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Resources / Shaders / Refrax

Refrax

Refrax is a performance and feature-focused Minecraft shaderpack.

ShadersFree1.18 – 26.x
by Coredex · listed from Modrinth
Download ›

Opens Modrinth · 6,924 downloads there

Refrax screenshot 1Refrax screenshot 2Refrax screenshot 3

What it does

Refrax is a performance and feature-focused Minecraft shaderpack.

Refrax is a shader pack made by Coredex. It supports Minecraft 1.18 – 26.x. It has been downloaded 6,924 times on Modrinth. The last update came out on Aug 8, 2026.

Supported versions

26.x1.211.201.191.18

Release history

Refrax has had 9 releases on Modrinth since Jul 8, 2026. 9 of them came out in the past year. The newest is 1.3.1, released on Aug 8, 2026. It is made for Minecraft 1.18.2 – 26.3. It runs on Iris. The download is 11.7 MB.

VersionReleasedMinecraftType
1.3.1Aug 8, 20261.18.2 – 26.3Release
1.2.3Aug 8, 20261.18.2 – 26.3Release
1.3.0Aug 8, 20261.18.2 – 26.2Release
1.2.2Aug 8, 20261.18.2 – 26.2Release
1.2.1Jul 31, 20261.18.2 – 26.2Release
Description from the author on Modrinth

Refrax

Refrax is a performance and feature-oriented Minecraft shaderpack for Iris.


Credits and recommendation:


Performance benchmarks (GTX 1650 Ti, 1080p, 16 chunks)

NOTE: This is for v1.3.0:

Profile · Target FPS
Potato · 120+
Low · ~90
Medium · ~70
High · ~55
Very High · 40+
Extreme · 25+
Overdrive · ~20

Performance benchmarks (GTX 1650 Ti, 1080p, 16 chunks)

NOTE: This is for v1.2.2:

Profile · Target FPS
Potato · ~160
Low · ~120
Medium · ~80
High · 60+
Very High · 40+
Extreme · 25+
Overdrive · ~20

NOTE: Both benchmarks were taken using the exact same scene.

I saw a ~25 fps boost on 1.18.2, 20+ fps boost on 1.20.1 and ~15 fps boost on 1.21.1.

These values can be bumped higher by changing the performance mode slider at very little visual compromise even at overdrive performance mode (You'll only notice it in certain situations. It mainly reduces the sample count of clouds, god rays, AO, SSR, and water wave octaves, most noticeable of which are reflections and water which will be tuned to be less noticeable in the future).

Supported versions:

1.18.2 and higher versions should all work just fine.

Unsupported versions:

1.16.5 - No colored lighting and no block breaking particles.
1.17.x, 1.18 - Does not load the shader
1.18.1 - Does not render a lot of blocks.

Installation

  1. Install Iris.
  2. Copy the Refrax.zip to .minecraft/shaderpacks/ or the shader folder of your launcher's instance.
  3. Select the shader in the Iris menu and enjoy!

License

See [LICENCE.txt](LICENCE.txt).

Credits & inspiration

Refrax is original source, inspired by Photon, Complementary Reimagined, Bliss,
Solas, MakeUp Ultra Fast, Super Duper Vanilla, published graphics research, and
the Iris shader documentation.

Written by Coredex. Read it with pictures on Modrinth.

How to install Refrax

  1. Install Iris (with Sodium) or OptiFine for your Minecraft version: shaders need one of them.

  2. Download the .zip file from Modrinth. Do not unzip it.

  3. In Minecraft, open Options, then Video Settings, then Shader Packs, and click Open Shader Pack Folder.

  4. Drop the .zip file into that folder, pick Refrax in the list and click Done.

  5. Shaders are heavy on the graphics card. If the game gets slow, pick a lower profile in the shader settings.

Compatibility

Minecraft versions
26.x, 1.21, 1.20, 1.19, 1.18
Edition
Java
Needs
Nothing else
License
Free to use
Price
Free
Upkeep
Actively updated (Nov 10, 2026)

Refrax compared with similar ones Compare all alternatives

ResourceDownloadsVersionsLast updatePrice
Refraxthe one you looked at6,9241.18 – 26.xAug 8, 2026Free
Insanity ShaderElocinDev8M1.8 – 1.21Jun 13, 2024Free
DrDestens Minecraft ShadersDrDesten488K1.8 – 1.21Feb 10, 2026Free
Etherea ShaderFoZy-STYLE12K1.16 – 26.xAug 16, 2026Free

Questions

Does Refrax work on Minecraft 26.x?

Yes. Refrax supports Minecraft 26.x. All supported versions: 26.x, 1.21, 1.20, 1.19, 1.18.

Is Refrax free?

Yes. Refrax is free to download from Modrinth.

Is Refrax still updated?

Yes. The last update came out in the past day.

What are the best alternatives to Refrax?

The closest ones are Insanity Shader, DrDestens Minecraft Shaders and Etherea Shader. Compare all alternatives

Alternatives to Refrax

DitherShaders · 1.20 – 1.21

Stylized minecraft shaderpack that aims to recreate the look of hand-drawn pixel / retro art with fast performance

Free11,211 downloads
Compare all alternatives ›

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