Best Minecraft Shaders For 1.18
The best Minecraft shaders in 1.18 can take the iconic look of the sandbox experience, and really diversify it. Whether you are wanting a more ambient take on lighting or you just love realistic looking water, there is a Minecraft shader for you. With that said, let's get into the best Minecraft shaders for the 1.18 update, including where to get them and how to download them.
- Wondering when the Warden is finally going to show up? Check out our Minecraft Warden guide to find out just that.
Best Minecraft Shaders: How To Install A Shader
Once you have the link the best Minecraft shaders, which we'll get to in a bit, you'll need to install the Minecraft 1.18 Optifine mod. This will allow you to apply various shaders to the game. Once you have downloaded the shader pack, put it in the corresponding folder which can be found in the following order:
C:\Users\USER\AppData\Roaming\.minecraft\shaderspack
Once that has been done, boot up Minecraft, and in the Options menu click on Video Settings, and then click the Shaders options. This will allow you to select whichever shader you have installed, and apply it before jumping into your server. If you want to add mods while using shaders, all you have to do is copy Optifine into your mods folder within .minecraft.
Best Minecraft Shaders 1.18: DrDestens McShaders
Click to enlargeThe first in our best Minecraft shaders is actually one to limit the graphical capabilities on PC. Ridding itself of shadows, this shader which was developed by DrDestens, will boost the overall performance of Minecraft, leading to a smoother experience with higher framerates. Unlike most of the best Minecraft shaders, it also offers the potential to run on lower-end PCs, albeit you may lose some of those frame rate boosts. You can find the DrDestens McShaders at this very link.
Best Minecraft Shaders 1.18: BSL Shaders
Click to enlargeNot just one of the best Minecraft shaders but one of the most popular, the BSL Shaders add an incredible bloom to lighting to make it a far more realistic looking experience. Thanks to the improvements to water, shadows, lighting, the skybox and more you'll be able to revel in your creations as the sun makes them look all the more scenic. Follow this link if you want to download the BSL Shaders as one of your best Minecraft shaders.
Best Minecraft Shaders 1.18: Oceano
Click to enlargeThis best Minecraft shader is all about the water. Oceano will have you dying to calmly traverse the canals of your servers and watch the soothing ripples course from your boat. Water is often the focus of many shaders, but Oceano takes it to the next level, with realistic animations, reflections and some excellent shadowing as the water gets deeper. If this best Minecraft shader takes you fancy, head to this link to download it.
Best Minecraft Shaders 1.18: TME
Click to enlargeThis next best Minecraft shader will throw everything it's got at your PC, so much so that that is the impetus for its name. Too Many Effects or TME is a shader haven, with a real focus on surface detail and reflection, along with a pretty decent skybox too. Like BSL, this one is all about making Minecraft as gorgeous as can be, so low-end PCs won't stand much of a chance running this one. With that said, if you think your PC can take it, follow this link to get downloading.
Best Minecraft Shaders 1.18: Nostalgia
Click to enlargeThe last of the best Minecraft shaders takes it all the way back. Nostalgia aims to recreate the look and feel of the first wave of shaders, whilst improving the overall experience at the same time. The Nostalgia shader also "accidentally" holds some similarities to the now cancelled "Super Duper Graphics Pack" meaning that it is a real looker. There is a nice warm tone to the Nostalgia shader that easily places it among the best. If you think so too and would like to download the Nostalgia shader, follow this link.
That's all of our picks for the best Minecraft shaders, which are all compatible with the latest update. If you'd like to know more about the Caves and Cliffs Part 2 update, check out our Minecraft 1.18 patch notes.
