PixelBeat
by RicheyJang
PixelBeat plays local music files as background music in Minecraft, with a compact pixel-style HUD that shows the track, its lyrics and playback controls.
What it does
Any music file in the configured directory can be played in game, and subdirectories are scanned as well. If a lyric file with the same name as a track sits in the same folder, PixelBeat reads it and displays the matching line during playback. The player chooses where the library lives, and the mod creates its configuration after the first launch.
The HUD sits in the top-left corner and is drawn in a lightweight pixel style. It shows the track title, the current lyric line, a progress bar and the elapsed time. Previous, pause, next, reload and play-mode switching are available from the controls, which are labeled. The HUD can be dragged to another position, the position is saved back to the configuration, and it can be hidden automatically when no music is playing.
PixelBeat is a Fabric mod for Minecraft 1.20. Servers do not need it; each player installs it for their own game. Files exist for 1.20.1 – 1.20.6 and the latest Fabric build is 0.1.0 for 1.20.6, published on 2026-03-07. Apache License 2.0 covers the code, and the project is not open source.
Key features
Local music playback
Tracks from a custom directory play as in-game background music, including files in nested subdirectories.
Synchronized lyrics
A lyric file with the same name as a track is matched to it and its current line appears in the HUD.
Pixel-style HUD
A compact overlay in the top-left corner shows the title, lyric line, progress bar and elapsed time.
Playback controls
Previous, pause, next, reload and play-mode switching are available, with labeled buttons on the HUD.
Movable overlay
The HUD can be dragged to a new spot, and its position is saved to the configuration file.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Jons Music Mod! is a Fabric client-side mod for 26.1 – 26.2 under All rights reserved, so it targets a much later range than PixelBeat. In-Game Music Player is a Fabric client-side mod released under All rights reserved for 1.19.1 – 26.1.2, which reaches newer versions. Keep That Music is open source under CC0 1.0 Universal and covers 1.16 – 26.2, so it differs in license and version range.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PixelBeat | Fabric | 1.20.1 – 1.20.6 | Client-side only | 2026-03-07 |
| Jons Music Mod! | Fabric | 26.1 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-08-13 |
| In-Game Music Player | Fabric | 1.19.1 – 26.1.2 | Client-side only | 2026-06-12 |
| Keep That Music | Fabric | 1.16 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-06-19 |
Questions
Does PixelBeat need Fabric API?
Do servers need PixelBeat installed?
How are lyrics matched to a track?
Which Minecraft versions are supported?
In the catalog
PixelBeat is one of 29,952 Game mechanics mods on ModsFinder, and one of 19,630 Game mechanics mods for Fabric. 11,154 mods support Minecraft 1.20.6.
Similar mods
What the author says
PixelBeat is a client-side Fabric music mod for Minecraft 1.20. It scans a local music directory, plays your tracks as in-game background music, reads matching.lrc lyric files, and renders a lightweight pixel-style HUD in the top-left corner of the screen.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/pixelbeat
- Owner
- RicheyJang
- Published
- 2026-03-07
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-03-07
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15