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Installation
To install Minecraft mods, you will need to use a supported launcher. For the best experience, we encourage that you use one of these recommended third-party launchers, which make it easy to automatically download and install all your favorite mods.
- ⭐ Modrinth App (third-party) - Recommended for new players, and helps supports mod developers!
- ⭐ Prism Launcher (third-party) - Recommended for returning players or those more familiar with modding.
- Not able to use other launchers? You can always use the Minecraft Launcher, but you will have to install and update your mods manually.
- Don't see your preferred launcher here? Consider switching to one of our recommended picks.
Since Minecraft does not officially support modding, you must install a supported mod loader before you can install any mods. Sodium currently supports the following mod loaders, depending on the version of Minecraft you want to use.
- ⭐ Fabric Loader is supported since Minecraft 1.15, and currently provides the best performance and user experience with our mods.
- Quilt Loader is supported since Minecraft 1.17.
- NeoForged is supported since Minecraft 1.21.
The rest of this guide will walk you through installing Fabric Loader, which is an easy to use, lightweight, and reliable option that does not affect Minecraft's gameplay or behavior in any manner. This is also the best option for players which are new to modding, since it is fully compatible with existing Minecraft save files and nearly all multiplayer servers.
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Installing Fabric Loader for Modrinth Launcher
- After installing the mod loader, click on the newly created instance, select Add Content, and then select Sodium from the available mods list.
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Installing Fabric Loader for Prism Launcher
- After installing the mod loader, right-click on the newly created instance and select Edit. Then, in the instance settings window that opens, select Mods from the left sidebar, and then select Download Mods on the right side. Search for Sodium from the available mods list, and install the latest version.
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Installing Fabric Loader for the Minecraft Launcher
- Since the official launcher has no support for installing mods automatically, you will need to download Sodium from Modrinth, and then copy it to your mods folder.
As of the time of writing, Sodium does not provide support for languages other than English. You can install a resource pack (maintained by the community) to add support for 45+ additional languages.
Many players will want to install additional third-party mods to further enhance their experience. This list is provided as a helpful starting point for players wanting to get their feet wet, but is not a comprehensive list. You can find more mods-- many of which are compatible with Sodium-- on Modrinth.
Note
There is a difference between the Fabric Loader (what loads your mods) and the Fabric APIs (what people build their mods on top of.) Because of this, most of the mods mentioned here will require that you also install the Fabric API to your mods folder.
Additionally, if you are using Minecraft 1.20 or older and intend to use other Fabric mods, you should make sure that you install the Indium mod, which provides necessary functionality needed for compatibility with many other mods.
You can install the Iris Shaders mod, which builds on top of Sodium's great performance to provide support for OptiFine-style shader packs. If this is your first time using shader packs, consider looking at Modrinth's website for compatible options, and read the Iris usage guide for information on how to install and use shaders.
Warning
Shader packs are typically very resource demanding, requiring a powerful computer for good performance. You may need to reduce your render distance and use a lower-quality graphical preset for a good experience.
These mods allow many resource packs (which have historically required the use of OptiFine) to work properly with Sodium. If you find that some of your resource packs are not working correctly, you may need to install one or more of these mods.
- Entity Texture Features -- adds support for OptiFine's Entity Texture Features (ETF).
- Entity Model Features -- adds support for OptiFine's Custom Entity Models (CEM).
- Continuity -- adds support for OptiFine's Connected Textures Format (CTM).
- CIT Resewn -- adds support for OptiFine's Custom Item Textures (CIT).
- Polytone -- adds support for OptiFine's custom lightmap, colormap, and soundmap functionality.
- LambdaBetterGrass -- implements a richer version of OptiFine's "Better Grass" feature, and provides backwards compatibility for resource packs that use it.
- LambDynamicLights -- implements a richer version of OptiFine's "Dynamic Lighting" feature, which allows players and mobs that hold light-emitting items to illuminate the world in real-time.
- FabricSkyboxes and FabricSkyboxes Interop -- adds the ability for resource packs to change how the sky looks, and provides compatibility with resource packs that use the OptiFine format for custom skies.
Many issues with Sodium are caused by out-of-date, incompatible, or broken graphics drivers. Most often, these problems can be resolved by simply updating your graphics drivers to the latest version, which is easy and free.
If you are still having issues, feel free to ask for help on our Discord server.