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When it comes to texture packs, in particular, there are hundreds and thousands of them out there. For Bedrock players, the marketplace is the best way to find new ones. Java players, however, are free to download from just about anywhere. For those looking for some of the most beloved texture packs out there, here are the top Minecraft texture packs for 1.17.
Updated on January 10, 2022, by Anastasia Maillot: Now that 1.18 has been out for some time, a lot of texture packs have been updated to the new version and are ready for use. The new world generation, paired with shaders and good textures can really make a difference for players who might get bored with how the game looks in default mode. Texture pack creators also haven’t been slacking, as there’s a ton on the market, new and old, which continue to rank as some of the best Minecraft texture packs out there, for 1.18.
15 Prime’s HD Textures
Theme: Cartoon-like, smooth Creator: Prime_Mods
A lot of adventure-friendly texture packs are very detailed and gritty, which can give them a slightly muddy look from afar. That’s not the case with Prime’s HD Textures, which really makes colors pop in a Minecraft world while having that charming cartoon-like smoothness and vibrancy.
While most blocks are easy to recognize, they now have a slightly cleaner and softer, smooth appearance. It’s almost like looking at Minecraft is the world was hand-painted by an artist using watercolors.
14 Mythic
Theme: Medieval-fantasy, detailed, pixel art Creator: FishyMintTextures
As the name implies, Mythic is a texture pack that turns Minecraft into a mythical world of medieval fantasy adventure. There’s no shortage of amazing details, which completely change the look and feel of the game.
Mythic’s mobs look absolutely incredible with brand-new terrifying appearances, but the most impressive part has to be the item icons, which are extremely high quality and gorgeous pixel art. The latter is actually the main theme behind the overall style of the texture pack.
13 Classic 3D
Theme: 3D, vanilla-friendly Creator: RyanGar46
3D Minecraft textures are an interesting concept, which has been explored quite a bit. Some of the best 3D texture packs in Minecraft, however, require very beefy computers due to the sheer amount of detail. Plus, a lot of these texture packs are hyper-realistic on top of being 3D.
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This Classic 3D texture pack is a bit more doable for the common player. The textures are very much vanilla and recognizable, with the exception of the brand-new 3D details that truly bring the whole world of Minecraft alive. It’s worth trying for those who have always been curious about 3D textures.
12 Lithos 32x
Theme: Vanilla-friendly, detailed mobs Creator: Eleazzaar
With the trend of vanilla-friendly texture packs still rising, Lithos 32x is one of the top Minecraft texture packs out there. Every block will still have a very recognizable appearance, making it great for players who don’t like to see massive or drastic differences in their Minecraft worlds.
However, the details added to blocks, items, and mobs really elevate this texture pack above many others. It perfects the vanilla experience for players who enjoy having cleaner and more high-definition textures. The mobs are perhaps the greatest feature in this texture pack, with some incredible changes to how some of them look.
11 Bare Bones
Theme: Simple, minimalist Creator: Robotpant
Despite the abundance of shaders, HD texture packs, and heavy-duty mods out there, a lot of players might still struggle running this content on their Minecraft. For low-end PCs, one of the best texture packs in Minecraft is Bare Bones, which smooths everything out nicely.
It has a very simple and minimalistic appearance, which cartoon-like textures. There’s little to no depth to the blocks, but it creates a very unique aesthetic that makes the game feel more vibrant and cheerful. Bare Bones actually looks a lot like the style of textures seen in official Minecraft artwork.
10 Jicklus
Theme: Vanilla-friendly, rustic Creator: Jicklus
The Jicklus texture pack brings in an indescribably charming cuteness into Minecraft. It might not be a full-pink texture pack, but there’s something adorable about its rustic, slightly medieval-style textures that make it ideal for players who enjoy building small homes and cute cottages in the game.
Though there are visible changes in block textures, most of them are just perfectly subtle but different enough to keep things interesting. It’s a great Minecraft texture pack for beginners who want to try something new but don’t want to completely change how their game appears.
9 Sapixcraft
Theme: Cartoon-like, playful, comic book Creator: Sapix
Given how simplistic and vibrant Minecraft is, it’s almost begging for a more cartoonish texture pack. That’s exactly what Sapixcraft is all about. It’s full of rich colors, simple and clean textures, and a playful artistic style that might remind players of light-hearted RPG games.
One of the major highlights of the texture pack is how it treats tree leaves. Each leaf is now clearly drawn in leaf blocks, which makes them look absolutely stunning. Just because the texture pack is playful and artsy, doesn’t mean it’s skimping on details.
8 Dokucraft
Theme: Medieval fantasy, RPG Creator: Doku
Dokucraft is one of the oldest and most popular texture packs in the Minecraft community, and for good reason. It’s a gorgeous, medieval fantasy-style texture pack that’s perfect for RPG adventure maps or multiplayer servers. In many ways, it resembles the famous John Smith texture pack.
Dokucraft is a bit more inspired by roguelike games and comes in three different types: light, dark and high. Depending on the player’s color scheme and saturation preferences, they can choose between the different types. The colors are pretty washed out and bleak, perfect for a harsh RPG adventure game and for building ornate medieval castles.
Note: Only Dokucraft Light is available for 1.18 as of January 2022.
7 Faithful x32
Theme: Default-friendly Creator: The Faithful Team
A lot of players actually like how Minecraft looks as it is, and so they prefer texture packs that remain faithful to the original colors and style of the game. That’s probably how Faithful received its name as a texture pack, given how it remains loyal to Minecraft’s original style and improves upon it.
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The difference isn’t easy to tell with a quick glance, but the texture pack does clean up a lot of the textures of the game and makes them more detailed and high resolution. It’s the same game players know since its 2011 release, just with better quality textures.
6 Sphax PureBDCraft
Theme: Artsy, comic book, playful, cartoon-like Creator: Sphax
While there’s nothing wrong with Minecraft’s default look, it could use a bit more cartoon to it. Sphax’s PureBDCraft combines art and environment to create just that. While a lot of the blocks and mobs look different, they’re still very recognizable, which is the strength of this texture pack.
It’s a great choice for players who love a cartoonish, playful, and colorful art style with a wholesome look. The color scheme still remains very true to Minecraft, but the textures are way cleaner and of higher quality, making them appear less messy and more like pages out of a comic book.
5 XRay Ultimate
Theme: Utility, non-cosmetic Creator: Filmjolk
A list of popular texture packs wouldn’t be complete without mentioning to controversial XRay Ultimate resource pack. However, the download numbers speak for themselves. Countless players have chosen this texture pack, which essentially allows them to see through walls and detect precious ores like diamonds with ease.
It goes without saying that XRay Ultimate is cheating. However, what players do in their single-player worlds or among friends isn’t important. It becomes problematic when players use this texture pack on survival multiplayer servers, where fairness and equality of resources are important due to the high number of players.
4 John Smith Legacy
Theme : Medieval fantasy, slightly realistic Creator : JimStoneCraft Image: FilaIPL
Minecraft’s RPG features, such as enchanting, exploring the world, and combat really favor all sorts of medieval cosmetic overhauls. That’s probably why John Smith is one of the best texture packs for Minecraft. It’s one of the most downloaded medieval fantasy texture packs in the game, perfect for adventure maps and RPG servers.
John Smith might not have vibrant colors. In fact, it’s quite washed out and bleak, but it turns Minecraft into a medieval fantasy world in a blink of an eye. Many of the blocks look completely different from their original style, so players who love radical change and the medieval-style building will definitely appreciate this texture pack.
3 Compliance 64x
Theme : Default-friendly Creator : Compliance Team
For lovers of a more default-friendly look, Compliance 64x is another great choice. It’s also available on Bedrock. The thing about Compliance is that it stays true to Minecraft’s original style, without being too light or unnoticeable, or being too drastic. It perfectly falls somewhere in the middle.
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What makes Compliance unique, however, is that it’s a texture pack made by multiple people. In fact, a community of artists is behind the creation of Compliance. As for the style itself, it cleans up a lot of the textures of the game but brings more detail to the parts that matter and should stick out to the player.
2 Faithless
Theme : Retro RPG Creator : ItsStitchyYT
Indie games have become increasingly popular over the last few years, thanks to their charming art style. This texture pack has the same charm as Stardew Valley or a roguelike RPG game would have thanks to its high quality and adorably detailed retro RPG appearance.
There’s so much that Faithless gets right that appeals to people. It has nostalgia, vibrant colors, and a style that still fits the environment of Minecraft. For players looking for something completely different, yet not too different, Faithless is the number one choice and without a doubt one of the top textures for Minecraftright now.
1 Misa’s Realistic Texture Pack
Theme : Realistic, photographic Creator : Misa
With better technology and shaders, Minecraft modders have really pushed the limits of what the game is capable of. Misa’s texture pack is a great example of it, doing a fantastic job at capturing the materials in Minecraft to a breathtakingly detailed extent.
Combine this texture pack with a shader, and Minecraft looks like a completely new game. Of course, low-end PCs might struggle running something as heavy as this, but the end results definitely make it worth a shot for players who can afford to push their PC’s limits.
Minecraft was released on November 18, 2011, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi, PlayStation Vita, and Apple TV.
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