Here’s how Minecraft Modding works
What is the best version of Minecraft to start with?
Since Minecraft version 1.7.10 and 1.12.2 have the largest modding communities, we would rank these two versions as the best. We would especially recommend Minecraft version 1.12.2 since it’s more stable and new mods are constantly being made and updated to 1.12.2. Can you play Minecraft on a TV?
How to install Minecraft mods
We’ve thankfully moved away from the days when mods required complex rituals to install. Modpack launchers have made trying out new collections easier than ever. Of course, if you’d like a more custom experience, you can still install mods manually, you’ll just need to be mindful of version compatibility with your Minecraft install. Many older mods don’t get updated, or have passed on to new keepers to update, mod managers like MultiMC are a huge help.
Alongside this is Fabric, which is required for many other mods alongside Fabric API. In fact, some of the mods below will require them. And be aware, you may have to go back to older versions of Forge to run some mods, as they may not run on the newest version of Minecraft. If you need help, this guide for how to install mods on older versions of Minecraft should be useful.
MultiMC For the best level of control over your Minecraft mods and instances, MultiMC is the way to go. You can keep different groups of mods separate from one another, for instance, if you have a few different configurations you enjoy playing. Its also an umbrella launcher that gives you easy access to installing modpacks from CurseForge, Feed The Beast, Technic, and more.
CurseForge If you just want to play some of the best modpacks on this list, or quickly join a server thats using one, the CurseForge launcher will let you do so. Its an easy to use mod launcher that handles mods for lots of other games, so you may already be using it. There are tons of modpacks for all versions of Minecraft on CurseForge, so you can find just about anything youre looking to try.
Feed The Beast Feed The Beast is another platform full of great modpacks and using its own launcher is the way to go if youre only interested in loading up something like FTB Revelation or FTB Infinity. New modpacks get added to FTB pretty regularly, so its a handy way to try out new ways to play without managing your own mods list.
If you want to overhaul your Minecraft experience with super deep tech trees or quests or even Pokémon, modpacks can do that. Instead of making your own mods list and checking for compatibility and version updates, modpacks give you a whole new suite of selections that have already been curated. All of these packs can be played through the launcher specified, which means its super quick and breezy to install and get playing.
Minecraft version: 1.12.2 Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download here
As pretty much the ultimate evolution of the skyblock style of modpack/map, SkyFactory 4 gives some serious quality of life improvements to the experience. No longer will you toil for Minecraft-years on some parts of resource gathering, like sieving. SkyFactory 4 also automatically tracks what you’ve accomplished in an advancement system (without locking you into following it), and adds a new “Prestige” system that lets you unlock new mods and tech in an open progression system that ports across your different worlds.
Minecraft version: 1.12 Play it on: Feed The Beast Launcher
An enormous kitchen sink style pack, Revelation has a bottomless well of mods of all kinds. If you want to sort through a near-endless pile of options for your experience, Revelation brings in everything from magic mods like Botania and Thaumcraft to technology in Immersive Engineering and EnderIO, and combines them with quality of life and other mods both obscure and popular. In total, Revelation is the largest pack on the Feed the Beast launcher, and you can easily get lost in it.
Minecraft version: 1.16.5 Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download here
Focused on using fewer mods with more impact, Engineer’s Life 2 centers around the excellent Immersive Engineering mod (which you’ll find out more about in our individual mods). It adds a variety of quality of life improvements, quests, things to explore for, and revolves around creating interesting looking technology-focused builds at your own pace. It also contains some additions for the explorer that lives in us all, with refinements on underground dungeons and mob spawners and quest-based progression.
Minecraft version: 1.12.2 Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download here
Do you prefer to live life dangerously, seeking the next horizon or chest full of loot? Roguelike Adventures and Dungeons is focused on getting you out and exploring and risking your blocky neck instead of trapped in your dirt hovel browsing complicated recipes. With multiple mods introducing other dimensions like Twilight Forest, Aether, and Betweenlands, and others adding new structures and dungeons to the overworld, you’ll never be without new sights to see. Thankfully, whatever you find there, you can also carry with you thanks to Improved Backpacks, before finding just the right biome for your trophy room with Nature’s Compass.
Minecraft version: 1.12.2 Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download here
Similar to the ages of a game like Civilization, SevTech Ages drops you into the world with barely the ability to bang rocks together. As you begin to figure out the basics, SevTech lets you progress through massive tech trees of achievements, gradually unlocking more and more useful features and recipes (and the diverse mods they draw from) as you master each set of tools or blocks. It’s a wonderful slow burn pack to tackle with friends or alone, as long as you enjoy progression at a slower pace.
Minecraft version: 1.12.2 Play it on: CurseForge Launcher or download here
Pokémon has reached down to the Minecraft world in the form of the Pixelmon mod, and the Pixelmon modpack optimizes it with a few select additions. Here, you can search the world for rare and unusual Pokémon, capture them with pokéballs that you purchase in towns or make yourself, breed Pokémon to optimize them, and battle against other players, NPC trainers, or boss/mega evolved Pokémon in the wild. Supremely open ended and the perfect playground to create a multiplayer server (or just mess around living your best trainer life) Pixelmon is a supremely unique experience that captures some of the best of the Pokémon games.
Minecraft version: 1.18.2 | Download link
Minecolonies is a huge mod that essentially turns Minecraft into a town management simulation. If youre more about exploring than building, but still want to feel like youve really left your mark, maybe become the caretaker of a Minecraft colony. Youll manage NPC village workers, plan the location on structures, and direct security against monsters. It even works in multiplayer, so you can set this one up on a server with your friends.
Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Since the Update That Changed The World in late 2013, theres been a bit more diversity in Minecraft worlds. But Biomes OPlenty adds vastly more—75 to be exact—from brushland and coral reefs, through lavender fields and ominous woods, to tundra and wasteland. Freshly updated for 1.19, Biomes OPlenty is still adding new regions to wander on your next trek. Youll need to create a new world to use it (make sure to select the Biomes OPlenty world generation option), but its worth it to see corners of Minecraft that youve never seen before.
Minecraft version: 1.19 | Download link
Maps are great for trying to keep a rough idea of where you are or where you’re heading. That said, there’s always room for improvement.
Imagine Google Maps, only for Minecraft and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what this mod does. Specifically, it lets folk view a more real-time map in-game, and on the mini-map, as well as being able to view the map online via a web browser. Already compatible with 1.19, then this mod is a must if youre planning a lengthy journey to find a new mangrove swamp to make your own.
Minecraft version: 1.18.2| Download link
Love adventuring? This mod adds a new, densely-forested dimension shrouded in perpetual twilight that hides both valuable treasures and dangerous monsters. Throw a diamond into a pool of water surrounded by flowers to create a portal there, then spend a while roaming around. Youll find hedge mazes, hollow hills, enchanted groves, glaciers, lich towers and more with rich rewards for those that delve the deepest.
Minecraft version: 1.18.2 | Download link
Pam’s HarvestCraft 2 is the sequel to the extremely popular original, and it’s split itself into four separate—but directly related—mods. Above all else, Pams HarvestCraft succeeds at making your Minecraft world feel more vibrant and alive. It introduces countless new foods you can find or create, new crops to grow, and dozens of new types of fruiting trees to the landscape. Minecraft with Pams HarvestCraft sketches your world in shades of Stardew Valley and lets you become an expert chef making everything from mac & cheese to jelly donuts.
Installing Your Mods With Forge
Installing Your Mods With Forge For mods that require Forge, navigate to the Forge Forums and click on the releases section(Opens in a new window). Download the version of Forge appropriate for the mod you want to install (note also that different versions of Forge run on different versions of Minecraft).
The latest version of Forge, version 9, will do all the heavy lifting for you and will even create a new Forge profile in the launcher, saving you the trouble. Run the Forge .jar file, select Install client, confirm that Forge has the correct filepath to your Minecraft installation, and press OK. You should see a confirmation window appear.
Now open the Minecraft launcher, select the newly created Forge profile, login if you havent already, and launch the game. Note that the Minecraft game selection screen now includes a Mods button, and Forge version information on the bottom left-hand corner. You should see that three mods are installeddont worry, these are tools installed by Forge to help run other mods.
If the mod you want to run requires an older version of Forge, youll have to use a more hands-on installation process. First, download the appropriate version of Forge from their website. Then, go into the versions folder inside .minecraft and locate the version of Minecraft you need (its probably 1.5.2). Each folder is labeled by version number. If you dont see the version youre looking for, go back to the launcher, click edit profile, select the appropriate version, and launch the game. The launcher will download the version from Mojang and place it in the versions folder.
Once youve found the correct version, copy the folder and paste it into the versions folder. This way, youll have clean copies of the Minecraft game files.
Rename the folder something youll recognizefor instance Minecraft1.5.2Forge8, simply Forge 8, or whatever works for you. Copy the name of the folder you just created, and then open it. Inside are two filesa .jar and a .json. Rename both so that they match the folder which contains them.
Next, open the .json file in a notepad. The first line should read ” “id”: “1.5.2””. Paste over the version number (in this example 1.5.2) with the name you gave the folder.
Next, right click on the Forge .zip file you downloaded and open its contents with 7-Zip or WinRAR. Do the same with the .jar file you just renamed in the previous step, and have both windows open. Copy all the files in the Forge window and drag them into the .jar. Once its finished copying, selecting the META-INF folder and delete it. Fire up the Minecraft launcher, create a new profile, select the version of Minecraft you created from the pulldown menu, and start the game. If you dont see Forges version information on the Minecraft start screen, try installing it again.
The first time it launches, Forge creates new folders for various mod components. The most important one is .minecraft/mods, which is where you place the mod folders you download. Once in the mods folder, the mods will appear in the Mods section of Minecraft Forge. Unfortunately, you cannot toggle mods on and off from within the game; if you want to de-activate a mod, youll have to remove it from the mods folder.
Sometimes, mods will require additional libraries or specific files. Follow the instructions provided by the mods creators and youll be up and running in no time.
Installing Mods with ModLoader Like older versions of Forge, youre going to manually change the games .jar file to install ModLoader(Opens in a new window). Follow the steps above for the older version of Minecraft, creating a copy of the appropriate version folder, change the .json and .jar file names, and modifying the .json file.
To avoid confliction issues, I installed ModLoader and Forge on separate versions of Minecraft.
Now, right click on the freshly modified .jar folder and open it with 7-Zip or WinRAR. Do the same with your downloaded copy of ModLoader. Copy all the ModLoader files into the Minecraft .jar file, then delete the META-INF folder.
If youve also installed Forge, then you already have a mods folder. If not, then youll have to create one for ModLoader in the .minecraft folder. Place whatever mods you want to use into this folder.
In the Minecraft launcher, create a new profile, select the modified version of Minecraft from the pulldown menu, and start the game. Unfortunately, you wont know that ModLoader has loaded successfully until start playing the game.
The Future of Minecraft Mods As you can see, theres quite a learning curve to modding Minecraft. Its not necessarily hard, but it does involve interacting with your game in a way most people are not used to doing. You also run the risk of ruining your Minecraft worlds and have to deal with huge incompatibility issues.
But things will get better. Mojang has already announced their intention to create a plugin API to make it easierand saferfor players to change their game. According to that font of knowledge the Minecraft Wiki, plugins unfortunately wont have as much far-reaching potential as mods do. That said, they will be easier to install, easier to manage, and be stored in a single, searchable place. Most importantly, you wont have to mess with the game files just to add new content to Minecraft.
The plugin API has been talked about for years, but even when its finally released people are always going to want more. True mods, not plugins, will continue and projects like Forge will likely become even more user friendly.
Minecraft is a game all about building whatever you can imagine, so its not too surprising that its attracted such an ardent following of modders. I highly recommend modding your game if for no other reason than to see the imaginative creations of people who love this game enough to expand upon it.
Also be sure to check out my list of 10 Minecraft mods that just about anyone can install. Happy modding!
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