Scotopic: A Darkness Mod
by Noxel
Scotopic changes how Minecraft's darkness looks, replacing the flat dimming with a simulated night-vision effect based on rod-based scotopic vision.
What it does
Scotopic simulates how the eye adapts to low light. Instead of a plain dark overlay, the view gradually shifts as the player's eyes adjust, following a rod-based model of scotopic vision and dark-adaptation. Transitions into and out of darkness are smoothed, and the fade speed can be set in the configuration.
The effect is tuned in-game through Mod Menu, where brightness, grain, blur, desaturation, tint, contrast and timing can each be adjusted. Because it only changes the picture on the player's screen, it is a client-side only mod, so a server does not need it and players can join a server without installing it.
Installation requires Fabric. Files are published for Fabric alone, for game version 26.1.2, and the latest file is 0.1, dated 2026-07-14 on the alpha channel. The code and assets are released under CC0 1.0 Universal, and the project is not open source.
Key features
Rod-based night vision
Darkness is rendered as a simulated night-vision view modeled on rod-based scotopic vision.
Smooth dark-adaptation
The view eases in and out of darkness, with a configurable fade in and fade out.
In-game tuning
Brightness, grain, blur, desaturation, tint, contrast and timing can be adjusted through Mod Menu.
Client-side only
The effect runs entirely on the player's client, so it does not change server behavior.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Night exploration
Players moving through caves or nighttime terrain can see a more gradual, natural change in visibility.
Who it’s for: Players who want a more realistic take on darkness in single-player or on servers, without any server-side installation.
Questions
Does Scotopic need Fabric API?
Does a server need Scotopic installed?
Which game version does Scotopic support?
Can the effect be adjusted?
More from Noxel
What the author says
Scotopic transforms Minecraft's darkness into a realistic night-vision simulation featuring rod-based scotopic vision and dark-adaptation exposure. Features - Smooth dark-adaptation with configurable fade in/out - Fully tunable in-game via Mod Menu (brightness, grain, blur, desaturation, tint, contrast, timing, and…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/scotopic
- Owner
- Noxel
- Published
- 2026-06-23
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-07-14
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15