What is Horizon?
A Minecraft: Java Edition 26.3 client rewritten from scratch in Rust. Open source under the MIT licence, and not an official Mojang or Microsoft product. More in What Horizon is.
Do I need to buy Minecraft?
Yes. Horizon contains no Minecraft code or assets — it builds the game files from your own copy of Java Edition 26.3 and runs while a Microsoft account that owns the game is signed in.
Is it safe?
Only download the launcher from the official GitHub releases (our download page links straight there) and check the SHA-256. The how-to is in Is Horizon safe?.
Do Fabric, Forge and NeoForge mods work?
Java code doesn’t run in Horizon. The launcher carries over the data side of Java mods — blocks, items, recipes, textures — but mechanics need Horizon ports. The mod catalog is here.
What about shaders?
Yes: Horizon’s own .hshader packs, and Iris/OptiFine packs through a separate loader. See the shader guide.
Can I play on regular servers?
Yes, on Java Edition 26.3 servers that check accounts. Realms doesn’t work yet. The official server is play.playhorizon.dev; others are in our server list.
Will my old worlds open?
Yes: worlds from 1.8 to 26.2 are upgraded the way vanilla does it. Back them up first.
Which systems does it run on?
Windows x64 and ARM64, macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, Linux x86-64.
How often does it update?
Often — sometimes several times a day. The launcher installs updates itself. History lives in Releases.