So you want to worldbuild?
Think about the great worlds that exist in fiction. Middle Earth, Westeros, Narnia, Discworld, Roshar, Arrakis—they tower in our imaginations for a reason: they feel real to us. Each one has coherent governments, believable religions, magic systems that follow their own rules, cultures that feel lived-in. Each one has the architecture to support their fantastic stories.
If you’re building your own world, you also already have the vision. The next step is to organize all those interconnected ideas without getting lost in the details or sinking into every worldbuilder’s quicksand.
That's why we created the most complete collection of worldbuilding templates in the — well — world: to help you structure your ideas, uncover new connections, and develop your setting using the same kind of systematic approach the masters used, now accessible to every writer.
Get access to every worldbuilding template you’ll ever need
Downloaded by over 200,000 authors since we first created it, our worldbuilding template has long been one of our most beloved resources.
And now we've made it even better. We've expanded it into a complete set of worldbuilding templates with 500+ questions and prompts spanning every aspect of worldbuilding—helping you develop everything about your world, from its language to its culture, its politics to its gods. Here's a sample of what’s inside.
The Government Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Found the fictional governments of your world and create their structures, branches, laws, and history.
- What kind of governments exist in your world?
- Who is the current leader?
- What are the branches of government?
- How is power distributed?
- What are the political factions or parties?
- What are the goals and agendas of each faction?
- Who is considered a citizen?
- What fundamental rights do citizens have?
- How do both allies and rivals view this government?
- How does the public feel about the government and the people who lead it?
- How do historians today view the government's past?
The Religion Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Invent a new religion worthy of worship in your world and then develop the doctrines, rituals, and moral codes that define it.
- What does this religion teach about the origin of the world?
- What does it teach about death?
- How does the religion define good and evil?
- What rules or commandments does this religion preach?
- How is dissent or heresy handled within the faith?
- How do believers generally view and interact with non-believers?
- What are the most common places of worship?
- What are different sects or denominations within the religion?
- How has this religion evolved over time?
- What is its status in society today?
The Species Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Build your world's next evolutionary marvel (or mistake), from their evolutionary traits all the way to their diet and culture.
- What is the physical appearance of the species?
- What do they sound like?
- How do they move?
- How does their appearance influence their behavior in their environment?
- What are their strengths or evolutionary advantages?
- What are their weaknesses or vulnerabilities?
- What is their diet?
- What role does the species play in the food chain or ecosystem?
- What is the central conflict that the species faces?
The Culture Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Explore the foundational aspects of a society and define its beliefs, daily practices, social structures, and customs.
- What defines this culture's identity? Write a scene where someone from this culture explains what makes them who they are.
- How does the culture view its place in the world?
- What are the culture's core values?
- What is the culture's approach to social mobility?
- What are the social expectations in this culture?
- What professions are considered prestigious or important in this culture?
- What is the culture's attitude toward outsiders? Imagine a character from another culture trying to befriend someone from this culture, and the challenges they face.
- What are the cultural taboos or unspoken rules in this culture?
- How does a typical day differ depending on class or status in this culture?
The War Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Everything's fair in love and war, including a template for the latter.
- What triggered the war?
- What historical tensions or conflicts underlie the event?
- What was at stake?
- Why did each side think the war was necessary?
- Who were the major factions involved in the war?
- Who were the neutral parties?
- When did key turning points occur?
- How and when did changes in public opinion occur?
- What were the immediate consequences of the war?
- What future conflicts were born from this war?
- How will the war be remembered in the future?
The Trade & Commerce Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Money makes the world go round, and this Trade & Commerce template will make your world more well-rounded.
• What is the overall structure of the economy in your world? Is it centralized or decentralized?
• What are the primary industries or sources of wealth?
• How are wealth and power distributed?
• What forms of banking or financial institutions exist?
• What industries are considered lucrative or prestigious?
• How is labor organized in your economy?
• What rights and protections do workers have?
• How is illegal trade conducted?
The Weapon Template
What you can do with it: Forge your world's armory, from its creation to its execution (pun unintended).
- Who created the weapon, and for what purpose?
- What problem or need does this weapon address in your world?
- What does the weapon look like?
- What distinguishing features make it recognizable?
- How does the weapon work in practice?
- What risks or costs are involved in using it?
- What famous battles or duels defined its reputation?
- What myths or legends surround it?
The Magic Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Create a magic system from scratch and conjure its origins, rules, and logic into being.
- What is the source of magic in your world?
- What can magic do in your world? Who can’t?
- What fundamental principles govern magic?
- What mysteries or unknowns remain about magic?
- How do individuals gain magical ability?
- How is magic cast or activated?
- What are the costs or risks of using magic?
- How does magic interact with government and power?
- How do magic users interact with non-magical society?
The Language Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Talk the talk — and build the languages your world can't live without by exploring their sound systems, scripts, grammar, and history.
- What vowels make up the language?
- What consonants does this language have?
- How does the language handle pitch or tone?
- What is the basic sentence structure?
- What script does this language use, if any?
- What direction are words written in?
- How are numbers written and spoken?
- How are dates and times expressed?
- How do people express politeness, formality, or respect?
The Food Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Cook up the dishes that define your world's cuisine and craft its culinary traditions.
- What ingredients are highly valued?
- What are the staple foods of this cuisine?
- How is food viewed in terms of social status or class?
- What regional differences in cooking styles exist?
- What unique cooking techniques are specific to this cuisine?
- What is the typical dining experience like in this culture?
- What are the customs and etiquette that surround eating?
- Who are the renowned chefs, cooks, or bakers in your world?
- What are the famous establishments that serve this cuisine in your world?
- How has the cuisine evolved over time?
The Sport Template
What you can worldbuild with it: Create a new sport for your world and decide on everything from its core rules to its players, fans, and cultural impact.
- How did this sport originate?
- How did the sport spread to other regions or cultures?
- How is a team constructed?
- What are the main strategies used in this sport?
- What is the "signature" gear or item associated with this sport?
- How long is a game?
- What is the uniform code?
- What are the most prominent teams, and what makes them famous in your world?
- Who are the biggest stars in this sport?
- What rivalries exist between athletes or teams?
- What is the role of fans in this sport?
Build your world, step by step
Just as there's no single "right" way to write, there’s no one way to worldbuild. That said, a few guiding principles can make your sandbox much more fun to play in.
- Build from foundation to detail. Think about your worldbuilding like building a house: it needs a strong foundation to be able to stand tall. With that in mind, start with the elements that constrain everything else (geography, government, major conflicts), then layer in the cultural and systemic details that bring your world to life. If you try to design a religion before you know what kind of society it exists in, you'll end up rebuilding from scratch.
- Focus on what your story touches. If your protagonist never leaves the capital city, you don't need to map every region of your empire. If magic barely appears in your plot, your magic system can stay simple. Worldbuild in service of your narrative, not as a separate exercise.
- Use templates as thinking tools, not requirements. You don't need to answer every question in every template. Use them to explore your world, uncover connections you hadn't considered, and organize the details that matter. Skip what doesn't serve your story (and our templates make that simple as well — simply delete any prompt irrelevant to you, so that you can customize the templates to your story’s needs).
- Stop before you're "done." The most common worldbuilding mistake is spending years perfecting your world instead of writing your book. Build enough structure to feel confident, then start drafting.
What makes Reedsy’s templates different
Our templates follow one simple philosophy: worldbuilding should support your story, not get in its way. Each one is focused, intentional, and designed to fit naturally into your writing workflow. They’re all also integrated into Reedsy Studio, where you'll find an entire ecosystem to strengthen your writing: tools and resources that help you work better, faster, and stronger.
Beyond the template, Studio provides:
- A full universe of planning templates—character, story structure, scene planning, timelines, and more
- Seamless integration between all templates and your manuscript
- Full-featured manuscript editor for drafting and revision
- Automatic saving and cross-device syncing
- Export options in multiple formats
- Collaboration tools for writing partners
- Distraction-free writing environment
And of course, these worldbuilding templates are lovingly built for authors, by authors.
So what are you waiting for? Start worldbuilding today.
