Released 2021-01-15
Minecraft 1.16.5: Java 8
1.16.5 is the long-lived stable target that a great deal of modded Minecraft settled on. It is the last version that runs comfortably on Java 8, which is a large part of why it stayed popular for so long.
Java version required
8or newer
Also runs correctly on Java 11.
Availability
Paper is available for 1.16.5
It accepts Bukkit / Spigot / Paper plugins.
Will what I downloaded work?
Mods and plugins are different things that both arrive as a .jar file. Putting the wrong one in usually produces no error at all — the server starts, and the content simply is not there.
running on Paper
No. Forge produces mods and Paper runs plugins — they are different systems that happen to share a file extension. Nothing will load, and nothing will warn you.
What to watch for on this version
It also runs correctly on Java 11, which matters if your host has moved on from Java 8 — that flexibility is unusual and does not extend upward, so do not assume Java 17 will do. This is the newest version in the list where a Java 8 answer is still correct; from 1.17 onward the requirement climbs sharply.
Where this sits in the Java timeline
- Java 81.7 through 1.16.5
- Java 161.17 and 1.17.1
- Java 171.18 through 1.20.4
- Java 211.20.5 and everything after