Summary

It can be a bit tricky to pin down or imagine what’s included in aMinecraft"nature" mod and what isn’t; to be clear, all mods mentioned relate to at least one characteristic of the natural world, such as wildlife, terrain or geography, naturally occurring resources, plants, and so on.

It’s important to note, however, that although most of these mods attempt to move the game closer to nature as we know it in real life, Minecraft effectively has its own laws of nature, such as floating, unsupported blocks. Thus, it’s important to keep the semantics of what is “natural” somewhat flexible when comparing video games to real-world phenomena.

A darl cave full of dark cobblestone and patches of ice, partially lit by torches.

All mods mentioned are, at minimum, compatible with Minecraft Java edition version 1.20. Keep in mind, however, that some mods may only be compatible with a single mod framework, like Forge or Fabric.

8Nature Arise

Nature Arise was developed to fill natural environments with more variety and functionality, which is achieved through new biomes to explore, more items, blocks, and foods to discover, unique armors to craft and equip, and more.

While this mod adds quite a bit of content, the changes and additions to the world generation and biomes alone are substantive enough to warrant giving it a try. Otherwise, if you’re okay with both new natural resources, and harvesting them for your gain, then this mod will likely be a perfect fit for you.

A split image of bright green and red, crystalline ore veins underground.

7GeOre

Taking inspiration from vanilla Minecraft’s Amethyst veins that occur naturally underground, GeOre generates other spherical, crystalline structures based on various ores, like coal, Redstone, diamond, or emerald, all of which can be harvested to your heart’s content if you’re patient enough.

If anything, aside from making caving and spelunking more interesting, this mod is a good, albeit simpler alternative to more popular renewable resource mods, like Mystical Agriculture, which despite having immense potential, can make mining ore practically obsolete in the mid to late game.

A particularly big and tall oak tree, standing taller than every other tree in a forest.

6Enhanced Nature

From fresh and novel additions like new tree types, or clay, cobblestone, and Deepslate veins, to more hazardous and travel-impeding implementations, like mud, quicksand, and Silverfish stone veins, Enhanced Nature is a quick and easy way to make your Minecraft world feel more dynamic.

With all that extra wood, clay, and other resources, you might want tobrush up on your interior design skills, since potted flowers, cacti, other plants, andvarious block combinationsare integral aspects that help make your builds go from good to great.

Two tan rattlesnakes seen on orange sand in a desert environment.

5Alex’s Mobs

If someone hopped in your Discord server and asked if you wanted to flood your Minecraft world with 89 new mobs, most of which are real-world animals like bears, elephants, tigers, gorillas, and more, and your gut response is to answer yes, then look no further than Alex’s Mobs.

Aside from unique drops and craftable items associated with most of the mobs added, you’ll also get access to an in-game animal dictionary that provides information about each creature’s behaviors, their native biomes, helpful insights, and more.

A strpng, rushing stream of water seen eroding the dirt and environment around it.

4Water Erosion

If there’s anything innately evident in our natural world, it’s entropy; over time, things naturally start to break down, and one of the forces that accelerates this process is the friction caused by moving water: erosion. From there, all you have to do is wait, and suddenly rocks have turned to sand, and the terrain has altered topography.

If you’d like to bring water-induced erosion into your game, this mod will happily make you think twice about plopping down a water source block and letting it flow down a mountain. Seriously, Water Erosion only needs 20 to 30 real-world minutes to create significant changes in your blocky surroundings.

Multiple, medium sized seals with white fur are seen on a frozen lake during a blizzard.

3Creatures From The Snow

From fuzzy, cold-climate creatures we all know and love, like penguins, reindeer, snow leopards, and beluga whales, to more fantastical mobs, like yetis, snow wyrms, frost trovers, and Snikerboshes, this mod makesMinecraft’s frigid biomesfeel fresh and exciting again.

Aside from mobs, though, Creatures From The Snow also adds in new blocks, like snow bricks and snow giraffe fur blocks, as well as new items, naturally generating structures, and two unique enchantments to keep your brain entertained for a bit longer than you’re used to.

Minecraft Rainy weather at night in a forest

2AmbientSounds 5

When you think of nature and how it relates to yourself, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? For some, it might be walking on a nature trail, or for others, it might be feeling the sun on your skin at a beach or local park. There is, however, another vital component to nature: sound.

Whether it’s the wind blowing through your hair and past your ears, the chirping of crickets in tall grass during the afternoons and evenings, or the chirping of birds in forests and wooded areas, this mod’s ambient sounds will enhance your immersion.

An underwater creature that somewhat resembles a squid is seen with a horrifyingly toothy mouth.

1Lost Features

This isn’t an attempt to sound like Thomas Aquinas and his philosophy on what should be considered natural and unnatural, but what could truly be more natural than that which was originally intended for the game by its own, almighty designers and creators?

Well, you don’t have to look at it that way if you don’t want to, and of course,these features were excluded based on community votes, but you have to admit it’d at least be interesting to see how the game plays with all these new mobs, flora, and other implementations.