Better Clouds
by qendolin
Volumetric clouds with a blocky, simple look that matches the rest of the game are what Better Clouds brings to Minecraft, and it runs on the client alone.
What it does
Shaders and resource packs often add realistic clouds that look good but clash with the game's style. Better Clouds replaces them with multi-layered volumetric clouds in a blocky style that fits vanilla. Cloud appearance can be adjusted through many options, and cloud generation can be changed by resource packs.
The mod ships built-in shader presets meant to make the clouds look right under several shader packs, including Complementary, Chocapic and Rethinking Voxels. Its visual compatibility extends to Iris, and its rendering is said to perform about as well as vanilla cloud rendering. Fabric API and YetAnotherConfigLib (YACL) are required, and Iris Shaders, Mod Menu and Sodium are optional. The mod is published for Fabric, Forge and NeoForge across 29 release versions, 1.17 – 26.3, and the code is under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, so it is open source.
Key features
Volumetric clouds
Clouds have depth and several layers, and their shape stays close to the blocky look of vanilla.
Adjustable appearance
Most cloud settings, such as look and density, can be changed in the configuration screen.
Shader presets
Presets for several shader packs are included so the clouds render cleanly with those packs.
Resource pack generation
Cloud generation can be customized through resource packs without changing the mod code.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.21.x11 of 11 versions with builds
1.20.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.19.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.18.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.17.x2 of 2 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 2
Optional 3
How it compares
Cloud Tweaks is client-side only, open source under the MIT License and published for Fabric, Forge and NeoForge across 1.16 – 26.2. IRLights BBS Addon is also client-side only and open source under the MIT License, for Fabric, Forge and NeoForge across 1.20.1 – 1.21.11. Iris Extension is not open source, is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 4.0, and requires a client while the server may add it, for Fabric and NeoForge across 1.21.1 – 26.3.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Clouds | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.17 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-10-10 |
| Cloud Tweaks | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.16 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-09-04 |
| IRLights BBS Addon | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.20.1 – 1.21.11 | Client-side only | 2026-09-21 |
| Iris Extension | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.21.1 – 26.3 | Client required, server optional | 2026-09-23 |
Questions
Does Better Clouds need Fabric API on Forge?
Is Better Clouds needed on a server?
Which game versions have files?
In the catalog
Better Clouds is one of 3,545 Optimization mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,575 Optimization mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.
More from qendolin
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What the author says
Better Clouds adds volumetric clouds to Minecraft, in a simple, blocky style that matches the rest of the game. Often, shaders and resource packs add hyper-realistic clouds to the game, which look good but don't match with Minecraft's style. This mod aims to fix that, adding volumetric, multi-layered clouds that…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/better-clouds
- Owner
- qendolin
- Published
- 2021-12-30
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-10-10
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15