5 Minecraft mods that push the game to its extreme

Many Minecraft mods may focus on adding features or optimizing the game, but some are willing to trade off some performance considerations in the interest of pushing the title as far as it can go. While fans may be able to run these mods on mid-level hardware, what they can accomplish on top-line hardware can make Mojang's sandbox sensation a beauty to behold compared to vanilla.

If players really want to draw out the immense potential of Minecraft and aren't so concerned with performance impacts, there are a few mods they should try out. However, they will want to be certain their hardware is up to the task of installing these mods.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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5 mods that push the limits of Minecraft

1) Iris Shaders

Iris Shaders can make Minecraft gorgeous on many different hardware configurations (Image via Coderbot/Modrinth)

Iris Shaders is a Minecraft mod that does take performance optimization into consideration. However, some of the shaders that can be rendered in this mod are nothing short of incredible, implementing a collection of post-processing and ray tracing effects to give the game a graphical overhaul that can be awe-inspiring.

Combined with a high-fidelity texture pack, Iris Shaders makes Mojang's sandbox title look unrecognizable, but in the best possible way from a graphical standpoint.

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2) Terralith

Terralith takes the game's terrain generation and ratchets it up substantially (Image via Stardust Labs)

Inspired by the terrain generation improvements seen in Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs, Terralith takes the update's core philosophy and pushes it much further. The mod introduces over 95 new biomes and adds mountain ranges, caves, canyons, fissures, and more to the game. All these features go beyond what even Mojang likely intended when Caves & Cliffs was rolled out.

However, this new content can be taxing to render on players' hardware, so they'll want to be sure their specs are up to snuff before giving Tectonic a shot. Moreover, this mod pairs perfectly with high-end textures and shaders.

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3) Distant Horizons

Distant Horizons recently received shader support, making it immensely popular among players (Image via Jeseibel/Modrinth)

Despite still being in its alpha stage, Distant Horizons has amazed players, especially after it received shader support. Put in a basic sense, the mod implements simplified terrain in the far reaches of the game's render distance.This allows players to increase the render distance and view more of their game world from afar.

While Distant Horizons does implement some performance optimizations, more blocks rendered, even in a simplified sense, means a performance impact all the same, especially when shaders are involved.

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4) Physics Mod

The Physics Mod revitalizes Minecraft's core game physics in incredible ways (Image via AsianHalfSquat/YouTube)

Arguably one of the most remarkable modern mods available is the Physics Mod, which completely overhauls Minecraft's physics in various ways. Blocks can be shattered and broken into bite-sized pieces, seas churn with realistic tides that ebb and flow, and players can even customize how mobs are killed, from being broken into blocks or via ragdoll physics.

While this mod can be an entirely new way to view the game, the physics rendering inherent in installing it will require some solid hardware to avoid performance hits.

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5) BetterNether/BetterEnd

BetterNether and BetterEnd overhaul their respective dimensions (Image via Quiqueck/CurseForge)

In the wake of countless fans asking for improvements to be made to the Nether and End dimensions comes BetterNether and BetterEnd. The mods introduce dozens of new creatures, structures, biomes, blocks, and items to both of Minecraft's non-Overworld dimensions. All told, both the Nether and the End have much more complex generation styles compared to vanilla.

While these mods make the Nether and End incredible, the vast array of new content will take time and performance considerations to render quickly and efficiently.