becoming something else · "Parry this, you filthy casual." · First time worldbuilding — Eidos - Map27 posts in the past month
- Is my map shape too generic?
- How do you like our alternative 1950s world map?
- I used Inkarnate to build a world map, then animated the map into my indie series called HARE.
#527MapIs my map shape too generic? · How do you like our alternative 1950s world map? · I used Inkarnate to build a world map, then animated the map into my indie series called HARE.
Product recommendations
- map making program2 posts in the past month
- Best map making program?
- What’s the best mapmaking tool, paid or not?
#12map making programBest map making program? · What’s the best mapmaking tool, paid or not? - books2 posts in the past month
- What 4 books would you recommend to me as, an aspiring dark fantasy author?
- Can anyone recommend me any good books about worldbuilding?
#22booksWhat 4 books would you recommend to me as, an aspiring dark fantasy author? · Can anyone recommend me any good books about worldbuilding? - wiki site2 posts in the past month
- I’m looking to create a wiki for my own fandom/stories but don’t know what website to make it on.. can anyone recommend any?
- Can anybody recommend a good free wiki site?
#32wiki siteI’m looking to create a wiki for my own fandom/stories but don’t know what website to make it on.. can anyone recommend any? · Can anybody recommend a good free wiki site? - worldbuilding tools2 posts in the past month
- Best tools for worldbuilding
- whats some actual good ways to organise worlbulding n what tools do u recommend
#42worldbuilding toolsBest tools for worldbuilding · whats some actual good ways to organise worlbulding n what tools do u recommend - worldbuilding books2 posts in the past month
- Any good books on worldbuilding you peeps recommend?
- can anyone recommend any good books/videos on world building?
#52worldbuilding booksAny good books on worldbuilding you peeps recommend? · can anyone recommend any good books/videos on world building?
Community Reviews
Frequently asked questions
- Who is r/worldbuilding for?
- Best for Writers enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion, live chat.
- Is r/worldbuilding free to join?
- This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
- How many members does r/worldbuilding have?
- Roughly 1.9M members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
- What platform is r/worldbuilding on?
- r/worldbuilding runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
- What topics does r/worldbuilding cover?
- On the Hive Index, r/worldbuilding is organized under Writers.
- How do I join r/worldbuilding?
- You can join r/worldbuilding by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
- What are the Writing communities like?
- Communities for writers of all kinds, from fiction and screenwriting to technical writing and journalism. Discord and Reddit have large general writing communities for feedback and accountability, with more specialized groups for specific genres, craft topics, and publication paths like self-publishing and traditional querying.
Monthly Stats
- 35
- Views /mo (+94%)
- 30
- Visitors /mo (+131%)
- 2
- Referrals /mo (-50%)
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