Minecraft is all about customization and freedom of choice. The sandbox environment lets players do whatever they want, from exploring to building to farming. Similarly, the game's visuals can be tweaked quite a bit for an illusion of greater realism. Mods like texture packs and shader packs have ensured that players can be completely immersed in the game.
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 March 22nd, 2023, by Ben Painter: Minecraft's latest update, 1.20, is nearly upon us. Known as Trials and Tales, this update is going to bring Armor Tints, Camels, Ancient Pots, and many more to the game, and it is set to be one of the best updates in a long while. Something that isn't changing in the update is the classic Minecraft textures, and if players want a refreshing change, then they should look into Texture Packs to give a great new experience in the game. This updated list adds five new beautiful textures that gamers should download and use in their Minecraft worlds.
20 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 as if the world was hand-painted by an artist using watercolors.
19 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 that 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.
18 Classic 3D
- Theme: 3D, vanilla-friendly
- Creator: RyanGar46
3D Minecraft textures are an interesting concept that 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.
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.
17 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.
16 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.
15 Jicklus
- Theme: Vanilla-friendly, rustic
- Creator: Jicklus
The Jicklus texture pack brings an indescribably charming cuteness to 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.
14 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.
13 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.
12 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.
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 have known since its 2011 release, just with better-quality textures.
11 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.
10 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.
9 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.
8 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 too drastic. It perfectly falls somewhere in the middle.
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.
7 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 Minecraft right now.
6 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 of 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.
5 Anemoia
- Theme: Cartoon-like, dreamy
- Creator: Anemoia
This texture pack is just beautiful; Anemoia offers a cartoony, almost dreamlike landscape that looks like it is direct from a scene in Adventure Time. With vibrant colors on show, this is a nice change of pace from regular Minecraft.
Optifine is required for this one, but it is simple enough to install, and it is well worth it to experience this texture pack. The grass is a nice lime green which makes the whole world pop, and gamers should relish this opportunity to build some amazing structures using this texture pack.
4 Epic Adventures
- Theme: Realistic, photographic
- Creator: t0by1o9tt
If gamers are looking for a realistic texture back that will make them feel like they are traversing through real desserts, forests, and tundras, then Epic Adventures should be the texture pack to download as it is one of the best textures.
The leaves in this one are simply stunning; moving away from the blocky style of vanilla Minecraft, these leaves look like they are from a regular tree. Epic Adventures is the perfect name for this one as that is what is in store as the players look through what has been changed in this one.
3 Bloom
- Theme: Retro, bright
- Creator: rose_bushes_
If a medieval-style, retro look is what gamers are looking for, then Bloom is perfect; fans of Runescape will love this one, as the style of the popular MMORPG appears to be a big influence of Bloom.
This is simply stunning with an almost Terraria feel to it as well; the bright and vibrant colors are not something normally expected of a medieval-style texture back. This is a nice change to the norm, and it absolutely works with this one.
2 RetroNES
- Theme: Retro, 8-bit
- Creator: puffcap, befarrar
This texture pack is so unique, but in all the best ways, taking inspiration from the Nintendo NES, using 8-bit textures to turn blocks into something that looks like a retro game from the era of NES.
With cell shading around the edges of blocks, it really does look like gamers have traveled in time and playing a game from the 80s. The best feature of this texture pack is the paintings have been replaced with classic gaming characters from the era, such as Mario, Link, and Samus. If this style is what gamers are looking for, then download this one and have one of the best texture packs in Minecraft.
1 Jolicraft
- Theme: Slightly cartoony, slightly medieval
- Creator: andrethejolicoeur
Jolicraft offers the perfect blend of cartoon-like but also realistic, with higher quality textures but also a vibrant look to the game. Stone is medieval with such detail, but the grass is bright and vibrant, which is a very nice contrast.
Mobs are transformed to better suit how they look in real life; villagers look like humans in this one, and cows are the classic black-and-white spotted look. With simple but yet beautiful designs, Jolicraft makes use of every block to help create an amazing look, and it is one of the best textures in the game.
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.