Feb 24, 2026 12:20:00

Work begins to change the Java version of Minecraft's renderer from OpenGL to Vulkan

Minecraft

Java Edition has announced plans to transition from the 17-year-old OpenGL rendering technology to Vulkan , a change that is expected to significantly improve performance, stability, and support for the latest graphics effects.

Another step towards Vibrant Visuals for Java Edition | Minecraft
https://www.minecraft.net/ja-jp/article/another-step-towards-vibrant-visuals-for-java-edition

After 17 years, Minecraft Java Edition starts replacing OpenGL with a Vulkan multi-threaded renderer — update will prove a boon for performance and modding | Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/after-17-years-minecraft-java-edition-starts-replacing-opengl-with-a-vulkan-multi-threaded-renderer-update-will-prove-a-boon-for-performance-and-modding

Minecraft: Java Edition has used a technology called OpenGL to render the game since its release. OpenGL was introduced in 1992, and although the last version update was OpenGL 4.6, released in 2017, OpenGL's ability to run on a wide range of environments has been maintained to facilitate porting to Windows, Linux, and macOS.

However, OpenGL has been deprecated, especially on macOS, and the team decided that there were limitations to making Minecraft: Java Edition stable and fast. Therefore, the development team decided to migrate to Vulkan, which has become the mainstream in game development in recent years, instead of OpenGL.

Vulkan is a fast, multi-threaded API that can efficiently use modern GPUs. OpenGL's biggest weakness was that rendering was essentially single-threaded, but the introduction of Vulkan enables multi-threaded rendering, which is expected to improve frame rates in environments with large buildings and large numbers of animals, monsters, and other characters.

The introduction of Vulkan will also expand the capacity for improved graphics performance and is expected to improve basic performance. Furthermore, macOS uses a technology called MoltenVK , which converts Vulkan to Apple's graphics API, Metal , making Minecraft: Java Edition playable on the latest macOS. This brings Minecraft closer to its goal of running on almost all operating systems, and on all PCs and Macs.

According to the official blog, the transition from OpenGL to Vulkan will affect mods that use OpenGL for rendering. Because graphics-related mods are heavily dependent on OpenGL, mod creators will be required to migrate to Vulkan or make other necessary changes. Players may also lose the ability to use mods they previously enjoyed.

The Vulkan implementation is scheduled to be introduced in snapshot testing around summer 2026. Based on feedback received during the testing period, the testing period will continue until the Vulkan implementation is stable. During the testing period, you will be able to switch between OpenGL and Vulkan, but once the performance and stability of Vulkan have been thoroughly verified across devices, the OpenGL implementation will be removed.