This article presents a study on the effect of laser beam shaping on microstructure development during laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing. The research uses a coupled thermal transport-Monte Carlo model to simulate the evolution of temperature fields and grain microstructures during LPBF using Gaussian, ring, and Bessel beam profiles. The simulation results show that the ring-shaped beam yields lower temperatures compared to the Gaussian beam. The Bessel beam produces smaller and more equiaxed grains due to its small melt pool size. The study highlights the importance of laser beam shaping in controlling the microstructure during LPBF. The research also discusses the challenges of laser beam shaping, which involves a large parameter space describing the intensity profile of these spatially extended laser beams. Computational modeling is proposed as an efficient approach to explore laser beam shaping during AM. The study aims to understand how the spatial intensity profiles of laser beams influence the local temperature fields and resultant grain microstructures. The model is used to perform single-track AM simulations using three laser beam types, namely Gaussian, ring, and Bessel beams. The results show that the temperature fields, melt pool, and grain microstructures resulting from these beam profiles can be quantified. The study concludes that laser beam shaping has a significant impact on the microstructure development during AM.This article presents a study on the effect of laser beam shaping on microstructure development during laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing. The research uses a coupled thermal transport-Monte Carlo model to simulate the evolution of temperature fields and grain microstructures during LPBF using Gaussian, ring, and Bessel beam profiles. The simulation results show that the ring-shaped beam yields lower temperatures compared to the Gaussian beam. The Bessel beam produces smaller and more equiaxed grains due to its small melt pool size. The study highlights the importance of laser beam shaping in controlling the microstructure during LPBF. The research also discusses the challenges of laser beam shaping, which involves a large parameter space describing the intensity profile of these spatially extended laser beams. Computational modeling is proposed as an efficient approach to explore laser beam shaping during AM. The study aims to understand how the spatial intensity profiles of laser beams influence the local temperature fields and resultant grain microstructures. The model is used to perform single-track AM simulations using three laser beam types, namely Gaussian, ring, and Bessel beams. The results show that the temperature fields, melt pool, and grain microstructures resulting from these beam profiles can be quantified. The study concludes that laser beam shaping has a significant impact on the microstructure development during AM.