What Polytone works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Fabric, NeoForge |
| Minecraft versions | 1.18.2, 1.19.2, 1.20.1, 1.20.4, 1.21.1, 1.21.8, 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2 |
| Environment | Client |
Polytone is a client-side Fabric and NeoForge mod (Forge support ended in 2024) that gives Minecraft Java resource packs a JSON format for customizing things vanilla and the old OptiFine color.properties system never covered: fog and sky color per biome, water color, ambient biome particles, biome sounds and music, block sounds, dye colors, map colors, and colormaps. It adds nothing to the game by itself. A resource pack has to ship Polytone's JSON files before anything changes.
What Polytone changes in Minecraft
Polytone reads JSON files a resource pack places under its own namespace, not a data pack. Biome effect modifiers set a biome's fog color, water fog color, sky color, foliage and grass color overrides, ambient particles, and ambient or mood sounds and music. Dimension effects modifiers do the same with a colormap so a whole dimension can shift together. On top of that, Polytone still offers the old Optifine color.properties compatibility, plus custom colormaps, block sounds, dye colors, and particle tweaks, so older packs built for OptiFine keep working while newer packs get more control.
Why some packs need Polytone under Sodium
Sodium replaces Minecraft's renderer and drops part of the pack-loading path that OptiFine-format visual customization relies on. A pack that uses Polytone's biome or dimension effects, or the legacy color.properties format, can sit in your resource pack list on Sodium and do nothing, because Polytone is not there to apply it. Installing Polytone alongside Sodium restores that loading path, which is why a pack's sky, fog, and ambience can look flat one moment and correct the next, depending only on whether Polytone is in the mods folder. Fullbright UB is one published example: its own page points Sodium users at Polytone for exactly this reason.
Loaders and Minecraft version support
- Fabric: release builds reach 1.21.11 and 26.1.2 (August 27, 2026); a 26.2 build is out in beta.
- NeoForge: tracks Fabric closely, also at 26.1.2 release and a 26.2 beta.
- Forge: stopped at 1.20.4 in January 2024. MehVahdJukaar moved Forge users to NeoForge and has not published a newer Forge build since.
- Older Fabric builds listed Fabric API as a required dependency on Modrinth; the current 26.x Fabric and NeoForge builds declare no separate required dependency.
Installing Polytone
- 1.Install Fabric Loader or NeoForge for your Minecraft version first.
- 2.Download the Polytone build that matches your loader and version from Modrinth.
- 3.Drop the jar into your mods folder and launch the game.
- 4.Add a resource pack that ships Polytone's biome, colormap, or color.properties files to see any visible change; Polytone by itself changes nothing.
Questions about Polytone.
5 questions
What does Polytone do in Minecraft?
Polytone is a client-side mod that gives Minecraft Java resource packs a way to customize fog and sky color per biome, water color, ambient particles, biome sounds and music, block sounds, dye colors, and colormaps. It also keeps the old OptiFine color.properties format working. It changes nothing on its own; a resource pack has to use its JSON format for any of that to show up in-game.
Why do sky, fog, and biome colors look different with Polytone installed?
Sodium's renderer drops part of the pack-loading path that OptiFine-format visual features depend on. A resource pack using Polytone's biome or dimension effects can sit in your list on Sodium and render nothing without it. Installing Polytone restores that loading path, so the same pack's sky, fog, and ambient colors appear once Polytone is in your mods folder.
Does Polytone work with Sodium?
Yes, and that is the main reason people install it. Sodium replaces Minecraft's renderer and does not natively load OptiFine-format resource pack features on its own. Polytone restores that support, so packs built around its JSON format, or the older color.properties system, work under Sodium the way they do on vanilla or OptiFine.
Which Minecraft versions and loaders does Polytone support?
Fabric and NeoForge are current, with release builds at 1.21.11 and 26.1.2 and a 26.2 build already in beta. Forge stopped receiving updates at 1.20.4 in January 2024. Older releases go back to 1.18.2, so match the build to your exact Minecraft version and loader on the Modrinth downloads page.
Is Polytone still supported on Forge?
No, not with new features. Forge's last Polytone release was 1.20.4 in January 2024, and the creator has since published only Fabric and NeoForge builds. Forge players are stuck on that older version, so switching to NeoForge is the only way to get current Polytone updates on a Forge-style modpack.
