Minecraft is an addictive game to play, there is no arguing that, but trying to argue that it is a stunning looking game can be tough - it does fall behind its counterparts on that level.

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So what is really needed is a way to make the game look better and that is where Minecraft Shaders come into play as they make quite the difference in several ways depending on the Shader that you have installed.

Lots of visual things are improved with them from frame rates to the overall lighting and we have picked out 10 of the best that we have seen that can be installed right now. If you are looking for more on Minecraft, check out our guides on how to tame a fox in Minecraft, and how to enable ray-tracing.

But back to Shaders in Minecraft and for you all you need to know about them, read on!

How do you install Minecraft Shaders?

  • The Forge or Optifine download page is where you want to head first and when you are there, select the download for your version of Minecraft.
  • Download it and then find the file and click it to run.
  • An install window should now appear so let it do its thing after you click Install Client'.
  • Now run Minecraft and select Forge or Optifine as your profile.

The best Minecraft Shaders to install

seus-minecraft-shader

There are many different things that Shaders can improve the visuals of ranging from water to sunlight to just the general look of the map. Here are 10 that we have found that make significant improvements to Minecraft and make the game look better than it ever has.

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SEUS

Seus (or Sonic Ether's Unbelievable Shaders if you want the full name) is one of the absolute must install Shaders out there and you will feel like you are playing a different game altogether when you first play it after installing.

The latest version of this adds a faux Minecraft ray tracing effect that looks incredible when it is up and running - and it was a fantastic Shader even before that update. Give this a try and you will struggle to go back to the game without it.

Lagless Shaders

This may be a simple mod but it is also one that does wonders for how the game looks.

Textures and colours will be improved dramatically when you have this shader installed and light that shines down onto surfaces looks far more realistic than it does normally.

Naelego's Cel Shaders

cartoon shader minecraft

Everything goes all cartoon-like when you install and run Naelego's Cel Shaders and it is such a fun visual that we have to force ourselves to turn it off when we want to give a new one a try.

While there are issues with this one, it has a habit of not running properly in Creative mode, it is still a great one to have if the cartoon vibe is one that appeals

BSL

This one is similar to SEUS and equally as good in many ways. But if you are on the lookout for a shader that adds a degree of realism to the game with the changes that it implements then BSL is the one you will want to go for.

This one blends in the improved graphics, such as water which looks amazing with this, with the style of Minecraft so you get things that look better, while also looking like they fit with the unique style that Minecraft has.

Werrus

If you install Werrus, and you should, you will notice pretty quickly how much better shadows look in the game - but the improvements do not end there!

Water will look better than you have ever seen it in Minecraft with the level of detail and realism being quite striking. Install this one and see for yourselves just how good it looks!

TME

tme shader minecraft

One thing that is important to note here before we go any further is that if you have a low-spec PC then you may have issues getting this one to run - it is quite the powerful Shader!

If you do get it working though then you will be glad you did as surfaces and reflections will look better than ever and even the sky will look better with the clouds, in particular, looking almost like the real thing!

Oceano

There are several good Shaders for improving how good water looks, and there is more than one on this list, but this is one of the best ones out there for making everything water-related look better than ever.

It is not just water though as the colour improvements will have an impact on numerous things and you will without question notice the difference as soon as it is up and running.

Projectluma

The improvement this makes to the overall visuals is quite stunning and while there are others out there that do the job better, such as KUDA (which is coming next), we have gone for this one because not only does it make everything look better, but it does so without having too much of an impact on the performance of the game.

This truly is a gorgeous Shader to get and you may find it difficult to turn it off wherever you need to as the game will not look anywhere near as good without it.

Read more:

Kuda Shader

kuda-shader-minecraft

Ignoring that the name for this Shader now has several Kula Shaker songs doing the rounds in our head, this one is a fantastic Shader to install if you want the sun rays to look good in the game - because they do look exceptionally good when this is running.

As does everything else! It is a powerful Shader and while that may mean you could run into problems when it is running, depending on what you are playing the game on, it is so worth having if that is not a problem you are likely to face.

Nostalgia

This shader bears more than a few similarities to the Super Duper Graphics Pack and if you missed getting hold of that then this is a good one to get as it will make up for that - to a degree anyway.

As the name would suggest, this makes some improvements to the visuals of the game in a way that makes it look retro. It is a fun Shader and definitely worth checking out.

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