What Is the Distant Horizons Mod?

In vanilla Minecraft, the maximum render distance caps at 32 chunks (about 512 blocks). Beyond that, the world simply fades to void. The Distant Horizons mod changes this by adding a Level of Detail (LOD) system that renders simplified versions of terrain far beyond the normal limit.

When you explore new areas, DH records the terrain data and generates LOD chunks — low-detail representations that use a fraction of the GPU and CPU resources required for full-detail rendering. These LOD chunks are rendered on background threads, so your main Minecraft performance stays smooth.

Is Distant Horizons Client-Side?

Yes. Distant Horizons is primarily a client-side mod. You can install it on your local machine and join any vanilla or modded server — no server-side installation required. However, there is an optional server-side plugin that can pre-generate LOD data for all players, speeding up initial LOD loading.

Distant Horizons vs Voxy: Key Differences

Both DH and Voxy aim to extend Minecraft's view distance, but they use fundamentally different approaches. DH uses a traditional LOD system with configurable quality levels, while Voxy uses voxel-based representation. DH supports more Minecraft versions, has broader shader compatibility (20+ tested packs), and works with both Fabric and NeoForge. Voxy is currently Fabric-only with limited shader support.

Which Minecraft Versions Are Supported?

Distant Horizons supports a wide range of Minecraft versions. The latest builds support MC 1.21.11, 1.21.5, 1.21.4, 1.21.1, 1.20.1, 1.20.4, 1.20.6, and 1.18.2. Both Fabric and NeoForge mod loaders are supported on most versions.

Does Distant Horizons Work with Shaders?

Yes! Many popular shader packs have added native Distant Horizons support. Packs like BSL Shaders, Complementary Reimagined, Complementary Unbound, and Bliss Shaders are fully compatible. Some packs like SEUS Renewed have partial support. Check our Shader Compatibility Database for the full list of 20+ tested packs.