What Glimmer Shaders works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Iris |
| Minecraft versions | 1.20, 1.20.1, 1.20.4, 1.20.6, 1.21, 1.21.1, 1.21.4, 1.21.8, 1.21.11 |
Glimmer is a lightweight shaderpack for Iris on Minecraft Java, built by solo developer jbritain to stay performant without giving up a physically based, natural look. It runs LabPBR 1.3 lighting, screen space reflections, and four scalable presets from Potato to Dedicated Graphics, with a built-in Infinite Ocean effect and Distant Horizons support. It is Iris only. OptiFine is not supported, and the OpenGL 4.3 requirement rules out macOS and Raspberry Pi entirely.
Installing Glimmer Shaders with Iris
Glimmer only works with Iris 1.6 or later. OptiFine users need to switch loaders first; the developer's own compatibility notes rule OptiFine out completely. Our how to install Minecraft shaders guide covers the full Iris setup end to end.
- 1.Install Iris 1.6 or later for your Minecraft Java version.
- 2.Download Glimmer from Modrinth.
- 3.Open Options, Video Settings, Shader Packs, and drop the downloaded zip into the shaderpacks folder.
- 4.Select Glimmer from the list and apply.
Presets and effects
Four presets, Potato, Toaster, Integrated Graphics, and Dedicated Graphics, cover hardware from an ageing laptop to a full desktop GPU. Every tier keeps LabPBR 1.3 compliance for resource pack material support, shadows drawn from either a shadow map or a lightmap approximation depending on preset, and screen space reflections and refractions. Glimmer also adds procedural 2D clouds, temporal filtering to cut noise at low sample counts, bloom, and the Infinite Ocean effect that extends water out past the normal render distance instead of cutting it off at a hard edge. Players running the ColorWheel mod get direct support for its custom light colors.
Performance and hardware requirements
Glimmer needs OpenGL 4.3 or newer. macOS and Raspberry Pi are not supported at all, regardless of preset. Modrinth lists the pack under its low-impact category, and the Potato and Toaster presets are built to run on integrated graphics; the Dedicated Graphics preset asks noticeably more of the GPU for the same scene. Players who need an even lighter option can compare it against Potato Shaders, which trades Glimmer's reflections and PBR lighting for a simpler fantasy look at a lower cost.
Minecraft version support
The newest build, version 1.5.2 released in February 2026, supports Iris on Minecraft Java through 1.21.11. Glimmer has not been updated for the 26.x year.drop releases yet, so anyone already on 26.1 or 26.2 should expect it to lag behind until a new build ships.
Known issues
Glimmer is developed in the open on GitHub, and a handful of rendering bugs are tracked there as open issues: parallax occlusion mapping can distort non-full blocks and produce an uneven surface, and block outlines do not render correctly in the Nether or the End. None of these break the shader outright, but they are worth knowing before reporting them as new. If shaders stop rendering correctly after an update, our shaders not working troubleshooting guide covers the common causes.
Questions about Glimmer Shaders.
5 questions
What Minecraft version does Glimmer Shaders support?
The latest build, version 1.5.2, supports Iris on Minecraft Java up to 1.21.11. It has not been updated for the newer 26.x year.drop releases, so anything past 1.21.11 is untested and may not render correctly.
Does Glimmer Shaders work with OptiFine?
No. Glimmer only works with Iris 1.6 or later, and the developer's compatibility notes rule out OptiFine entirely. Players still running OptiFine need to switch to Iris before they can install the pack.
Is Glimmer Shaders good for low-end PCs?
It is built around four presets, Potato, Toaster, Integrated Graphics, and Dedicated Graphics, so it scales down for weaker hardware. Modrinth lists it under the low-impact category, though macOS and Raspberry Pi are not supported at all.
Does Glimmer Shaders support Distant Horizons?
Yes. The developer lists Distant Horizons support as a built-in feature, so extended view distances from the Distant Horizons mod render with Glimmer's lighting and reflections instead of falling back to flat terrain.
Is Glimmer Shaders free and open source?
Yes. Glimmer is released under the MIT license and developed openly on GitHub, where jbritain tracks bugs and feature requests in public issues rather than a private tracker.
