The best Minecraft texture packs to enhance your world's look

Best minecraft texture packs
(Image credit: Microsoft/Thistlepack)

Try the best Minecraft texture packs to give your worlds a visual makeover, from enhancements to the original pixel graphics, to full-blown redesigns that change the theme of your world. We've found some excellent packs for you to try, but there are many more to look at outside of this list. Bear in mind that the version of Minecraft you have will affect which ones you can use. If you're playing on PC through either Java or Bedrock Editions, installing texture packs for Minecraft through third-party sites shouldn't be much of an issue. However, if you're playing Bedrock though consoles or mobile, you'll need to hand over some Minecoins for texture packs found on the in-game premium marketplace.

Wherever you get your texture packs, you'll be able to completely change the look and feel of your game with some simple steps. Here are our picks for some of the best Minecraft texture packs as well as everything you need to know about installing and applying them to your game.

Downloading and installing the best Minecraft texture packs

Texture packs don't come pre-installed on Minecraft, they're separate entities that players have to download and install. Depending on the sort of Minecraft you play, your options may be limited, and it'll certainly change the process and how you go about it.

How to install the best Minecraft texture packs

(Image: © Mojang)

Installing Minecraft texture packs depends on what version of the game you're running, as well as whether these packs are official and on the storefront. We've broken our instructions into Java and Bedrock versions for PC so players can set it up accordingly:

Minecraft Java Edition

1. Download the Texture pack as a ZIP file

2. Open Java Minecraft and press "Options"

3. Click on "Resource Packs", then "Open Resource Packs folder"

4. Drag the ZIP file into the folder

5. Close and reopen Minecraft, then select the pack shown in "Resource Packs"

Minecraft Bedrock Edition (PC only)

1. Make sure that Minecraft is installed on your device

2. Download a compatible texture pack with the “.mcpack” file extension

3. Double click and open the file and it should automatically be imported into Minecraft

4. Upon opening the game, a notification should tell you the file was "successfully imported".

5. Go to "Settings" and "Global Resources" to find and select the texture pack you want for gameplay

Best Minecraft Mods

Minecraft

(Image credit: Microsoft)

While you're tinkering, check out the best Minecraft mods!

Of course, this assumes that you're downloading packs, not buying them. The Bedrock Edition of Minecraft has a storefront built in which players can pay for new texture packs, without having to go through the trouble of downloading and installing them. This applies to not just PC players but console and mobile players too since the in-game Bedrock Edition store is available on those platforms too.

Any packs you buy this way will also be in Settings/Global Resources for you to select, but they'll also be tied to your Minecraft account, so no matter which platform you log into the game through, you should be able to access that store-bought texture pack. Obviously this won't apply to Minecraft texture packs that you downloaded off the internet as those are only compatible with PC formats of the game.

Of course, knowing how to set up texture packs is only half the battle - now you have to find some with installing in the first place.

The best Minecraft texture packs you can get

There are a lot of good texture packs on the storefront, but considering they're pre-curated to some extent, below we've taken a different angle and gone through some of the best texture packs available online - all of which are still active with recent updates, and should be functional on newer iterations of Minecraft. If you want those blocks to pop, check out some prime selections below.

LB Photo Realism Reload!

Minecraft LB Photo realism reload texture pack showing shaded forest

(Image credit: Mojang)

This is a continuation of the iconic texture pack LB Photo Realism that was very popular in the early days of Minecraft. This lovely texture swap makes trees look fluffy and grass realistic. It's a radical change from the original textures and is good if you want to ground your game in as much realism as possible without it looking completely absurd. Of course, this makes the game more demanding, but that's the price you pay for such an impressive overhaul. Pick it up on CurseForge for free for PC only.

Sphax PureBDCraft

Best Minecraft texture packs

If you've watched any let's plays of the game or had a poke around in the custom texture community for Minecraft, you will no doubt have heard of PureBDCraft. As well as covering every texture in the game, Sphax's pack has an attractive comic book style that many prefer to Minecraft's original textures. You can download Bedrock and Java versions of the pack on the BDCraft website or even download some other texture packs if you're after a grungier feel or something closer to the original Minecraft textures.

Faithful

Best Minecraft texture packs

The appeal of the Faithful texture pack comes from how little it changes the game. Small refinements are made to smooth out textures and provide an experience that retains the original art direction of the game with a bit more sheen. Pick it up at CurseForge for Java and Bedrock Editions.

SapixCraft

Best Minecraft texture packs

This texture pack revamps the appearances of lots of Minecraft items, blocks, and mobs, and the result is something truly beautiful. Rippling water and flowing grass curate an entirely different atmosphere that brings the magic back to Minecraft, especially if you've been away for a while. Pick it up at the official SapixCraft websitefor Java and Bedrock. This pack was previously also available on the Bedrock marketplace, although it doesn't appear to be anymore but could come back in the future.

Mythic

Minecraft texture packs resource

(Image credit: Microsoft/Fishymint)

If you've got a love for retro fantasy RPGs, the Mythic pack by Fishymint will be right up your dragon's lair. With a focus on pixel art, muted colours and little video game details that feel like they're from another era, Mythic will make you feel like a chosen hero! Well, at least until a creeper sidles up behind you and blows you halfway to Camelot. Pick it up at Resourcepack.net. for Java Edition. Alternatively, you can purchase the texture pack on the Bedrock marketplace for 830 Minecoins.

CoterieCraft

Best Minecraft texture packs

Another texture pack that seeks to stay true to the original vision of Minecraft whilst refining and improving the textures is CoterieCraft, a much-loved visual overhaul that makes plants and building materials pop. Pick it up on Planet Minecraft.

Wolfhound Fairy

Minecraft texture packs resource

(Image credit: Microsoft/Thistlepack)

The Wolfhound Fairy pack by Thistlepack is a favourite of many, and boasts hand-drawn designs that elevate on the original models and give them an intricate, organic, etched quality, but never distorting them so far that they become unrecognisable. Pick it up at Resourcepack.net. 

Conquest

Best Minecraft texture packs

(Image credit: Conquest)

Conquest is a medieval-inspired texture pack which is part of a larger resource-pack for Minecraft that warps the game into the distant past. Featuring 32x32 textures and even a unique UI, this pack will transport you back in time to an age of castles and conquest. Pick it up on the Conquest website or buy it from the Bedrock marketplace for 990 Minecoins.

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Freelance writer


Jordan Oloman has hundreds of bylines across outlets like GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, USA Today, The Guardian, The Verge, The Washington Post, and more. Jordan is an experienced freelance writer who can not only dive deep into the biggest video games out there but explore the way they intersect with culture too. Jordan can also be found working behind-the-scenes here at Future Plc, contributing to the organization and execution of the Future Games Show.  

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