Best Minecraft Modpacks 2026

Here are some of the most-downloaded and best-reviewed Minecraft modpacks to play in 2026, grouped by category. RAM figures are the pack authors’ own minimums, bump up by 1-2 GB if you have headroom.

Kitchen sink modpacks

Big variety packs with no specific theme. Good if you don’t know what you want yet.

All the Mods 10 (ATM10)

Minecraft: 1.21.1
Mod loader: NeoForge
RAM: 8 GB minimum

The latest All the Mods entry. Around 400 mods including Create, Mekanism, Apotheosis, and Ars Nouveau. The ATM Star endgame goal gives long-term progression without forcing a specific path.

All the Mods 9 (ATM9)

Minecraft: 1.20.1
Mod loader: Forge
RAM: 6 GB minimum

The previous ATM entry. Still actively played because some mods haven’t moved to 1.21 yet.

Better MC

Minecraft: 1.20.1 / 1.21.1
Mod loader: Forge / NeoForge / Fabric (separate variants)
RAM: 6 GB minimum

Vanilla-plus pack: extra biomes, structures, mobs, and quality-of-life mods. Comes in Forge (BMC4 on 1.20.1), NeoForge (BMC5 on 1.21.1), and Fabric variants, pick whichever your other mods need.

Prominence II: Hasturian Era

Minecraft: 1.20.1
Mod loader: Fabric
RAM: 6 GB minimum

RPG-flavored pack with custom quests, bosses, and a class/skill system. Heavier combat focus than a generic kitchen sink.

Tech modpacks

For automation and machines.

Create: Above and Beyond

Minecraft: 1.16.5
Mod loader: Forge
RAM: 6 GB minimum

A Create-centric questline. Progresses through tech ages using mechanical contraptions instead of standard tech mods.

Vault Hunters 3rd Edition

Minecraft: 1.18.2
Mod loader: Forge
RAM: 6 GB minimum

Run procedurally generated vaults for loot and progression. Popularized by Iskall85’s series on YouTube.

FTB Skies

Minecraft: 1.19.2
Mod loader: Forge
RAM: 6 GB minimum

Skyblock pack from the FTB team. Start on a small island, work up through tech tiers.

Adventure modpacks

For exploration, combat, and quests.

RLCraft

Minecraft: 1.12.2
Mod loader: Forge
RAM: 4 GB minimum

Hardcore survival. Dragons, thirst, temperature, and Lycanites Mobs make the early game brutal. Has been one of the most-downloaded modpacks for years.

COBBLEVERSE (Cobblemon)

Minecraft: 1.21.1
Mod loader: Fabric
RAM: 4 GB minimum

Pokémon-style catching and battling using the Cobblemon mod, plus an adventure framework on top. If you just want Cobblemon itself with less extra content, the official Cobblemon modpack is the alternative.

DawnCraft

Minecraft: 1.18.2
Mod loader: Forge
RAM: 6 GB minimum

Soulslike-leaning RPG pack. Custom progression that locks vanilla features behind questline rewards, plus reworked combat and dungeons.

Expert modpacks

Long progression, heavily modified recipes. Plan for hundreds of hours.

GregTech: New Horizons (GTNH)

Minecraft: 1.7.10
Mod loader: Forge
RAM: 6 GB minimum

The longest-running expert pack. GregTech-driven progression with a written questline. Realistically a multi-year project for most players.

Nomifactory

Minecraft: 1.12.2
Mod loader: Forge
RAM: 6 GB minimum

GregTech CE Unofficial expert pack. Less grind than GTNH while keeping the multi-step recipe chains.

Lightweight modpacks

For older hardware or as a starting point for your own mod list.

Fabulously Optimized

Minecraft: 1.20.x / 1.21.x / latest snapshots
Mod loader: Fabric
RAM: 2 GB minimum

Performance-only pack: Sodium, Lithium, Iris, etc. Aimed at matching or beating OptiFine on FPS while keeping vanilla gameplay.

Simply Optimized

Minecraft: 1.20.x / 1.21.x
Mod loader: Fabric
RAM: 2 GB minimum

A more minimal alternative to Fabulously Optimized. Performance mods only, fewer optional extras.

How to install any of these

Open GDLauncher and click the search bar at the top of the window
Type the modpack name (Modpacks is the default search type)
Click the result, then click Download

GDLauncher creates a new instance, downloads every mod, sets up the right Java version, and configures the mod loader. See the install-modpack guide for details.