Millions have walked these worlds before.
Erase their traces. Shape something new.
Reforge the realm, and let the hunt begin once more!

Welcome to Reforged Realms, our 5th Official Map Contest!

🗺️ Theme

Reforged Realms – You must redesign an existing map in a new theme, atmosphere, or context!

In this contest, we’re challenging you to redesign an existing map you have previously created, or one of Witch It’s default maps! 🧙‍♀️

The original layout must serve as a foundation, but the final result should feel familiar, yet different – with a new visual theme, mood, identity or story.

We encourage you to preserve recognisable elements of the original map, so that players can immediately understand it’s transformation.

Take creative risks, reframe how the original space is experienced, and perhaps consider opening up new paths, opportunities and stories that weren’t available in the original maps!

Reforging can be interpreted in countless different ways.

Maybe you’re introducing a new weather event, drastically altering the mood of the map, or reforging it into a different time period.

What if your map was abandoned, reclaimed, or repurposed over time? Or what if the same layout existed in a completely different reality?

Whatever your idea is, be creative and have fun! 🤩

Bring together your best ideas and pick one of the two options:

1️⃣ Redesign any Barrel Roll Games Official map!

2️⃣ Redesign a workshop map that you previously uploaded to Steam (no stealing)!

Note: Featured maps can only be reforged by their original creators!

🥇 Main Prize | Official Implementation

As always, we plan to implement multiple winning submissions into Witch It as Featured Maps, which can be played on both official and custom servers.

No specific number of winners is determined, but the winning maps will replace a number of previously featured maps.

All winning maps will receive baked lighting, and will be played by thousands of players in the years to come! 🌍

Each contributor in a winning map will also receive:

✅ The Grand Architect’s Helmet for the Hunter! 👷

✅ 1x Witch It Steam Key (giftable)!

✅ Two DLC sets of their choice!

✅ Your name added to the description of a Creative Mode structure!

✅ The Grand Architect role on the Witch It Discord!

🎉 Additional Awards

This year, we’re offering three new additional awards. Winning an additional reward does not guarantee your map will be added in-game.

Each additional award winner will receive a DLC set of their choice, as well as their name added to the description of a Creative Mode structure!

☑️ Outstanding Creativity Award | Official Reforge

To win this award, reforge an existing official map. The most creative approach will receive this award!

🧰 Outstanding Creativity Award | Workshop Reforge

To win this award, reforge a workshop map you’ve previously created. The most creative approach will receive this award!

🎨 Outstanding Artistry Award

To win this award, you must build a visually impressive map. The best-looking entry will receive this award!

✔️ Participate in just 6 steps:

1️⃣ Use Witch It’s Creative Mode to build a custom map following our theme, rules and advice!

2️⃣ Upload your map to the Steam workshop!

3️⃣ Upload at least one screenshot onto your workshop page!

4️⃣ In the description, add a link to the original map you modified (or just the name, if you’re reforging an Official map).

5️⃣ Add the hashtag #mapcontest2025 in the description!

6️⃣ Finally, post your entry under this announcement, or in #reforged-entries on our Discord!

By participating, you are agreeing that we can use your creation as an official featured map in Witch It.

If you are still unsure what to do, visit our detailed participation guide here!

⚠️ Theme Rules

🔸 You can build on any map template or within your previously-uploaded workshop maps.

🔸 You are allowed to use empty templates for more structural freedom, but the drawback is that you will lose structural elements that resemble the default map. Consider rebuilding these elements if you’re attempting to use empty templates!

🔸 The prop layout of your map doesn’t need to match an Official prop layout. Make sure your prop layouts are suitable and well-balanced.

🔸 You can only reforge Official maps (created by Barrel Roll Games), or a workshop map you have uploaded before 19th December 2025. We will check upload dates!

🔸 Featured maps and workshop maps can only be reforged by the original map creators!

🔸 You must add a link to the original workshop map in the description of your entry (if it’s an Official map, just include the name).

🔸 If you want to reforge a workshop map you made with other collaborators, you must give them the opportunity to collaborate with you on your reforged entry (or ask for permission to work alone).

This is to ensure every creator is properly credited and considered.

🌐 World Properties were added back in May, allowing you to configure light, fog, and music. World properties are not a requirement, but if you want to alter these visual configurations, you’ll need to use an empty template map such as “town day”, “desert sunset” or any blank map. If you use these, please consider the player’s visibility levels – powerful configurations like sky light or fog can look interesting, but might result in frustrating gameplay!

⚠️ General Rules

🔸 You can submit as many maps as you want, but remember: quality over quantity.

🔸 You can either make your map solo, or collaborate with up to 3 other creators – all creators must be marked a contributor on your workshop item!

🔸 You cannot enter using other creator’s maps that you are not an original contributor on (we will check for stolen work).

🔸 Offensive/NSFW content is strictly prohibited!

🔸 All users can enter, including Grand Architect and staff members. Users with ongoing bans are not eligible to win.

🔸 Absolutely no AI-generated content (for graphics/screenshots/lore).

🔸 Switches are allowed in maps.

🔸 Please avoid using out-of-bounds water in playable areas of your maps.

⚖️ Fairness Rule: One creator cannot win the main prize twice in a single map contest – only your best map will be chosen, the rest will not be eligible! This rule does not apply to our additional awards. Collaborative maps are included in this fairness rule, so feel free to submit a separate solo entry if you’d like!

🚫 Breaking these rules may result in disqualification from the contest!

💡 Advice

🔄 Swapping Templates

If you’re reforging a workshop map you created, you could use a useful trick discovered by fri allowing you to change the map template (and therefore the default lighting and atmosphere).

Locate your map file in %appdata% > Local > WitchIt > Saved > SaveGames, and copy it to another map template folder of your choice.

If you don’t have all the map template folders, open the one you want in Creative Mode then it save – the folder will appear!

This trick is unofficial and isn’t guaranteed to work well for all maps, so please create a backup in case something goes wrong.

📕 Balance Your Map

Since you’re working mostly within the confines of existing maps, the balancing is almost done for you already!

However, please consider the amount of props in your map, and how easy it is to navigate around your layout.

Do the witches have plenty of hiding options? Can hunters check for witches efficiently?

For those working on reforged workshop maps – please build small.

If your reforged workshop map is bigger than Morgenstund, you’re probably building too big.

We cannot stress this enough – a beautiful map is worthless to us if it’s too big.

📙 Playtesting Is Key

Round up your friends (or even other entrants) to test your maps thoroughly.

A great looking map will be not be approved if the gameplay mechanics are inconsistent or broken.

Watch out for things such as stairs that don’t work, ladders that can’t be climbed, doorways that are too small.

Switches are permitted, but not necessary for most maps.

📒 Optimise Your Maps

Optimise your prop and utility use to ensure your map is smooth to run.

A well optimised map often has less than 500 props, any amount of structures, no utilities stacked on top of each other (e.g multiple lights in one position), and no unstable frozen props that jump away erratically when touched.

If you are building in a map containing out-of-bounds water, the physics of the water does not work properly and therefore should be avoided in playable areas of your maps.

📗 Broken Hiding Spots

Combining structures together can occasionally lead to small gaps which props can fit into.

Often, this happens with world boundaries, rocks, and ice structures – but can easily be avoided by vigorously checking intersections of structures (don’t forget: playtest!).

Even just one small gap in a structure may break your map, as witches can use these areas to avoid hunters with no risk.

Please keep this in mind during and after the creation of your entry.

📘 Gamemode Compatibility

Your map must be compatible with Hide & Seek, Mobification and Hunt a Hag.

Please consider using a variety of props and gameplay options for both teams, and take into account the skills each team may use.

🗓️ Deadline

We are closing entries on Wednesday, 18th February 2026 (midday, 12:00pm UTC)!

You are allowed to make minor updates to your maps after the deadline, such as fixing errors or exploits. Large-scale changes after the deadline, such as redesigning areas of your map, is not permitted. Doing so may affect your chances of winning.

Once the contest ends, we will take time reviewing every entry and deciding on the winners, which will be revealed shortly after. 🏆

We can’t wait to explore your Reforged Realms! 🗺️ #mapcontest2025