Better Zombie
by goADX
Better Zombie changes how zombies move and act on Forge 1.20.1 – 1.20.6, letting them break and place blocks while chasing players.
What it does
Zombies in the mod can break and place blocks as they pursue a player. Some zombies climb by stacking blocks underneath themselves, and others dig a path through a wall, which the zombie can scale when the wall is no higher than a configurable threshold. Zombies can detect players through walls within a 64 block radius in caves, so a player hiding nearby may be found.
A phantom in the mod hovers above the player and drops TNT, and a cooldown in ticks controls how long it waits between drops. A blacklist limits which blocks zombies may break, and a config setting allows blocks of any hardness to be broken. Players are pushed to keep gathering hard blocks until they have enough, a goal the mod sets through its own forced behavior.
The mod is client and server, so the server and every player need it. Files cover 1.20.1, 1.20.2, 1.20.3, 1.20.4, 1.20.5 and 1.20.6 for Forge, with 0.2-1.20.1 for 1.20.6 as the latest beta file, published 2025-08-20. It is not open source and is released under All rights reserved.
Key features
Block breaking and placing
Zombies break and place blocks while moving toward a player, rather than only walking along the ground.
Phantom TNT drops
A phantom hovers over the player and drops TNT, with a configurable cooldown between drops.
Editable wall and jump rules
Three config values set how zombies try to jump, place blocks underneath themselves and scale walls.
Vision through walls
Zombies detect players through walls within a 64 block radius in caves, and the range can be changed.
Block blacklist and hardness
A blacklist controls which blocks zombies may break, and a setting allows breaking blocks of any hardness.
Custom entity replacement
An option lets custom entities replace vanilla ones, and it is disabled by default.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Who it’s for: Players who want zombies that act more aggressively, and server owners who want to tune how far zombies detect and follow players.
How it compares
Phantom Bomber is server-side only, released under the MIT License, and built for Forge 1.20.4. Hard Zombie is client and server, under the MIT License, and covers 1.19 – 1.20.6 on Forge. Zombie Builder is client and server on Forge 1.20.1 under All rights reserved, and Better Zombie covers the wider 1.20.1 – 1.20.6 range.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Zombie | Forge | 1.20.1 – 1.20.6 | Client and server | 2025-08-20 |
| Phantom Bomber | Forge | 1.20.4 | Server-side only | 2026-05-29 |
| Hard Zombie | Forge | 1.19 – 1.20.6 | Client and server | 2025-09-16 |
| Zombie Builder | Forge | 1.20.1 | Client and server | 2026-06-06 |
Questions
Does Better Zombie need to be installed on the server?
Which Forge versions does Better Zombie support?
Can the zombie behavior be changed?
In the catalog
Better Zombie is one of 7,555 Cursed mods on ModsFinder, and one of 3,426 Cursed mods for Forge. 11,154 mods support Minecraft 1.20.6.
Similar mods
What the author says
Phantom that hovers over you and droping TNT over you. If its TopDown distance from the player is low and the player is higher then the zombie by several blocks it will start to jump and place blocks underneath itself, while if it was below it it will start to place a block two blocks down then break the block below…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/better-zombie
- Owner
- goADX
- Published
- 2025-07-18
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-08-20
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15