Screenshot 1 of 1. MinecraftHub-generated cover art for Subsurface: a floating grassy block island with a workshop of crafting tables and furnaces and a chest, under a night sky
What Subsurface works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt |
| Minecraft versions | 1.20, 1.20.6, 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2 |
| Environment | Client, Server |
Subsurface adds 11 cave biomes to the overworld and nether. It ships as a mod for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt and as a plain datapack, so the subsurface datapack route is covered as well. It is required on the server and optional on the client.
Loaders and versions
- Fabric, Forge and Quilt: Minecraft 1.20 to 26.2. The newest build needs no dependencies.
- NeoForge: Minecraft 1.21 to 26.2. The newest build needs no dependencies.
What the cave biomes add
Each biome generates under a matching surface biome and can also appear inside vanilla cave biomes, producing hybrids. The creator says it works with almost all other datapacks and mods.
- Icicle caves sit under snowy non-mountain biomes, with icicles, ice patches and frozen aquifers.
- Sand caves sit under deserts, with sand and sandstone patches. Some sand floats.
- Swamp caves sit under swamps and mangrove swamps, with mushrooms, vines, and patches of clay, mud, water and dripleaf. Their aquifers hold lily pads and seagrass patches.
- Underground forests sit under oak-tree biomes, with grass, mushrooms, vines and oak trees.
- Coral caves sit under warm oceans and exist only in aquifers and water caves.
- Foliage caves sit under jungles, with jungle trees, bamboo and skylights near the surface.
- Fungal caves sit under mushroom islands, with mycelium and hanging mushroom roots.
- Mesa caves sit under mesas, with red sand, coloured terracotta and terracotta plateaus.
- Underground taigas sit under spruce-tree biomes, with sweet berries, pumpkins and mossy cobblestone rocks.
- Soul canyons fill nether wastes and soul sand valleys with soul fire and giant nether warts.
- Quartz canyons fill crimson and warped forests with giant quartz crystals.
Installing the mod or the datapack
- 1.Mod route: install your loader first (see how to install Fabric), then put the mod file in the mods folder.
- 2.Launch the world and explore under the surface biomes listed above.
The trade-off is scope. Subsurface is about cave biomes, and some carry hazards: torches can melt icicle cave ice and wash away, and floating sand in sand caves can cause cave-ins.
Questions about Subsurface.
4 questions
How do I install Subsurface as a datapack?
Use the plain datapack release on Modrinth. Pick the plain 1.0.5 release rather than the +mod files. Its newest release requires no other files. Once it is active, the biomes can generate under matching surface biomes, including inside vanilla cave biomes as hybrids.
Does Subsurface work with other cave mods and datapacks?
The creator says it is compatible with almost all other datapacks and mods. Its biomes can generate inside vanilla cave biomes to form hybrids. The creator also points to Better Lush Caves as a companion project.
Does Subsurface need to be installed on the server?
Yes, for the mod files. Subsurface is required on the server and optional on the client, so players can join a server running it without adding anything on their own machines. Server owners should install the mod there before inviting players, since a world without it will not generate the cave biomes.
Does Subsurface work on Bedrock?
No. Subsurface is Java Edition only. The mod files need Fabric, Forge, NeoForge or Quilt, and Bedrock cannot load mods. Bedrock uses a different format from the Java content Modrinth hosts. Java players can choose the loader mod or the plain datapack release instead.
