Real Time of Day
by ttianeo
With Real Time of Day installed, the in-game clock follows the real clock of the machine running the game, so day and night change with the hours of the actual day.
What it does
The mod keeps the Minecraft day and night cycle in step with real time. Time is read from the operating system of the machine where the client or server runs, so the in-game hour follows the local clock. Game rules that would otherwise advance or freeze the cycle are disabled while the mod is active, which keeps the two clocks matched.
The mod can run on a client, on a server, or on both. A single-player world uses the clock of the computer it runs on, while a multiplayer server uses the clock of the machine hosting it. Players and server owners install the JAR in the mods folder for Fabric. The latest Fabric file is 1.0.3-1.21.2-1.21.6 for 1.21.6, dated 2025-06-24.
Key features
Real-time day and night
The in-game day and night cycle is synchronized with real time, so dusk falls at the local evening hour.
Operating system clock
The reference time comes from the operating system where the game process runs, not from an online source.
Game rule control
The mod disables the game rules that would change the day and night cycle, so the synchronized clock is not overridden.
Same behavior on both sides
The same synchronization applies whether the mod runs in a client world or on a dedicated server.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
1.21.x7 of 7 versions with builds
1.20.x7 of 7 versions with builds
1.19.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.18.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.17.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.16.x6 of 6 versions with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Immersive survival worlds
Players who want the day to match the time of day outside their window can keep the cycle tied to the clock.
Multiplayer servers
Server owners can run the server with the mod so every player shares the same real-time day and night.
Who it’s for: Players who want the in-game time of day to follow their own clock, and server owners who want a shared real-time cycle on a Fabric server.
How it compares
RealTimeWorld is a Fabric mod for 1.21.5 that works on client and server, and it is open source under the MIT License. realday is a Fabric mod for 26.2 that is server-side only and is not open source, released under the MIT License. Real Time of Day is open source under the MIT License and works on either side, so neither a client nor a server has to run it.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Time of Day | Fabric | 1.16 – 1.21.6 | Client or server, optional | 2025-06-24 |
| RealTimeWorld | Fabric | 1.21.5 | Client and server | 2026-04-03 |
| realday | Fabric | 26.2 | Server-side only | 2026-06-26 |
Questions
Does Real Time of Day need Fabric API?
Does the mod have to be installed on the server?
Which game version should the JAR match?
In the catalog
Real Time of Day is one of 19,031 Adventure mods on ModsFinder, and one of 10,052 Adventure mods for Fabric. 13,625 mods support Minecraft 1.21.6.
Similar mods
What the author says
A small mod can help you synchronize game time with real time and synchronize day night cycles Real Time refers to the operating system where you run the MC client or server
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/real-time-of-day
- Owner
- ttianeo
- Published
- 2025-01-26
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2025-06-24
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15