Shader loader
Iris Shaders
Iris 26.2— latest build 1.11.1
Iris is the open-source shader loader built on top of Sodium. It runs every OptiFine-compatible shader pack at higher FPS, boots faster, and stays actively maintained by the Fabric community.
- Loader
- Fabric / NeoForge / Quilt
- Requires
- Sodium (bundled in installer)
- License
- LGPL-3.0 (open source)
- First release
- 2021
- Latest MC
- 26.2
Iris was created to solve a specific problem: OptiFine slowed the game down and kept its source closed. Iris pairs the Sodium rendering engine with a modern shader pipeline compatible with the OptiFine shader format, so you get the same visual mods with dramatically better frame rates. It ships as a single installer that adds both Iris and Sodium to a fresh Fabric or NeoForge profile.
What you get
Why Iris Shaders?
Runs on Sodium
Sodium rewrites Minecraft's chunk renderer for modern GPUs. On the same hardware you routinely see 2–5× the FPS of OptiFine, with lower memory usage and fewer stutters when loading terrain.
OptiFine shader format
Iris reads the exact same shader pack ZIPs you already use — BSL, Complementary, Sildur's, SEUS, Rethinking Voxels. Drop them into shaderpacks/ and pick one from the menu.
Fabric-native
Iris installs as a normal Fabric or NeoForge mod, so it works alongside performance mods (Lithium, FerriteCore), quality-of-life mods (Mod Menu, ReplayMod) and content mods on the same profile.
Active development
Iris tracks new Minecraft snapshots quickly and lands support for modern shader features (compute shaders, image load/store, path-tracing entrypoints) as pack authors adopt them.
No paywall, no early access
Iris is fully open source under LGPL-3.0. Every release is available immediately from Modrinth with no Patreon delay.
Better with mods
Works with Distant Horizons for extreme render distances, Continuity for connected textures, and every popular resource-pack loader.
Downloads
Get Iris Shaders
The 10 most recent Iris releases, straight from Modrinth. Files are hosted on cdn.modrinth.com — no ads, no redirects.
Install
How to install Iris Shaders
Installer route (easiest)
- 1Download the Iris Installer from irisshaders.dev/download.
- 2Run the JAR — it detects your Minecraft installation automatically.
- 3Pick the Minecraft version and click Install. It creates a new profile named 'Iris & Sodium' in the vanilla launcher.
- 4Launch that profile once so the mods folder is created.
- 5Drop shader ZIPs into .minecraft/shaderpacks/ (Windows: %appdata%/.minecraft/shaderpacks/).
- 6In-game: Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs → pick one.
Manual Fabric route (for modpacks)
- 1Install the Fabric loader from fabricmc.net/use for your Minecraft version.
- 2Download Iris and Sodium from Modrinth for the same MC version.
- 3Place both JARs in .minecraft/mods/. Add Fabric API if a modpack you're merging with expects it.
- 4Launch the Fabric profile, then add shader packs as above.
Compatibility
Iris supports Minecraft 1.16.5 through the latest release (26.2), on Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt. It does not run on the legacy Forge loader for 1.20+ (use OptiFine there, or switch the profile to NeoForge). All shader packs written for OptiFine's shader format work on Iris.
Iris Shaders vs. the other loader
Compared with OptiFine, Iris renders the same shaders at significantly higher FPS thanks to Sodium, installs as a Fabric mod (so it coexists with mod ecosystems), and receives updates faster. OptiFine still has an edge for pure Forge modpacks on legacy versions and for OptiFine-only features like emissive textures and custom entity models — many of which have Fabric equivalents (Entity Model Features, Continuity).
Troubleshooting
Common problems
Black screen after selecting a shader
Update your GPU drivers first. If the pack uses features from a newer shader version than your Iris build supports, update Iris from Modrinth.
Crash on launch: incompatible mod
Sodium-based mods (Sodium Extra, Reese's Sodium Options) must match your Sodium major version. Update or remove the mismatched add-on.
Shader menu is empty
Confirm shader ZIPs are in .minecraft/shaderpacks/ (not the mods folder). The correct path opens from Options → Video Settings → Shader Packs → Open Shader Pack Folder.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Iris free?+
Yes. Iris is fully open source under LGPL-3.0. There is no paid tier and no early-access delay.
Do I need Sodium separately?+
The Iris Installer bundles Sodium. If you install manually, add both JARs to your mods folder — Iris requires Sodium to render chunks.
Will my OptiFine shaders work?+
Almost every shader pack written in the OptiFine format runs on Iris. BSL, Complementary, Sildur's, SEUS, and Rethinking Voxels are all tested on Iris.
Does Iris work with Forge?+
For Minecraft 1.20+ use NeoForge — Iris ships a NeoForge build. On earlier Forge versions, use Oculus, a Forge port of Iris.
Can I use Iris in a modpack?+
Yes. Most modern performance modpacks (Fabulously Optimized, Simply Optimized, Adrenaline) ship with Iris preinstalled.
Ready to install?