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Distant Horizons

Distant Horizons adds Level of Detail terrain rendering to Java Edition, extending your view distance far beyond the vanilla limit without the frame rate cost of loading full chunks at that range.

By jeseibel via Modrinth.

Sweeping landscape screenshot showing Distant Horizons LOD terrain extending far beyond the normal Minecraft render distance
Section
Java Mod
Platform
Java
Versions
v 1.16.3 / 1.16.4 / 1.16.5 / 1.17 / 1.17.1 / 1.18 / 1.18.1 / 1.18.2 / 1.19 / 1.19.1 / 1.19.2 / 1.19.3 / 1.19.4 / 1.20 / 1.20.1 / 1.20.2 / 1.20.4 / 1.20.6 / 1.21 / 1.21.1 / 1.21.3 / 1.21.4 / 1.21.5 / 1.21.6 / 1.21.7 / 1.21.8 / 1.21.9 / 1.21.10 / 1.21.11
Last checked
Updated
Terrain rendered at multiple detail levels depending on distance from the player
Terrain rendered at multiple detail levels depending on distance from the player
Cliffside view with vanilla render distance 4 and Distant Horizons render distance 512
Cliffside view with vanilla render distance 4 and Distant Horizons render distance 512
Client-side multiplayer LOD rendering from the Pioneer Survival server
Client-side multiplayer LOD rendering from the Pioneer Survival server
Distant Horizons rendering Terralith 2.0 modded terrain at extended view distance
Distant Horizons rendering Terralith 2.0 modded terrain at extended view distance
Atmospheric night landscape from the Distant Horizons screenshot contest, vanilla edition winner
Atmospheric night landscape from the Distant Horizons screenshot contest, vanilla edition winner

Distant Horizons replaces the grey void at the edge of Minecraft's render distance with a Level of Detail (LOD) rendering layer. Terrain beyond your standard draw distance is simplified and re-rendered so distant mountains, coastlines, and valleys stay visible instead of disappearing. The default LOD render distance is 64 chunks, but the setting can be pushed to 4096. The project notes that anything above 512 may demand significantly more RAM and GPU headroom.

  • Loaders: Fabric and NeoForge for 1.20.6 and newer; Fabric and Forge for 1.20.4 and older
  • Runs client-side by default; a matching server install enables automatic LOD sync to players
  • Compatible with modded terrain generators including Terralith
  • A separate Bukkit server plugin is available at modrinth.com/plugin/distant-horizons-support

Client and Server Installation

With a client-only install, LODs are generated as you explore and saved between sessions. Your long-distance view improves the more of the world you load.

With the mod also running on the server, LODs are automatically pushed to any connected player who has Distant Horizons installed. This removes the need to pre-explore and delivers consistent long-distance views from the moment a player connects. Disabling distant generation on the server side stops automatic LOD delivery.

Shader Compatibility

OptiFine supports partial LOD rendering with forward-rendered shaders. For Iris, Distant Horizons 2.1.0 or newer is required alongside Iris 1.7 or later, and the shader pack itself must include Distant Horizons support. Packs without dedicated DH support will not render the LOD terrain layer correctly.

Questions about this entry.

  • Which mod loader does Distant Horizons support?

    For Minecraft 1.20.6 and newer, the mod ships as a combined Fabric and NeoForge jar. For 1.20.4 and older, it ships as a combined Fabric and Forge jar.

  • Does it work on multiplayer servers?

    Yes, in two ways. With a client-only install, LODs are saved locally as you explore the world. With the mod installed on the server as well, LODs are automatically synced to every connected player who has it installed. A separate Bukkit plugin handles compatibility with Bukkit-based server software.

  • Does it work with shader packs?

    Partially. OptiFine works with forward-rendered shaders. Iris requires Distant Horizons 2.1.0 or newer paired with Iris 1.7 or later, and the shader pack must include DH support. Packs without it will not render the distant terrain layer correctly.