Top 10 Minecraft optimization mods

A new rendering engine that replaces the vanilla one. According to its authors, it raises your frame rate noticeably and reduces micro-stutter, while the game looks exactly the same. Client-side only, on Fabric and NeoForge. For 26.3 there's the stable version 0.9.2 from September 15, 2026, and the 0.9.3 beta. It has over 250 million downloads on Modrinth.

Sodium in the mod catalog

Speeds up physics, mob AI, block ticking and other game systems without changing any vanilla mechanics. It works on the client and on the server, and the other side doesn't need to have it. In singleplayer it takes load off the built-in server, and on a server it shortens tick times. Version 0.26.2 from September 28, 2026, supports 26.3 on Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt.

Lithium: overview and installation

Cuts memory usage. The author gives the example of the All Of Fabric 3 pack, where used memory (heap) dropped from 1,792 MB to 984 MB, but how much you gain depends on your set of mods. Some of the optimizations also work on the server, so the author recommends installing it on both sides. Version 9.0.0 supports 26.1-26.3 on Fabric and NeoForge.

FerriteCore: mod page

Uses spare CPU cores to check which mobs and block entities (chests, for example) you can actually see, and doesn't render the ones hidden behind walls. The gain depends on the number of entities and where you are in the world. Client-side only. Version 1.11.3 from October 8, 2026, supports 26.3 on Fabric and NeoForge.

Entity Culling: mod page

Batches immediate-mode draw calls and sends data to the graphics card faster. It speeds up the rendering of entities, particles, text, the GUI and HUD, maps, and elements added by other mods. Client-side only. Version 1.17.1 from September 17, 2026, supports 26.3 on Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt.

ImmediatelyFast: mod page

Changes several kinds of culling, that is, skipping whatever the player can't see when rendering. Requires Cloth Config and is client-side only. Version 1.9.0 from October 3, 2026, supports 26.3 on Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt.

More Culling: mod page

It doesn't raise your FPS; it saves resources instead. You can set a separate frame rate limit and volume for when the window is in the background, when you're idle and when your laptop runs on battery. It also fixes a vanilla bug that made the game use more CPU than necessary in the background. Version 3.11.10 supports 26.3 on Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt.

Dynamic FPS: mod page

The continuation of Starlight, which hasn't been developed as a mod since March 8, 2024. It speeds up light updates, which according to its authors matters most during fast world generation and on servers with many players. For 26.3 there are 0.3.0 alpha versions for Fabric and NeoForge (September 2026). The author of C2ME recommends combining C2ME with Lithium and ScalableLux.

ScalableLux: mod page

Paper's optimizations for Fabric and NeoForge: a new chunk system (loading, generation, saving, ticking) plus faster entity movement, collisions and tracking, with no change to how the game behaves. The server gains the most, including the one built into singleplayer. It works with Lithium and FerriteCore because it disables their conflicting parts itself, but it's incompatible with C2ME. It includes the Starlight lighting engine and supports 26.3.

Moonrise: mod page

Spreads world generation and chunk operations across CPU threads more effectively, which you'll notice while exploring and on servers. Its author publishes their own performance charts and recommends combining C2ME with Lithium and ScalableLux. Don't install it together with Moonrise. For 26.3 there are only alpha versions from October 2026, separate for Fabric and NeoForge.

C2ME: mod page