Screenshot 1 of 5. Wooden room with a purple wall, a lit lantern on a barrel stack, and a VHS-style timer overlay in VHS Shader.
What VHS Shader works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Iris, OptiFine |
| Minecraft versions | 1.20, 1.20.1 |
VHS Shader turns Java into found footage. It is a vanilla-like shader pack for Iris and OptiFine that wraps the screen in a fisheye lens, scanlines and smudges. Tape sounds come from a companion mod, covered below.
Shader loaders and versions
- Iris and OptiFine: Minecraft 1.20 to 1.20.1.
What the pack changes
The look comes from the RetroArch VHS shader, translated for Iris by Faaaaaaaaaaaaalko. It uses the vanilla shader and is made for potato PCs, so the effect is a retro filter rather than a heavy lighting overhaul.
- A fisheye lens that bends the frame
- Scanlines and smudges across the picture
- Tape sounds such as starting tape, running tape and a clicky noise, supplied by the dependency mod
Sound and installation
The tape sounds do not come from the shader zip. They need a separate mod, VHS Shader Dependency, and Iris must be installed for it. Put the pack's .zip in the shaderpacks folder, then pick it under Video Settings > Shader Packs. The steps are covered in how to install shaders.
Trade-offs
The pack is Java only, so Bedrock players cannot use it. The project links no source code and lists no licence, so there is little to check beyond the CurseForge page itself.
Questions about VHS Shader.
3 questions
How do I get the tape sounds in VHS Shader?
The sounds come from a separate mod called VHS Shader Dependency, not from the shader zip. Install that mod alongside Iris, then enable the shader in the shader menu. The sounds include a starting tape, a running tape and a clicky noise.
Does VHS Shader work on Bedrock?
No. VHS Shader is a Java shader pack for Iris and OptiFine, and both are Java mods that Bedrock cannot run. Bedrock uses a different pack format, so this zip will not load there.
Is VHS Shader light on hardware?
The pack is made for potato PCs and builds on the vanilla shader. No benchmark figures are given, so actual frame rates depend on your machine and on what else is running.
