Photon Shaders
ShaderA gameplay-focused shader pack with a semi-realistic style.
Why gradeA
How grades workStrengths
Points lost
- Releases replaced within 3 days to fix a problem−4 points
- Many modpacks removed it−2 points
All 10 criteria
Maintenance
Full points27 / 27Last releaseHow long ago the newest file came out, or an existing file was marked as working on a new Minecraft version.5 days ago (19 Oct 2026) 12 / 12Supports popular versionsWhether the project has a file for a Minecraft version that 15% or more of the popular mods updated in the last 6 months also support. A version many modpacks use, like 1.20.1 or 1.21.1, also counts after a release in the last 12 months.26.3 (latest) 9 / 9Regular releasesIn how many of the last 24 months a new file came out. Full points at 3 months.Releases in 5 of the last 24 months 6 / 6Stability
6 points lost11 / 17Removed from modpacksHow many modpacks removed it in a later version of the pack. We can only see this in modpacks with two or more versions. A pack that swaps it for another edition of the same project, or that is rebuilt from scratch, does not count.75 of the 330 modpacks with two or more versions removed it in a later one (23%) See the 75 modpacks3 / 5Quick fixesHow often a release needed a quick fix: a new release within 3 days to fix a problem in it.2 of its 8 releases in 2 years needed a quick fix (25%) See the 2 releases3 / 7Known conflictsHow many projects say they do not work with it, compared with how widely it is used. Packs, small projects, forks, ports, add-ons, alternatives and old versions do not count.None 5 / 5Transparency
Full points3 / 3Source codeWhether the project page links to its source code, so anyone can read what it does.Does not apply. A shader's files can be read in the download.Place to report problemsWhether the project page links to a place where players can report problems: an issue tracker or a Discord server.GitHub issues · sixthsurge/photon 3 / 3Popularity
Full points4 / 4DownloadsDownloads on Modrinth and CurseForge. Full points from 5 million.38,925,455 4 / 4Track record
Full points8 / 8AgeHow long the project has existed. It counts less when no new file came out recently.2.5 years, 9 releases 8 / 8
53.4 of the 59 points that apply = 91 out of 100. The points above are rounded to whole numbers.
Images
About
Photon Shaders is a gameplay-focused Minecraft shader pack with a semi-realistic look, designed to reshape the game’s atmosphere while remaining customizable for play. It overhauls the sky, lighting, and water, with layered cloud types, biome-influenced weather, fog, and cloud effects that respond to changing conditions. Weather can bring rainbows, lightning that illuminates the sky, and crepuscular rays through clouds, while also affecting fog and waving plants. Lighting and image effects include voxel-based colored lights, screen-space reflections, volumetric fog, soft variable-size shadows, detailed ambient occlusion, bloom, depth of field, and motion blur. The pack also offers anti-aliasing and sharpening options, plus optional temporal upscaling intended to help lower-end devices. Its settings menu supports extensive customization, and it supports labPBR resource packs for material detail. Photon supports Iris and OptiFine, with colored lighting requiring Iris, and offers special support for Distant Horizons and Voxy.
Written from Modrinth and the GitHub README . How we write it
In-game changes
Changes how the game looks: 95 shader programs, for the Overworld, the Nether and the End. Draws its own shadows, water, sky, clouds and weather.
Settings in 9 languages. Has programs for Distant Horizons and Voxy.
Often used with it
See all 30Details
- Creator
- sixthsurge
- License
- LicenseRef-
- Downloads
- 38.9M
- Created
- 8 Apr 2024
- Official pages
- Modrinth , CurseForge
- Links
- Source code , Issues , Discord
Security
No harmful code found
We checked what is inside its files, without opening them in the game.
Why we show this: a shader cannot run programs, but its file can hide one. Our checks look for known signs of harm. They cannot prove that a file is harmless. In the grade: malware means no grade.
How we checked
- FilesWe download the files from Modrinth or CurseForge and look at what is inside them and what their code can do, without running them. Fixed rules tell what is harmful.1 latest file, for a recent version. Recent versions: those released in the last 2 years, plus 1.20.1 and 1.21.1, among the most played in modpacks. See each file in Releases
- Author on ModrinthThe disclosure form on Modrinth, where the author declares that the project reads or edits things on your system outside the game. Since 13 Aug 2026, Modrinth's rules require it when this applies.Nothing declared about your system outside the game.
Privacy
Sends nothing
A shader has no code that can connect to the internet, so it cannot send anything about you.
AI
No sign that AI was used to make it
We looked for AI tools in its texts, files, images and code history and found none.
Why we show this: some players and servers avoid projects made with AI. Not in the grade: using AI does not tell whether a project works well or is kept up to date.
How we checked
- Author on ModrinthThe disclosure form on Modrinth. Since 13 Aug 2026, Modrinth's rules require it when a substantial part of the code is AI output, when an asset is mainly AI output, or when the project or its page relies on generative AI.No AI content declared.
- Code historyThe public code on GitHub: who made each change, credit lines such as "Co-authored-by", and its files.Nothing found
- Description and changelogsThe description, project page and newest changelogs: sentences saying an AI tool was used, and text pasted from an AI chat.Nothing found10 of 15 changelogs read
- Its filesFiles that AI coding tools leave behind (like AGENTS.md), and the texts inside the files you download.Nothing found
- Images in its filesHidden data in the images of the files you download, where AI image tools write their name and settings.Nothing found2 images read
Compatibility
See all 9 filesPoint at or tap a version to see it.
Related projects
Projects that need Photon Shaders to work.
Modpacks using this project
| Oct 2024 | 37 |
|---|---|
| Nov 2024 | 40 |
| Dec 2024 | 59 |
| Jan 2025 | 68 |
| Feb 2025 | 52 |
| Mar 2025 | 88 |
| Apr 2025 | 80 |
| May 2025 | 102 |
| Jun 2025 | 90 |
| Jul 2025 | 128 |
| Aug 2025 | 216 |
| Sep 2025 | 241 |
| Oct 2025 | 277 |
| Nov 2025 | 327 |
| Dec 2025 | 356 |
| Jan 2026 | 353 |
| Feb 2026 | 321 |
| Mar 2026 | 349 |
| Apr 2026 | 463 |
| May 2026 | 621 |
| Jun 2026 | 713 |
| Jul 2026 | 762 |
| Aug 2026 | 685 |
| Sep 2026 | 612 |
More modpacks put it in their new versions than a year ago: 643 a month now, 143 a year agoThe average of the last 6 months, compared with the same 6 months a year before. We say it only when the change is large..
4,508 modpacks include Photon Shaders in at least one of their versions. Here are the 30 most downloaded.
Prominence™ II: Hasturian Era15.4M downloadslast version with it 10 May 2026
DeceasedCraft - Urban Zombie Apocalypse9.8M downloadslast version with it 17 Jul 2026
Immersed With Shaders4.5M downloadslast version with it 19 Oct 2026
BattleArmory TACZ3.8M downloadslast version with it 15 Aug 2026
Fresh & Smooth1.9M downloadslast version with it 16 Oct 2026
Aged1.5M downloadslast version with it 1 Dec 2024
红石生电优化【Redstone Survival Optimization】1.3M downloadslast version with it 20 Oct 2026
Keo Optimized852K downloadslast version with it 17 Sep 2026
Create Ultimate Selection 2 - Create Aeronautics | Create Addons & Aeronautics Addons851K downloadslast version with it 18 Oct 2026
Breakneck: Optimized751K downloadslast version with it 8 Oct 2026Often in the same modpacks
Mods that modpacks often add together with Photon Shaders. Share: how many of the modpacks with Photon Shaders also have that mod.
Complementary Shaders - UnboundAShaderin 63% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
LithiumAModin 57% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
BSL ShadersAShaderin 52% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
Bliss ShadersAShaderin 51% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
Fresh AnimationsAResource packin 51% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
FerriteCoreAModin 49% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
Solas ShaderAShaderin 49% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
Dynamic FPSAModin 45% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
Mod MenuAModin 45% of the modpacks with Photon Shaders
Sodium ExtraAModin 42% of the modpacks with Photon ShadersLatest files
The newest file for each Minecraft version and loader. The files for recent versions come first. Recent versions: those released in the last 2 years, plus 1.20.1 and 1.21.1, among the most played in modpacks.
9 releases
Quick fixes
In the last 2 years, 2 releases needed a quick fix: a new release within 3 days to fix a problem. This lowers the grade by 4 points.
See them, newest first
Quick fixesReleases followed within 3 days by a new release that fixes a problem in them.2
- v1.3bFix a mistake in the previous fix that was causing incorrect…
- v1.3aThis is a tiny hotfix update which removes the "Use Separate Entity Draws"…