Minecraft shaders
The 15 best shaders of 2026, ranked, with a comparison table, descriptions, and an installation guide.
Shader packs completely change how Minecraft looks: dynamic shadows, realistic water, volumetric clouds, and colored block light. Below is our editorial ranking of the 15 best shaders for 2026, tested with Iris Shaders on Minecraft 1.21.5. As of October 2026, Complementary (r5.9.3) and BSL (v10.1.8) already have releases for Minecraft 26.3, and Iris has supported 26.3 since version 1.11.5. We list the versions of the other shaders on their own pages. Each shader has its own page with a full description, requirements, and configuration tips.
For a quick comparison, jump to the comparison table further down the page. If you're new to shaders, read our shader guide for step-by-step installation instructions. If you still need to install Iris, see the guide to installing mods.
Shader ranking
Complementary Reimagined
The most downloaded shader on Modrinth, with over 68 million downloads. It keeps Minecraft's blocky style while adding modern per-block effects and colored light.
BSL Shaders
One of the most popular shader packs in Minecraft history. BSL has warm, natural lighting, realistic water, and a subtle bloom without putting too much load on your graphics card.
Kappa Shader
A high-quality realistic shader with physically based lighting (PBR). An authentic, photographic look for nature, with artistic touches.
Complementary Unbound
The realistic variant of Complementary, with richer colors, stronger shadows, and photorealistic lighting.
Photon Shader
A modern shader with colored voxel light, multi-layer clouds, and an immersive weather system.
Rethinking Voxels
A shader pack based on Complementary Reimagined, with colored block light and sharp voxel shadows.
SEUS PTGI
The flagship shader pack with full path tracing, and the closest emulation of ray tracing in Minecraft Java Edition. Needs a powerful GPU.
Sildur's Vibrant Shaders
A veteran among shaders with over 30 million downloads. It comes in Lite, Medium, High, and Extreme versions, so it adapts to any hardware.
Continuum
One of the most advanced shader packs. AAA-level rendering techniques, PBR, and cinematic color grading. Needs powerful hardware.
Nostalgia Shader
A shader inspired by classic packs from 2015-2018. The warm, atmospheric look of early shaders, built with modern techniques.
Bliss Shaders
An expanded edition of Chocapic13 with a fantasy style and huge configuration options. Every biome looks different.
MakeUp Ultra Fast
A shader pack with the best quality-to-performance ratio. Runs even on integrated graphics.
AstraLex Shaders
An edition of BSL with a cinematic style: dramatic bloom, lens effects, depth of field. A favorite with YouTube and TikTok creators.
SEUS Renewed
A rebuild of the legendary SEUS. Soft light, realistic rain, procedural clouds. A genre classic in a refreshed form.
Chocapic13's Shaders
A classic among shaders and the base for many popular packs. Over a decade of development and 11 million downloads.
Shader comparison table
A quick comparison of all 15 shaders. FPS measured on a mid-range GPU (GTX 1660 / RX 5600 XT) at 1080p with a render distance of 12.
| Shader | Style | Tier | Iris | OptiFine | FPS (mid-range GPU) | Min. GPU | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complementary Reimagined | Fantasy | Balanced | Yes | Yes | 60-80 FPS | GTX 960 / RX 560 | 5.0 |
| BSL Shaders | Realistic | Balanced | Yes | Yes | 55-75 FPS | GTX 960 / RX 560 | 4.5 |
| Kappa Shader | Realistic | Balanced | Yes | Yes | 40-60 FPS | GTX 1060 / RX 580 | 4.5 |
| Complementary Unbound | Realistic | Balanced | Yes | Yes | 50-70 FPS | GTX 1050 / RX 560 | 4.5 |
| Photon Shader | Realistic | Balanced | Yes | Yes | 45-65 FPS | GTX 1050 / RX 560 | 4.5 |
| Rethinking Voxels | Fantasy | Balanced | Yes | No | 35-55 FPS | GTX 1060 / RX 580 | 4.5 |
| SEUS PTGI | Cinematic | Ultra | No | Yes | 20-35 FPS | RTX 3060 / RX 6700 XT | 4.0 |
| Sildur's Vibrant Shaders | Fantasy | Light | Yes | Yes | 55-80 FPS | Intel HD 630 / GTX 750 (Lite) | 4.0 |
| Continuum | Cinematic | Ultra | No | Yes | 20-40 FPS | GTX 1070 / RX 5700 | 4.0 |
| Nostalgia Shader | Fantasy | Light | Yes | Yes | 60-85 FPS | GTX 750 Ti / RX 460 | 4.0 |
| Bliss Shaders | Fantasy | Balanced | Yes | Yes | 35-55 FPS | GTX 1060 / RX 580 | 4.0 |
| MakeUp Ultra Fast | Minimal | Minimal | Yes | Yes | 70-100 FPS | Intel UHD 630 / AMD Vega 8 | 4.0 |
| AstraLex Shaders | Cinematic | Balanced | Yes | Yes | 50-70 FPS | GTX 960 / RX 560 | 4.0 |
| SEUS Renewed | Realistic | Balanced | Yes | Yes | 45-65 FPS | GTX 1050 / RX 560 | 3.5 |
| Chocapic13's Shaders | Realistic | Light | Yes | Yes | 55-75 FPS | GTX 750 Ti / RX 460 | 3.5 |
Other shaders worth a look
Besides the main ranking, these extra shader packs are worth checking out, each with a dedicated review.
MakeUp Ultra Fast
An extremely lightweight shader that suits weaker PCs. Minimal FPS loss with a noticeable visual upgrade.
MrMeepz Shaders
A shader with a distinctive warm tone and pleasant lighting. Good performance on mid-range hardware.
Oceano Shaders
A shader that stands out for its realistic water and oceans. Great for building by the water.
Photon Shader
An advanced shader with path tracing and realistic light reflection. For powerful GPUs.
Solas Shaders
A fantasy style with volumetric lighting and colored shadows. A good balance of performance and looks.
How to choose a shader
Low-end PC (Intel HD / GTX 750)
Start with MakeUp Ultra Fast. It runs even on integrated graphics with a minimal FPS drop. Alternative: Sildurs Vibrant Lite.
Mid-range PC (GTX 1060 / RX 580)
Our pick: Complementary Reimagined on the Medium profile. The best-optimized option that still looks great. Alternative: BSL Shaders.
High-end PC (RTX 3060+)
It depends on the style you want: Complementary Unbound (realism), Rethinking Voxels (voxel GI), or Kappa Shader (photorealism).
Quick shader installation
Install Iris Shaders
Download Iris from irisshaders.dev. Iris automatically includes Sodium. Put the .jar file in .minecraft/mods/. More details are in the mod installation guide.
Download a shader pack
Pick a shader from the ranking above and download the .zip file from its official site. Don't unzip the archive.
Put it in the shaderpacks folder
Copy the .zip file to .minecraft/shaderpacks/. You can also open the folder from inside the game: Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs → Open Shader Pack Folder.
Activate and tweak
In game, go to Video Settings → Shader Packs, select the shader, and click "Done". If your FPS is too low, lower the render distance to 8-10 chunks.
Frequently asked questions
Do shaders work on Minecraft Bedrock Edition?
The shaders on this list only work on Java Edition. Bedrock Edition uses its own rendering engine (RenderDragon), which has limited shader support. Bedrock has simpler graphics packs, but they aren't compatible with Iris or OptiFine.
Iris or OptiFine: which should you pick?
In 2026 we strongly recommend Iris Shaders. Iris uses Sodium as its rendering backend, which gives higher FPS than OptiFine, full compatibility with Fabric mods, and faster updates. You can read more about the differences in our Iris vs OptiFine comparison.
Which shader is the lightest?
MakeUp Ultra Fast is designed specifically for weak PCs and runs even on Intel UHD 630 integrated graphics. It gives a smooth 40-60 FPS on the weakest hardware.
Do shaders lower your FPS?
Yes. Every shader costs some FPS because it needs extra calculations on your graphics card. How much depends on the shader: light packs (MakeUp, Nostalgia) cut FPS by 10-20%, medium ones (BSL, Complementary) by 30-50%, and heavy ones (SEUS PTGI, Continuum) can take 60-80% of your frames. The best way to improve performance with shaders is to lower your render distance.
Can I use shaders on a server?
Yes. Shaders run on the client side and don't require any changes on the server. Every player can use their own shaders regardless of server settings.