Sodium: The FPS Mod for Minecraft – Is It Safe and How to Install

Sodium is a free mod for Minecraft Java Edition that makes the game run much more smoothly: more frames per second (FPS) and less stutter, without changing how the game looks or plays. Here you’ll learn what Sodium does, whether it’s safe, how to install it step by step and what parents should watch out for when downloading it.

In short: Sodium is one of the most popular Minecraft mods of all, open source and on Modrinth since January 2021. You need a mod loader such as Fabric, and you should only download the mod from Modrinth or CurseForge. It’s especially worth it on older laptops. Bedrock, mobile and consoles are not supported.

Sodium at a glance

What does Sodium do?

For every frame, Minecraft has to work out and draw all visible blocks. Sodium swaps exactly that part, the so-called renderer, for a faster one. According to its Modrinth page, this “greatly” improves frame rates, reduces micro-stutter and fixes a number of graphical bugs in the regular game along the way.

The important part: Sodium does not change how Minecraft looks or plays. There are no new blocks and no new menus apart from the expanded video settings, and your worlds stay exactly as they are. How much faster it gets depends on your computer. The developers say they measured their comparisons on a laptop with integrated Intel graphics, not on an expensive gaming PC.

Sodium only handles rendering. For other parts of the game (such as mobs and redstone), the team recommends its sister mod Lithium.

Sodium in numbers

We fetch the numbers below from Modrinth every day, so they update automatically. Sodium currently has 258.1M downloads and 42K followers there, and the newest supported Minecraft version is 26.3.

For comparison: the Fabric API, which many other Fabric mods require, has 294.6M downloads, and the shader mod Iris has 199.6M. You’ll find the overall top mods right now in How Do You Install Minecraft Mods?.

Is Sodium safe?

As far as anything is publicly known, Sodium itself is safe: the source code is open on GitHub, the team has been known for years and the mod is one of the most downloaded projects on Modrinth.

The risk lies elsewhere: in fake download sites. Because lots of kids search for “Sodium download”, sites pop up that seem to offer the mod but deliver malware or adware installers instead. According to the official project description on GitHub, stable releases are only available on Modrinth and CurseForge.

How to spot a fake mod site:

• Wrong address: The site isn’t modrinth.com or curseforge.com, but something like “sodium-mod-download”.
• An .exe file: A real mod is always a .jar file that goes into the mods folder. An .exe or .msi installer, or a ZIP with a program inside, is a warning sign.
• Several download buttons, countdowns, surveys or a request to turn off your antivirus.
• Promises like “Sodium for Bedrock” or “for mobile”. That doesn’t exist.

Even big platforms aren’t completely safe: in June 2023, researchers found the malware fractureiser in several mods on CurseForge and BukkitDev, as documented by the investigation team on GitHub. Sodium was not affected. The lesson: download well-known mods straight from the real project page, not from “mod collections” by unknown uploaders.

Tip for parents: The easiest way is a launcher like the Modrinth App. You search for Sodium right inside the app, and the download always comes from the real project page.

How to install Sodium

Sodium needs a mod loader, a small add-on program that makes mods load in the first place. According to the installation guide in the Sodium wiki, Fabric is the best choice for beginners. NeoForge is supported from Minecraft 1.21 on. We explain the difference between Fabric and Forge in How Do You Install Minecraft Mods?.

Option 1: With the Modrinth App (recommended)

1. Download the Modrinth App from the official site and sign in with the Microsoft account you use for Minecraft.
2. Create a new profile and choose Fabric as the loader plus the Minecraft version you want.
3. Open the profile, click Add Content and search for Sodium.
4. Install it, launch the profile, done.

Option 2: With the official Minecraft Launcher

1. Install Fabric with the installer from fabricmc.net.
2. On the Sodium page on Modrinth, download the file for your Minecraft version and Fabric.
3. Copy the .jar file into the mods folder in your Minecraft directory.
4. Start the “fabric-loader” profile in the launcher.

Did it work? In Minecraft, open Options → Video Settings. With Sodium, this menu looks different and has several tabs. You usually don’t need to change anything: according to the developers, Sodium turns on every optimization your computer supports by itself. More performance tips are in How to Adjust Your Minecraft Settings.

Other languages: According to its wiki, Sodium itself is English only. A community resource pack, Translations for Sodium, adds many more languages.

Will Sodium run on my computer?

According to the developers, Sodium officially supports graphics cards with up-to-date drivers and OpenGL 4.5. Most cards from the last twelve years meet that, for example Intel HD Graphics 500, NVIDIA GeForce 400 or AMD Radeon HD 7000 and newer. Almost anything that runs Minecraft should also work with Sodium, but the team can’t guarantee it for older cards.

If you get crashes or graphical glitches, the developers say an outdated graphics driver is usually to blame. A driver update is free and often fixes it right away. Not supported are Android devices and some Windows-on-ARM machines that only provide OpenGL through translation layers.

Sodium, shaders and OptiFine

Sodium and OptiFine have the same goal, but they’re different projects. OptiFine was the standard for a long time; today Sodium is seen as the more modern choice for Fabric. If you want to use shaders with Sodium, you also need the Iris mod. It builds on Sodium and loads most well-known shader packs. Here’s how: How to Install a Texture Pack or Shader Pack in Minecraft.

Some resource packs used to require OptiFine, for example for connected glass textures. For those, the Sodium wiki lists replacement mods such as Continuity (connected textures) or LambDynamicLights (light from held items).

Ready-made clients like Lunar Client come with their own optimizations. For an overview, see The 5 Best Minecraft Clients.

Can you use Sodium on servers?

Sodium only runs on your computer (on Modrinth it’s listed as client-side, unsupported on servers) and changes nothing about what you can see or do in the game. That’s why it isn’t considered a cheat and is allowed on most servers. Mods that let you see through walls or use freecam are a different story: they’re banned almost everywhere. When in doubt, read the server’s rules.

Who is Sodium for?

• Older laptops and school notebooks: This is where the difference is biggest.
• Long render distance: If you want to see far without the game stuttering.
• Shader fans: Sodium plus Iris is the usual combination.
• Not needed if Minecraft already runs smoothly and your child plays without mods. For Bedrock players (phone, tablet, console, Windows app from the Store), Sodium isn’t an option.

For parents: Sodium is one of the most harmless mods there is. It adds no content and has no chat. Check together where the download comes from, and Sodium is a good first step into the world of mods.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Sodium mod do?

Sodium replaces the part of Minecraft Java that draws the world on your screen. Your frame rate goes up and small stutters become rarer. Game rules, worlds and blocks stay the same.

Is Sodium safe?

Yes, if you download the mod from Modrinth or CurseForge. Sodium is open source and developed by the CaffeineMC team. Fake download sites are the real danger.

Is there Sodium for Bedrock, mobile or console?

No, Sodium only exists for Minecraft Java Edition on PC. Offers for Bedrock or mobile don’t come from the developers.

Do you need Fabric for Sodium?

You need a mod loader. Fabric is recommended; according to Modrinth, NeoForge and Quilt work too. Sodium won’t run without a loader or with classic Forge.

Can you use Sodium on servers like Hypixel?

Usually yes, because Sodium gives you no in-game advantage. The rules of each server have the final say.

Are Sodium and OptiFine the same thing?

No. Both make Minecraft faster, but they’re separate projects. For shaders with Sodium, you add the Iris mod.