Compatibility
Minecraft: Java Edition
Platforms
Supported environments
Links
Creators
Details
"Reimagining Minecraft, one line of code at a time."
Great Big World is a collection of mods packaged & integrated together with the goal of reimagining Minecraft under new design philosophies. It's a modern take on the "alternate timeline" genre most notably seen in Better Than Adventure and Not So Secret Saturday.
Check out the Gallery or the showcase videos on YouTube for a better look!
To check out project progress, where it's headed, & known bugs, see the Project Roadmap!
This mod is currently in BETA! Server-side issues have been resolved to a reasonable extent. Once the core gameplay features of the first phase are complete, the mod will enter Release.
Mod Structure
Great Big World will never require another mod to install (aside from Fabric API, of course). It is organized into multiple sub-mods, which are all packaged together into a single mod file:
Core
Core utilities & mechanics for all other sub-mods:
- Knowledge system
- Mystical elements system
- Structure trigger system
- Mappings system (like tags)
- Entity-block collision interactions
- New feature placement modifiers & other worlden utilities
- FastNoise implementation
- General commands
- General tags
Adventures
Focusing on the world & travel:
- Additional Create World Options
- Item Information HUD
- Dynamic moonlight
- Deeper world height, deeper oceans, & deep caves
- Bonus House from Indev
- Skyblock world type
Architect's Assembly
Focusing on building, inventory & crafting:
- Missing blocks
- Decorative blocks
- Vertical slabs
- Hotbar cycling
- Glass shards & glass rework
- Armor stand arms
- Variant item tooltips
- Improved equipment item tooltips
Flora & Fauna
Focusing on environments, animals, and seasons:
- River variants
- Modified biome colors & features
- Noise-based feature placement
- Season system
- Improved animal behaviors
- Stackable small plants
- Fluidlogging & snowlogging
- Snowier snow
- Hollow logs & improved fallen trees
- Hibiscuses
- Forest clearings
Relics & Ruins
Focusing on temples, relics, archaeology, and loot tables:
- Swamp Temples
- Ice Temples
- Unique decorative blocks
- Improved loot tables
- Cave paintings
Swords & Shields
Focusing on combat, enchanting, & equipment upgrades/customization:
- Enchanting overhaul
- Equipment tier overhaul
- Loom overhaul
- Anvil overhaul
- Smithing table overhaul
- Armor trim overhaul
- Armor decoration
The Alterworld
Focusing on feature density, playstyle, & progression:
- The Alterworld dimension
- Ancient Portals
- Fractured Ancient Portals
- Migration of some Overworld features to the Alterworld
Standalone Sub-Mods
From version 0.15.0 onwards, Great Big World contains its own embedded standalone mods. The current list of standalone mods includes:
General Progression
Great Big World caters to players who want to enjoy the classic simple, sandboxy, survival Minecraft from years ago, and to players who prefer a more complex, progressive game it is now.
For the former, the Overworld dimension has been stripped of many features that are deemed unnecessary or bloaty. This includes many structures, biomes, and even natural blocks such as Granite, Diorite, & Andesite. Overall, the Overworld feels much closer to old Minecraft now.
For the latter, there is a new "alternate" dimension predictably called the Alterworld. This dimension retains all the new features of modern Minecraft.
Players start in the Overworld. There are 2 methods of entering the Alterworld, 1 temporary and 1 permanently.
- The first is via Fractured Portals in any temple structure. These can be activated once per player by brushing the activation block. Upon entering the portal, it breaks (or "fractures") behind you & gives you a few minutes to explore the Alterworld dimension. After the time is up, you are sent back.
- The second is via the Ancient Portal located in the Ancient City structure. This portal is activated by lighting the 4 pedestals in front of it. The pedestals each require an offering of a sufficiently enchanted item. Once all 4 have their offering, they are consumed & the portal opens up. This is a permanent portal to the Alterworld.
Future Progression
Above is the core dimensional progression for players. The Nether & the End retain their position in this path. There will be 2 more dimensions implemented in the future that can be considered "horizontal" progression, as they will not be necessary to "beat the game".
The Alterworld V1 is currently just vanilla Minecraft with general tweaks from the mod as a whole. V2 will contain many new biomes, structures, mobs, etc. This will be worked on once the mod passes Phase 1 (see the Roadmap). V3 of the Alterworld will give it dynamic systems, such as civilizations, quests, & player interactivity. At that point, the dimension will be considered complete.
FAQ:
Can you make Great Big World compatible with X mod?
GBW is not designed for compatibility with most other content mods. Rather, it is designed as an entirely standalone experience. There are exceptions though: optimization mods such as Sodium should be compatible. If you find an issue with them, please open an issue on the issue tracker!Can I use Great Big World in modpacks?
Probably not, but I'll consider it on a case-by-case basis. Please note that Great Big World has an ARR license, which does not allow redistribution (which includes using it in modpacks) without permission from its author (me).
The issue with using GBW in modpacks relates to FAQ #1: there is no guarantee that GBW will be compatible with other content mods. If it were free to use in modpacks, I would be flooded with bug reports on compatibility issues that I've explicitly stated will not be fixed. If you wish to use GBW in a modpack, please contact me directly and I will make a decision. As a general guideline, if your pack otherwise consists of non-gameplay mods, GBW will be allowed. If it contains a large number of other content mods, it will not. The pack must be focused around GBW, because that is the mods intent. It's a standalone experience.
From version 0.15.0 onwards, GBW now embeds separated standalone mods in its jar file. These mods are designed to be utilized outside of GBW and are free to be used in modpacks. Please see these mods' pages to play with them separately & to use them in modpacks.
Why is Great Big World closed source?
I am choosing to keep Great Big World closed-source until the first full release version, after which the GitHub repositories will become open-source.When will documentation for Great Big World be complete?
I'm working on the wiki on and off, with the goal to complete most necessary pages by the first full release version.Will Great Big World be made for other versions of Minecraft?
Not anytime soon, & more than likely never. The mod is massive & will only continue growing. It does & will rely on capabilities provided by modern Minecraft versions. Any backport will require a huge time cost, when I could use that time to continue developing towards the overarching goal.
Another increasingly common ask is whether a mod will be made available for the Bedrock Edition of the game. This will never happen, as the development tools available for that version are not enough to recreate GBW.
I loaded up the game & none of my old worlds show up. Where did they go?
Don't be alarmed! Great Big World searches for & creates worlds in your saves/gbw/ folder. Vanilla Minecraft uses saves/. If you removed Great Big World, you will be able to access all your old worlds. They are completely unaffected.
The reason for this change is to further push the standalone experience Great Big Eorld is attemptting to create, & to reduce world corruption issues. You simply cannot open a GBW world without the mod, unless you manually move the world from the saves/gbw/ folder. Your vanilla/other modded worlds are safe from corruption via Great Big World, & your GBW worlds are safe from corruption via other mods.