Minecraft is, in many ways, as far as one can get from reality. Mountains and biomes are determined randomly by seed rather than the shifting of tectonic plates, while Steve and Alex are capable of carrying literally tons of materials at any given moment. Thankfully, modders have made huge strides to make the survival aspect of the game feel much more similar to real life.
Detailed below are five amazing mods that add elements of realism to Minecraft, either through new mechanics, items, or mobs.
Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer
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5 mods to make Minecraft feel more like real life
1) Tough as Nails
- Creator: TheAdubbz
- Latest Game Version: 1.20.4
- Mod Loader(s): Forge, Fabric, NeoForge
Tough as Nails is a mod that adds a few different realistic features to Minecraft in order to increase the vanilla game's difficulty. The two most apparent features are a temperature mechanic and a thirst meter that players need to keep from emptying.
There are also items to help mitigate these two new survival constraints. For example, players can craft items like new armor that regulates temperature, while blocks like the thermoregulator let them control the temperature in large enclosed spaces.
Having to keep track of body temperature and thirst, on top of health and food, makes Tough as Nails an amazing realism mod for those wanting a better representation of wilderness survival.
2) Cold Sweat
- Creator: Mikul
- Latest Game Version: 1.20.1
- Mod Loader(s): Forge, NeoForge
Cold Sweat is a realism mod solely focused on adding temperature mechanics to the game in a way that meshes with vanilla as closely as possible. Deserts and frozen biomes are genuinely deadly if players attempt to best them unprepared. Thankfully, there are items and blocks included in the mod that help manage these extreme temperatures.
This adds to realism by forcing players to be conscious of where they currently are and where they want to travel to. There's genuinely a need to sit down and prepare for what would otherwise be a simple journey, which is quite fun.
Cold Sweat is also compatible with some of Minecraft's best world generation mods, such as Biomes O' Plenty, Oh, the Biomes You'll Go!, and Terralith. This extra support for temperature in modded biomes should keep Cold Sweat an interesting realism addition for a long time.
3) Naturalist
- Creator: Starfish_Studios
- Latest Game Version: 1.20.1
- Mod Loader(s): Forge, Fabric
Naturalist adds to the number of Minecraft mobs found throughout the different biomes and natural environments that players will run across.
There are more than 20 mobs added by the mod, all of which are based on real animals. This includes animals as large, imposing, and iconic as lions, zebras, rhinos, hippos, alligators, and elephants, all the way down to tiny fireflies, snails, and birds.
This spread of animals makes each biome feel more wild and realistic, as one would expect to run into wild animals in the woods more than farm animals.
4) Serene Seasons
- Creator: TheAdubbz
- Latest Game Version: 1.20.6
- Mod Loader(s): Forge, Fabric, NeoForge
Serene Seasons introduces realistic representations of the different seasons, making the prettiest Minecraft seeds look even more immaculate. Grass and foliage will change colors throughout the year. Players using temperature mods, like Tough as Nails or Cold Sweat, will even notice that the outside temperature changes depending on the season.
That's not the only thing seasons affect, however, as the changing temperature will let snow fall in biomes it normally couldn't. Seasons also affect other mechanics, such as crop growth speed and weather, adding to the realism.
Being on both Forge and Fabric, the two most popular Minecraft mod loaders, Serene Seasons can be used in nearly any custom modpack.
5) Realistic Sleep
- Creator: Steveplays28
- Latest Game Version: 1.20.4
- Mod Loader(s): Fabric, Quilt
This realism mod is quite simple in terms of its gameplay changes. It tweaks how sleeping works in-game. Now, instead of skipping straight through night and making it daytime instantly, which feels almost identical to using the very useful /time Minecraft console command, sleeping speeds up time.
This makes the act more similar to real-world sleeping. The increased rate at which time passes, however, helps strike a balance between realism and fun.
Additionally, entities like furnaces, redstone circuits, and even other entities from best Minecraft mods will be sped up while the player is sleeping. This also gives players the ability to skip to particular points in the night.
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