Path Tracer
by graysen.pack
Path Tracer records the ground players walk on and draws a color heatmap overlay of the most traveled routes in the world.
What it does
Path Tracer counts passes over each block. Every step records the block the player stands on plus the eight blocks around it, so the result looks like a worn footprint area rather than a single-block trail. Tiles that stay below the minimum walk count remain invisible, so only real paths appear on the overlay. The color gradient runs from green for lightly traveled tiles through yellow, orange and red for heavily worn routes, and cyan, blue and dark grey show when a path was last walked, out to 14 days.
The mod is client-side only, so a player installs it alone and servers do not need it. It requires Fabric and is published for Fabric for three game versions: 1.21.11, 26.1.2 and 26.2, with 1.3.5 for 26.2 as the latest file. The code is open source under the MIT License. Path Tracer exposes its settings as options: the minimum and maximum walk counts, the render radius, the maximum age of old data in in-game days, and an off-by-default switch that lets other players create heatmap paths in loaded chunks.
Key features
Heatmap overlay
A real-time color overlay on the ground shows which routes the player uses most often, drawn as a live visual layer.
Age-based colors
Cyan and blue mark paths walked within the last two days, green marks paths walked in the last day, and dark grey marks the oldest paths.
Adjustable thresholds
The minimum and maximum walk counts set when a tile becomes visible and when it reaches full red, so the gradient fits each playstyle.
Render radius and data age
The render radius sets how far tiles are drawn around the player, and the maximum age sets how many in-game days old data stays before fading out.
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 to see where they have walked in a world, and players who prefer a visual layer over a list of coordinates or commands.
How it compares
Better paths is server-side only and is open source under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, with Fabric files for 1.20.5 – 26.3. Worn Path is also server-side only, open source under the Apache License 2.0 and published for Fabric and NeoForge for 1.21.1 – 26.2. Path Tracer differs from both because it runs on the client alone and needs nothing on the server.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Path Tracer | Fabric | 1.21.11 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-07-23 |
| Better paths | Fabric | 1.20.5 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-10-05 |
| Worn Path | Fabric and NeoForge | 1.21.1 – 26.2 | Server-side only | 2026-07-01 |
Questions
Does Path Tracer need to be installed on the server?
Which loader does Path Tracer need?
Does Path Tracer let other players add to the heatmap?
In the catalog
Path Tracer is one of 3,932 Transportation mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,390 Transportation mods for Fabric. 13,894 mods support Minecraft 26.2.
Similar mods
What the author says
# 🗺️ Path Tracer See exactly where you've been. Path Tracer renders a real-time color heatmap overlay on the ground showing your most-traveled routes — no commands, no maps, just a live visual layer on your world. NEW: Explorer Mode shows a color coded path of your walking history – great for caving & complicated…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/path-tracer
- Owner
- graysen.pack
- Published
- 2026-05-05
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-07-23
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15