Smooth Skies
Players who run high render distances often see a hard fog edge and skybox gaps, which Smooth Skies targets on the client.
What it does
Smooth Skies changes how the sky and fog are drawn when render distance is set high. The fog color is blended so the transition at the far edge of the view looks gradual instead of cut off. The mod also corrects skybox clipping at low render distances, where the far plane can leave holes or gaps in the sky. Its fog and sky options are adjusted through a configuration screen, so players can tune the result to their own setup.
The mod runs on the client alone. Players install it on Fabric, NeoForge or Ornithe; servers do not need it. It requires Fabric API, Mod Menu, OneConfig and YetAnotherConfigLib (YACL), and it is released under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only, so it is open source. Builds cover 1.8.9 – 26.3, with 27 release versions in total, and the latest Fabric file is 2.12.2 for 26.3.
Key features
Fog view distance
Sets the fog distance so the far edge of the world fades without a hard line at high render distances.
Fog height
Raises the height of the fog layer, configurable in the settings, to change how the horizon looks.
Skybox clipping fix
Extends the far plane clipping so the sky no longer shows holes or gaps at low render distances.
Lower sky void darkness
Reduces how dark the void appears in the sky, making the background less harsh.
Hypixel sky fix
Corrects a sky appearance problem on the Hypixel server, which the skybox clipping change addresses.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.21.x9 of 9 versions with builds
1.20.x7 of 7 versions with builds
1.19.x5 of 5 versions with builds
1.8.x1 of 1 version with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Requirements
Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.
Required 3
Use cases
High render distance play
Players running very high render distances get a smoother fog transition at the edge of the view.
Low render distance play
Players on low render distances can remove sky gaps caused by clipping.
Who it’s for: Players who use high or low render distances and want a cleaner sky and fog in singleplayer or on multiplayer servers.
How it compares
Subtle Skybox is a Fabric, Forge and NeoForge mod for 1.20.1 – 1.21.1, client-side only and open source under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only. Simple Fog Control is client-side only, open source under the MIT License, and built for Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt across 1.18.1 – 26.3. Nuit is also client-side only and open source under the MIT License, with files for Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt across 1.16.3 – 26.3.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smooth Skies | Fabric, NeoForge and Ornithe | 1.8.9 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-10-03 |
| Subtle Skybox | Fabric, Forge and NeoForge | 1.20.1 – 1.21.1 | Client-side only | 2025-09-09 |
| Simple Fog Control | Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.18.1 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-08-23 |
| Nuit | Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt | 1.16.3 – 26.3 | Client-side only | 2026-09-16 |
Questions
Does Smooth Skies need Fabric API?
Does the server need Smooth Skies?
Which loader should the player choose?
Is the source code public?
In the catalog
Smooth Skies is one of 36,990 Utility mods on ModsFinder, and one of 25,772 Utility mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.
More from Microcontrollers
Similar mods
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/smooth-skies
- Owner
- Microcontrollers
- Published
- 2024-02-20
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-10-03
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15