Released 2023-06-12
Minecraft 1.20.1: Java 17
1.20.1 is the current centre of gravity for modded Minecraft. It is where NeoForge first appeared, and it has accumulated the deepest mod library of any post-1.16 version.
Java version required
17or newer
Older Java will refuse to start. Much newer Java usually works, but the server software is what decides that, not Minecraft.
Availability
Paper is available for 1.20.1
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
This is the one version where both Forge and NeoForge are genuinely alive, and that is a trap rather than a convenience — a mod built for one will not load on the other, and mod pages for 1.20.1 do not always make it obvious which they mean. Decide which loader your pack uses before downloading anything, and check every mod against that choice.
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