Which version of Minecraft has the most mods?

Which version of Minecraft has the most mods? The question is a tricky one since keeping track of all the mods moving through the community is a difficult task. However, thanks to the major mod sites' listings, things begin to get a little clearer. Moreover, many developers have shared the versions they tend to develop for, and the consensus points to version 1.12.2 being the answer.

There are more than a few reasons why Minecraft 1.12.2 has a massive collection of mods to use. One of the major reasons points back to its place in the game's history ahead of the acquisition of Mojang Studios by Microsoft. However, there are other factors at play, so it doesn't hurt to examine them a little more closely.

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Why does Minecraft 1.12.2 have the most mods available?

Minecraft 1.12.2 came along at an interesting time in the game's history (Image via Mojang)

When Minecraft 1.12.2 debuted in September 2017, it already had countless mods to its name, but it also arrived at a focal point in the game's history. Shortly after version 1.12.2 was released, Microsoft acquired Mojang Studios. Afterward, there was quite a bit of shuffle going on, and it would be almost a full year before the arrival of version 1.13, also known as Update Aquatic.

With the future of Minecraft in a precarious position, and players being unsure of whether or not version 1.13 would be a good addition, the community buckled down and developed an even larger trove of mods for version 1.12.2.

Many multiplayer servers decided to stick to the 1.12.2 update as their main version as well, bringing along even more mods, plugins, and community-made content.

While plenty of players moved on from 1.12.2 after the release of Update Aquatic, tons of fans have also stuck with it for both singleplayer and multiplayer gameplay. Since 1.12.2 is so popular, even new mods that have been developed in the years since have been retroactively configured to be compatible with it. Some mods can still only be found on this version of the game.

Mods both old and new can be found for Minecraft 1.12.2 (Image via Modding Legacy/Modrinth)

For many fans, modded version 1.12.2 is the definitive way to play Minecraft. This explains why it remains incredibly popular compared to other versions nearly seven years after its release.

If players aren't finding a great deal of enjoyment in modding other versions of the game, they may want to create a Java Edition installation of 1.12.2 and see what they can do with it.

Regardless of what kind of gameplay experience fans are searching for, there's an incredibly high likelihood that version 1.12.2 can accommodate them when outfitted with the many mods that continue to be developed, updated, and released for it.