The best shaders for Minecraft Java edition of 2020! Please note that I left every shader to its default settings, so even though there are settings ingame for changing the shader quality and performance, this comparison is based on the default values.
Compared to Minecraft Java Editon, the version of Minecraft Windows 10 or Bedrock is quite light and uses less resources. You can still enhance your Minecraft experience by installing shader packages. Depending on the shader package, you can easily improve the look and feel of your Minecraft world with just a few clicks. From bright Minecraft Windows 10 Shaders to shaders packs that make Minecraft look more realistic to shaders packs that are darker, no matter what you are looking for, this video will have a shaders pack for you. I also showed you how the shaders packs look in the video that way you can see them in game before you install them. Long considered the gold standard of Minecraft shaders, Sonic Ether's Unbelievable Shaders (SEUS) have been around since 2011, only 2 years after Minecraft originally launched. In that time, this shader pack has gone through a number of different versions.
If you play MCPE, check out the best shaders for it over here: Best MCPE shaders.
1. SEUS Renewed
Download from: Official SEUS site
Download the Shader and copy it into the Shader folder. Activate the shader and enjoy the new look! The installation for Minecraft Bedrock is slightly different, but still simple. The difference is that MCPE shaders are installed the same way as Texture Packs. Click here for guides for iOS, Android and Windows 10. BSL Shaders Download.
Performance requirement: High
Latest version of the legendary SEUS shader. Previously I used both SEUS v10 and v11 and loved them both.
2. Sildur's Vibrant Shaders (Extreme)
Download from: Official Sildur's site
Performance requirement: Medium
Very colorful and 'happy' feeling shader. Even though this is the extreme version of the shader, the performance requirement is quite medium – even on the lower end of this list.
3. Sildur's Vibrant Shaders (Lite)
Download from: Official Sildur's site
Performance requirement: Medium-Low?
The previous one was the extreme version, this is the lite version. I see very little change in frame rate between the two versions. Maybe they truly are that similar in FPS, or maybe Minecraft just utilizes the extra frames to something else. Just give it a try if the higher end versions lag!
4. Chocapic13 V8 (Ultra)
Download from: Curse Forge
Performance requirement: Medium-High
I have never used Chocapic13's shaders to my knowledge, but I think it is pretty popular, so I included it in this list. Has pretty 'realistic' feeling, and decent frame rates.
5. Continuum 2
Download from: Official Continuum site
Performance requirement: Extreme
Very realistic shader with a high performance impact. Not sure how much it can be customized for lower performance impact – as I said in the beginning, these performance values are based on the default shader settings.
6. Continuum v1.3
Download from: Official Continuum site
Performance requirement: Extreme
Honestly, I kinda prefer the older Continuum version to the new Continuum 2. I like the colors, and I used to use it in my cinematic back couple years ago. Very high performance hit, but if your computer can handle it, it can give very nice screenshots for an example.
7. KUDA Shaders v6.1
Download from: KUDA's developer site
Performance requirement: Medium
Another legendary shader, stands next to SEUS in my opinion. There's a newer shader from the same creator as KUDA called 'projectLuma', but it did not work for me for some reason – that's why I wanted to go with the classic KUDA instead.
8. Robobo1221's Shader v7.1 (Extreme)
Download from: Minecraft Forum
Performance requirement: Extreme
Extreme performance requirements, very beautiful. Has very nice weather effects, which makes it really stand out in this comparison. Check out the video above!
9. Robobo1221's Shader v7.1 (Medium)
Download from: Paradox Forum (Link disabled, as I think the forum got hacked – it redirects me to scam ads)
Alternative download: Github
Performance requirement: Medium
More performance friendly version. Has some features missing from the extreme version, but way higher frame rates. Choose the version that better suits your desktop computer or laptop!
10. Sushi Shaders v2
Download from: Minecraft Forum
Performance requirement: Medium
Sushi Shaders has pretty unique colors compared to the rest, so I decided to include it. I also like the water, but the color screme is a bit too cold/blue for my liking.
This comparison was brought to you by JerenVids and Vaihe.
Our namesake products are a selection of highly customizable shaderpacks for Minecraft with support for many high end graphical effects usually only seen in the latest, most cutting edge AAA titles.
Learn MoreA high resolution, realistically themed Texture Pack for Minecraft. It features Physically Based Rendering and Parallax Occlusion Mapping support. As well as high quality Specular & Normal maps.
Learn MoreContinuum is not what it used to be. Since the release of 1.3 and later, 2.0, it has been rewritten from the ground up with realism and quality in mind. It brings nearly every AAA graphical effect you could want to Minecraft. Including Volumetric Lighting, PBR, SSR, full 3D Volumetric clouds, POM, TAA, etc.. It also includes a host of options to make it your own. Such as a realistic & highly configurable camera system, expansive color options and LUT support.
While Continuum 2.0 is available for free on our downloads page, we are currently working on Continuum 2.1. With 2.1 we aim to create an even more polished version of our non-RT shader, with a heavy focus on performance, quality and player immersion.
If that sounds interesting to you, and you’d like to try Continuum 2.1 ahead of it’s official release, and/or support the project, you can grab a Early Access package from the shop and start playing with 2.1 now!
LEARN MORE ABOUT CONTINUUM 2.1Continuum RT aims to make fully Ray-Traced Minecraft a reality. With the use of Hierarchical Voxel Tracing, Spatio-Temporal Filtering, and the latest lighting models. We have created something that we think is absolutely stunning, and is capable of running in real time on modern consumer graphics hardware (recommended: GTX 1080 or higher).
Unlike other Minecraft Shaders Continuum RT is not a hybrid engine. Everything is ray traced, all blocks, all entities, and eventually custom geometry! RT is full of brand new features like proper refraction through glass and water, pixel perfect shadows from ALL light sources, and state of the art cloud systems with path traced lighting; all driven by our robust camera and familiar toning systems as their counterparts in the original, non-RT Continuum Minecraft Shaders.
Click the link below to learn more about Continuum RT and our Early Access program for it.
Build credit for screenshot: The Imperial City, by Rigolo
LEARN MORE ABOUT CONTINUUM RTLegacy is being built for those of you who miss Continuum 1.3, but don’t use it because of poor compatibility, poor performance, or bugs.
We heard you.
Continuum Legacy is a complete rewrite of Continuum 1.3, bringing with it more efficiency, more hardware compatibility, and more polish than 1.3 ever had. With new features like TAA and most of the camera settings you’re used to in Continuum 2.0, Legacy should be everything that you guys wanted, and more.
Screenshot is of 1.3. Legacy is still in early development.
COMING SOON™Stratum is a realistic, high resolution and high quality resourcepack for Minecraft, built with shader compatibility in mind. It supports many high end shader effects,. Including Parallax Occlusion Mapping; which provides a new layer of depth to surfaces in game. As well as high quality normal and specular maps. Stratum also uses fully Physically Based materials, just like many AAA titles do today.
Stratum is being built specifically with our Continuum series of Minecraft shaderpacks in mind. With that said, it should work well with a variety of other Minecraft shaders. It should also run on a variety of systems. More modest gaming rigs can choose one of the lower resolution options, such as 256x, or maybe 512x. Higher end systems can go with 1024x. The highest end systems of the future can use the full 2048x pack.
Click the button to learn more about Stratum and it’s features, as well as it’s Early Access Program.
Learn more about StratumHow To Download Shaders In Minecraft Windows 10
For now, the pack is only going to cover the base Minecraft textures, but in the future there will likely be add-on modules for mods, such as Better Foliage, or even Buildcraft. That said, as it is still currently being developed, the focus is only on finishing the base Minecraft textures for now.
If you would like to try Stratum now, or just support the project, you can purchase an Early Access package below. Updates are made available on a regular basis and are pushed directly to your downloads page as soon as they are available.