If you’ve been playing the game since the beginning, however, vanilla or default Minecraft might get a little stale for you. With Minecraft Forge, you can manage downloaded mods, and this guide will teach you how to get things set up.
What Is Minecraft Forge?
When you think of modding a video game, you probably also think that you need to have extensive knowledge of technology or programming to do it. That might be true with other titles, but adding mods to Minecraft is simple with Forge.
Forge is a free, open-source server you can use to install and run Minecraft mods. Its developers designed it specifically to make it easier for even the least tech-savvy of folks to add community-created game mods to their copy of Minecraft.
How to Install Minecraft Forge
So now that you know what Forge is, how do you install it? Before anything else, you will need to install Java if you haven’t already. After that, you can follow these simple steps:
1. Download Minecraft Forge
Go to the official Forge website to download the installer. Make sure that the version number written on the download is the same number of the version of Minecraft that you would like to mod.
On the left side of the Forge website, it lists all the versions from newest to oldest. In the Minecraft launcher, you can see your current version number on the profile below the game’s banner artwork.
2. Open the Forge Installer
Once it’s finished downloading, open the Forge installer. Select client or server from the options, depending on what mods you want to download. Check that the address to your .minecraft folder is correct (if it is not, click the button with three dots and navigate to the correct address), and then click OK. Forge will take a few minutes to install.
3. Open the Minecraft Launcher
Once Forge has finished installing, open up the Minecraft Launcher. Select the forge profile if isn’t already active, then start the game. It’ll take a while the first time you boot it up after installing Forge. But once you’ve got the home screen up, you should see a new Mods button next to Minecraft Realms.
Now, you can download mods to that folder and expand Minecraft in any way you want. This folder is also where you will organize and manage all of your mods. This will help you keep track of them.
Popular websites to download mods from include MinecraftMods, CurseForge, and Planet Minecraft. There’s also a section dedicated to mods on the official Minecraft forum, and Minecraft modpacks—collections of mods that other players think work best together.
Alternatively, if you can’t find an existing mod that matches what you hoped to add to the game, you can always make your own Minecraft mod.
Add More to Minecraft With the Help of Forge
After an easy installation process, Minecraft Forge gives you a handy place to store, sort, and keep track of all the mods you’ve downloaded. You might not currently see yourself as someone that’ll download too many mods, but take it from us. It always begins with one mod, then another, then one more…
Then eventually, you realize you have more modded content than vanilla content in your Minecraft game.
