Multiplayer Modpacks for Playing With Friends on Java

The modpacks to play with friends in our Java multiplayer category split by one question: who installs what. COBBLEVERSE suits a Pokémon group and its page names one-click hosting, SkyBlock Plus is a host-only skyblock world, and Technical Electrical is the tech and magic pick with a public SMP server and server packages. Below are eleven packs with loader, side and a hosting note each, drawn from the multiplayer modpacks we list.

How we picked these modpacks

We chose from 27 Java modpacks in our multiplayer category, with Modrinth numbers read on 6 October 2026. We did not benchmark or play-test any of them, downloads favour older projects, and a count is not a score. Inside each section, packs keep the download order.

What to check before your group picks a modpack

• Loader. Everyone in the group needs the same one. Society: Sunlit Valley is the only pack here that still ships on Forge.
• Side. Modrinth's side data says whether a pack goes on every player's machine, on the host's server, or both. How client-side and server-side mods differ explains what that means.
• Release. The packs sit on different releases of Java Edition, from 1.19.2 to 26.2, and your friends must match the host's.
• Extra downloads. Society: Sunlit Valley prompts for mods that are not on Modrinth after the first launch.

Installing is one launcher import per player, covered in how to install a modpack. For the shared-world side, see how to play modded Minecraft with friends.

Cobblemon modpacks for a group

Cobblemon Modpack [Fabric]

Cobblemon Modpack [Fabric]

@Reisen · Modpack

JavaFabricv 1.21.1

Checked May 21, 2026Source and install notes ↗

Pick this for a plain Cobblemon world with optimisation and quality-of-life mods around it. Its page says you can trade and battle with friends in multiplayer, and that both the pack and its server package connect with vanilla Cobblemon servers and clients. The trade-off is hosting: its page states Cobblemon has no official server, so your group runs its own or joins a public one. It recommends at least 2.5 GB of memory. It also mentions a NeoForge pack but recommends the Fabric one for performance.

COBBLEVERSE

COBBLEVERSE - Pokémon Adventure [Cobblemon]

@LUMYVERSE · Modpack

JavaFabricv 1.21.1

Checked Sep 25, 2026Source and install notes ↗

Choose it when a group wants a Pokémon adventure with structure. Its page lists custom Gyms, Elite Four battles and 1 to 7-star raids you can take on with friends, and says one-click server installation is available through Apex Hosting and Nitrado. The trade-off is how it plays: mobs and hunger are disabled by default, so it feels unlike survival until you switch them back on.

Cobblemon Delta

Cobblemon Delta

@ItsJustChris · Modpack

JavaFabricv 1.20.1 to 1.21.1

Checked Sep 4, 2026Source and install notes ↗

Aimed at groups who want a ready-made community. Its page says joining through the multiplayer menu puts you on the Cobblemon Delta server, with listed features such as raids, gyms, towns, land claims and player shops. It calls itself highly optimized and recommends 4 GB of RAM. Modrinth marks the server as optional. The trade-off: those features are described as server features, so a private world may not get them.

Skyblock and survival modpacks

SkyBlock Enhanced

SkyBlock Enhanced

@Kd_Gaming1 · Modpack

JavaFabricv 1.21.5 to 1.21.11

Checked Jun 14, 2026Source and install notes ↗

This is a pack for playing Hypixel SkyBlock, not for hosting a shared world. Its page describes over 60 mods for dungeons, Bazaar and quality of life, a setup wizard, and a config manager that exports a config as a .zip a friend can import. Modrinth lists the server as unsupported, so every player installs it locally and you meet on Hypixel. Pick it only if your group already plays there.

Homestead

Homestead

@Tokimi · Modpack

JavaFabricv 1.20.1

Checked Aug 4, 2026Source and install notes ↗

A cozy, quest-driven world for a small group. Its page lists a questbook, custom world generation, Create-based automation and bundled shaders, and calls the pack perfect for solo adventurers, small friend groups or community servers. Everyone installs it, the host's server included. The trade-off is the bundled shaders: a friend on a weak PC should choose a light one, and the page lists Potato Shaders for lower-end machines.

SkyBlock Plus

SkyBlock Plus

@BPR02 · Modpack

JavaFabricv 1.21 to 26.2

Checked Sep 28, 2026Source and install notes ↗

The pick for a skyblock world where one person hosts. Its page calls it a simple server-side modpack: an infinite void world with starter, nether, sand and biome islands, plus rearranged advancements that guide progression. Modrinth lists the client as unsupported and the server as required, so the host does the install. The trade-off is scope. It describes itself as vanilla-plus, so it changes the world and advancements rather than adding a large content pack.

Society Sunlit Valley

Society: Sunlit Valley

@Chakyl · Modpack

JavaForgev 1.20.1

Checked Sep 28, 2026Source and install notes ↗

Choose it for a Stardew-style farming economy. Its page says it is designed to work well on multiplayer servers, with ways to protect valuables and trade with other players, and lists five custom skill trees and a Skull Cavern that resets daily. The trade-off is setup: some mods are not on Modrinth, so each player is prompted to download extras after launching. It is also Forge only.

Tech, adventure and building modpacks

ArdaCraft

ArdaCraft

@Fornad and the ArdaCraft team · Modpack

JavaFabricv 1.19.2 to 1.20.1

Checked Sep 3, 2026Source and install notes ↗

For builders who want to work on Middle-earth together. Its page says the pack is designed for players joining the ArdaCraft server, built around Conquest Reforged and Create, and that a plots world lets anyone build and add friends to their plot. The trade-off is purpose: it exists for that community server, so it is not a general pack for a private world of your own.

BlockFront

BlockFront

@BoehMod · Modpack

JavaNeoForgev 1.21.1

Checked Sep 16, 2026Source and install notes ↗

Pick it for World War II matches rather than a shared survival world. Its page lists weapons, vehicles, maps such as Stalingrad, Normandy and Berlin, and a matchmaking system with parties and friend lists. It is NeoForge only and needed on both sides. The trade-off is that it is a combat mod, so it suits a group that wants to fight each other, not build or explore together.

Technical Electrical

Technical Electrical

@Team J.D Modding · Modpack

JavaNeoForgev 1.20.1 to 26.2

Checked Sep 28, 2026Source and install notes ↗

For groups that want tech and magic with over 190 mods, including Create, Mekanism, Ars Nouveau and Applied Energistics. Its page says it includes a public dedicated SMP server reachable from the main menu and links server packages for your own. Forge files stopped in March 2024, so only NeoForge continues. The trade-off: its repository README calls this the final Technical Electrical modpack and expects official support to end.

Mine In Abyss Modpack

Mine In Abyss Modpack

@MineInAbyss · Modpack

JavaFabricv 1.20.4 to 1.21.11

Checked Sep 30, 2026Source and install notes ↗

For friends who want to join the Mine In Abyss server together. Its page says you do not need the pack to play there, and that a vanilla client works. The pack adds performance gains, quality-of-life features and a custom Voxy fork for higher render distance. Modrinth lists the server as unsupported. The trade-off: it is for one server, Fabric only, and its newest file is marked beta.

Hosting these modpacks for friends

Hosting notes differ by pack. COBBLEVERSE names Apex Hosting and Nitrado for one-click installs, Technical Electrical links server packages and runs a public SMP, Cobblemon Modpack [Fabric] says its server package connects to vanilla Cobblemon, and Society: Sunlit Valley names Bloom Host as a partner. Hosting a modded server is the next read. We did not test any host.

Choosing between them

Start with the loader and the side, because they rule packs out fastest. If the group wants a shared private world, the Cobblemon packs, Homestead, SkyBlock Plus, Society: Sunlit Valley and Technical Electrical fit; if it wants a community server, ArdaCraft, Cobblemon Delta and Mine In Abyss Modpack are built around one. Everything else we list is on the modpacks page.