Pixelmon Modpack: Overview, Content & How to Install

The concept: Pokémon in Minecraft, no compromises

Pixelmon replaces Minecraft’s hostile mobs with wild Pokémon that spawn by biome, time of day and weather. You catch them with craftable Poké Balls, fight turn-based battles using the moves, types, abilities and held items of the official games, evolve and breed your teams, and challenge gyms. The mod recreates the core systems of mainline Pokémon — IVs, EVs, natures, shinies, Mega Evolutions, regional forms — inside Minecraft’s sandbox.

That faithfulness is what sets Pixelmon apart: where other mods reinterpret Pokémon, Pixelmon aims for the complete reproduction. Every generation up to Gen 9 is modeled and animated by hand, and content keeps growing with each update.

The mod alone or the official modpack?

There are two ways to play. The standalone mod drops into a NeoForge instance and combines freely with other mods — the route for experienced players and custom servers. The Pixelmon Modpack, the official pack, is the recommended route for everyone else: it bundles the mod, the official soundtrack (Pixelmon OST), JourneyMap with Pokémon sprites integrated on the map, Oh The Biomes You’ll Go worldgen and exploration compasses. Everything comes preconfigured.

The official pack is distributed on CurseForge (over 19 million downloads), on Modrinth, and on Technic — the Pixelmon community’s historic launcher, still used by many servers to ship their own custom packs.

Pixelmon or Cobblemon: which should you pick?

Cobblemon, the other big Pokémon mod, makes the opposite choices: its own Minecraft-styled art direction, a deliberately lightweight base designed to be extended with add-ons and other mods, and availability on Fabric and NeoForge. Pixelmon delivers the most complete and faithful Pokémon experience: official turn-based battles, gyms, full breeding, a Pokédex through Gen 9. In short: pick Pixelmon to live Pokémon inside Minecraft, pick Cobblemon to weave Pokémon into a modded Minecraft. Our Cobblemon guide covers the other approach in detail.

How to install Pixelmon, step by step

The simplest route is the CurseForge app and the official The Pixelmon Modpack.

1. 1

   Install the CurseForge app

   Download the CurseForge app from curseforge.com and link it to your Minecraft Java installation.

2. 2

   Find the official pack

   Search for “The Pixelmon Modpack” — the official pack by the Pixelmon team has over 19M downloads. Do not confuse it with the many server-specific packs.

3. 3

   Install

   Click Install: the app fetches NeoForge for 1.21.1, the mod and its companions automatically.

4. 4

   Check Java and RAM

   The 1.21.1 branch requires Java 21 — the app handles that for you. Allocate 4 to 6 GB of RAM in the profile settings.

5. 5

   Launch and pick your starter

   Create a world: the starter selection greets you on spawn. To join a server, just enter its address — and make sure its Pixelmon version matches yours.

Recommended setup

Pixelmon is heavier than it looks: hundreds of hand-animated models weigh on memory and the GPU. 4 GB of allocated RAM is enough solo; 6 GB keeps things smooth on busy servers where dozens of Pokémon render at once. On the 1.21.1 branch, even a modest but recent GPU makes a difference; if you hit stutters, lower render distance first.

Playing Pixelmon in multiplayer

Multiplayer is the soul of Pixelmon: the big servers run player-led gyms, leagues, tournaments, trading and shops. Many operate their own pack (often distributed via Technic or CurseForge) adding custom maps and features: always follow the install instructions of the server you choose. Check the version too — a 9.3 client will not join a server still on 9.2.

To compare active Pixelmon servers, their population and map age, browse our Pixelmon server ranking, powered by player votes.