HP TECH TAKES /...
Exploring today's technology for tomorrow's possibilities
Subscribe
Best Minecraft Texture Packs for 2023
Brittany Vincent
|
August 21, 2023
Minecraft is an exciting sandbox game that has a little something for everyone. While it comes with a variety of content for all types of players, there are many ways to customize it just for you. From installing mods that offer additional functionality to total conversions, Minecraft lets you make the game your own.
Best of all, these changes are easy to implement. In fact, one simple way to change the game up without much effort is by installing Minecraft texture packs (also referred to as Minecraft resource packs).
What are Minecraft texture packs?
These special files allow you to change the game’s textures. That includes mobs, blocks, items, and environments. They don't change the functionality of these items, but they do make things look different. They're an aesthetic change that lets you see how Minecraft may look with more realistic textures or with those from another video game like Kingdom Hearts.
There are plenty of cool Minecraft texture packs to choose from, but we picked 10 of the best for you to test out. But before we get to our list, let’s take a look at how you install these texture packs for Minecraft on your PC.
How to install Minecraft texture packs
Installing a Minecraft texture pack is a pretty painless process if you're running a PC version of Minecraft, either Windows 10 or Java. From there, choose the texture pack you want to see in the game. Most of them are ZIP files, which include everything you need to get started.
After you download your texture pack, open Minecraft and follow these steps:
- Go to Options and select Texture Packs.
- Select the Open Texture Pack Folder, which opens the folder on your computer.
- Scroll through the selection of packs, choose the one you want to use, and then click "Done."
- Minecraft should update itself with the texture pack applied. If not, exit the game, restart, and go back to the texture packs screen to apply your selection again. It's possible you may need to restart your computer if the texture pack repeatedly fails to apply.
1. Faithful Minecraft texture pack
The Faithful Minecraft texture pack is meant to refine the look and feel of the game's default textures for blocks and environments. It does this by adding details to every possible nook and cranny, improving the resolution of the blocks, equipment, mobs, and even the environment itself. Its name is a reference to keeping things "faithful" to the game’s original vision. Essentially, it's vanilla Minecraft, only better.
2. Eternal Hearts Minecraft texture pack
Kingdom Hearts is a beloved series of role-playing games that combine the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy to create a fantastical, complex world of adventure. It's a fan-favorite world that attracts Minecraft players of all stripes, and this pack is perfect for the game. With Eternal Hearts, you can bring the world of Kingdom Hearts to Minecraft with a variety of different blocks culled from that bright and colorful world. The texture pack is semi-realistic, and it comes with subtle nods to the popular series.
3. Conquest Minecraft texture pack
Conquest is a texture pack inspired by the medieval ages. It takes creative liberties with some of the items already within the game and adds a fun new layer of polish. Many of the Conquest textures will make things look dirty or worn out, even if they are newer, recently-crafted items. This pack is a good way to make sure you get use out of more rickety, old-looking items in your kit, and it can help you role-play in a different timeline.
4. Devorian Steampunk Minecraft texture pack
The Devorian Steampunk texture pack replaces all of the existing textures with new, slick "steampunk" textures. The textures are 64x resolution, which makes them easy on the eyes, with some of the revamped looks including acacia leaves and cobblestone. The creators of this pack are constantly adding new blocks, too, so if you want to emulate the steampunk trend, this is a great way to do it.
5. Bare Bones Minecraft texture pack
If ain’t broke, don't fix it. That mantra holds true for Minecraft's in-game textures, and is the idea behind the Bare Bones texture pack. This set improves what already exists in Minecraft, which gives everything a subdued, yet high-quality, look. Bare Bones enhances the game’s natural appeal while bringing out some of the details that you may not always appreciate.
6. Retro NES Minecraft texture pack
Sometimes, you just need a blast from the past. The Retro NES pack provides exactly that by transforming parts of Minecraft using classic 8-bit gaming. That means thick, colorful borders, as well as more rudimentary palettes. Think games from the NES in the late '80s and you’ll get what we mean. The lower resolution should also make it easier for more players to employ the textures because they don't require the same PC resources as some others on our list.
7. Dokucraft Minecraft texture pack
Add a bit of high fantasy to your life with Dokucraft. If you're a fan of mythical times, medieval design, and everything fantastical, Dokucraft is the texture pack for you. It comes in three versions, with varying lighting effects and a series of changes for existing blocks and items. Tools get new textures, too, including compasses, tridents, scissors, and shields. When you use this texture pack, you can craft some truly medieval fantasy worlds.
8. Realistico Minecraft texture pack
Many of the existing Minecraft texture packs are all about giving you cooler-looking textures and items to play with. When you load Realistico, you’ll get something a bit different. It’s the most realistic Minecraft texture pack on our list, and features physically-based rendering and parallax occlusion mapping to make the game look as much like the real world as possible. You may be shocked to see exactly how much it changes Minecraft.
9. Jolicraft Minecraft texture pack
Jolicraft is more than a makeover for the various blocks and textures in Minecraft. It's a cache of custom content that includes an updated graphical user interface (GUI), additional animations, new block and item textures, and fun extras that make the game more "charming" all around. This includes a way to swap between regular and zombie villagers, new blocks like granite, and it even changes some of the more complex biomes to give them a new look. It's a whimsical, simple set of changes, and it's well worth trying out to see how different your Minecraft world can become.
10. Smooth Blocks Minecraft texture pack
The Smooth Blocks texture pack has a bit of a misleading name. It doesn't exactly smooth things out, but it does give the game a more realistic look. Smooth Blocks is also bursting with bright colors, attractive designs, and plenty of fun discoveries to happen upon while exploring the world. Plus, it's extremely efficient and runs at a resolution that shouldn't be demanding on your PC, making it a great choice for beginners who want to try their hand at texture packs.
Summary
The best Minecraft resource packs are a simple way to add a fun twist to the popular sandbox building game. They’re quick and easy to implement, and there are hundreds of different packs to choose from. If you don't see a resource pack that fits the epic adventures you want to have in-game out, here’s the best part: you can make your own.
Whether you prefer realistic texture packs or you just want a few different, fun additions to spruce things up, there's an option out there for every gamer to change things up in Minecraft.
