How To Play Modded Minecraft with Friends (2026)

You found a modpack you love, and now you want your friends in there with you. Modded is trickier than vanilla. Everyone needs the exact same mods, the right loader, the matching version, and enough RAM to hold it all. One mismatch and you get an error.

There are four ways to play modded Minecraft with friends, and the right one depends on how serious you are about playing together.

Quick overview

For anyone who skims, here's the short version:

Each option trades one thing for another. Renting trades money for reliability. Self-hosting trades convenience for control. The Essential Mod trades uptime for simplicity. The "best" depends on your setup, but for most friend groups, renting a server is the one to beat. So let's start there.

What makes modded different from vanilla?

Before we dive in, remember this one rule: every player needs the same mods, the same mod loader, and the same game version. This is the part vanilla guides skip, and it's the most imporant parts in this guide.

A mod loader is the software that lets Minecraft run mods. The three common ones are Forge, Fabric, and NeoForge, and they don't mix. A Forge mod won't load on Fabric, and a 1.20.1 modpack won't load on a friend running 1.21.

Rent a server (best for most players)

Renting a server is what I'd recommend to almost anyone serious about playing a modded Minecraft with friends. It removes the two hardest parts of modded multiplayer in one move: it gives you a powerful machine with enough RAM, and it makes installing mods, modpacks and mod loaders very easy for beginners.

What is modded server hosting?

Modded server hosting means renting a slice of a machine in a data center from the hosting provider, pre-configured to run a modded server (Forge, Fabric, or NeoForge) and reachable from anywhere. The hosting provider handles the operating system, the Java version, the firewall, and the backups, so the only thing you touch is the modpack and the gameplay.

How it works

Here's the exact process to get a modded server running with friends:

1. Pick a modded hosting provider. For this example, we're using WiseHosting.
2. Pick your RAM. This is the big modded difference. Vanilla runs fine on 4 GB, but mods are greedy. A light pack wants 4–6 GB. A small or medium modpack runs best around 6 GB. Heavy packs like RLCraft, All the Mods, or Create setup want 8 GB or more. See more: How Much RAM For Modded Minecraft Server
3. Pick the closest server location. Always choose the location nearest to you and your friends. This keeps everyone's ping low.
4. Pick your modpack. WiseHosting supports over 15,000 modpacks from CurseForge, Modrinth, and FTB. You pick the pack from a list and the one-click installer handles the mod loader and modpack installation for you.
5. Add your friends to the whitelist. This protects your server so only your friends can join.
6. Copy your server IP. Send it to your friends.
7. Have everyone install the same modpack. Each friend installs the identical pack on their own launcher (CurseForge or Modrinth makes this a one-click job), then connects your server from "Multiplayer".

Pros

• Your world is online 24/7. Friends can play while you're asleep, at work, or at school.
• One-click modpack installs. Installation process for mods, loaders and modpacks is made very easy.
• Automatic version matching. The installer lines up the loader and game version for you, which removes the most common source of modded errors.
• Scaleable RAM. Modpacks need memory. Hosting providers let you rent from 2GB to 32GB RAM just for your server, so you don't have to make your PC do the work.
• No port forwarding. You never have to open a port on your router or expose your home IP.
• 24/7 support. When a mod misbehaves, there's a team that knows modded servers and is ready to help 24/7.
• Automatic backups. Your world is backed up automatically depending on how often you want.

Cons

• It costs money. That's the only real catch. A $15-$30 a month buys a server that's faster, safer, and far less frustrating than running a heavy pack yourself.

Use the Essential Mod

Paying for a server isn't for everyone. If you want a free option that's genuinely easy, the Essential Mod is the best one for modded play. It lets friends drop into your world with no server setup at all.

What is the Essential Mod?

The Essential Mod is a free, client-side mod that lets you invite friends straight into your single-player world without any server software. You install it through CurseForge or Modrinth, and it adds an invite system right inside the game.

How it works

Here's how to get a friend into your modded world with Essential:

1. Install the Essential Mod through CurseForge or Modrinth.
2. Make sure each friend has Essential too, plus the exact same modpack as you.
3. Open your single-player world.
4. Send a friend invite through the Essential menu.
5. Your friends can join straight into your world.

Pros

• Completely free. No subscription, no monthly fee.
• Very easy setup. No IPs, no port forwarding, no server-side configuration necessary.
• Works across the internet. Your friends don't need to be on the same Wi-Fi.

Cons

• The host has to be online. Friends can only join while you're in the world. Close the game and everyone gets kicked.
• It runs on your PC. Your computer does all the work, so your hardware and your internet decide everyone's performance. A weak PC or slow connection drags the whole group down.
• No 24/7 uptime. There's no world waiting for your friends when you're offline.
• No backup system. The backup system relies on your PC and you have to manually save the backup every once in a while.

Make your own modded server

The Essential Mod is free, but it's tied to your PC being on and your world being open. If you want mods, 24/7 uptime, and full control without paying for hosting, you have one option left: host a modded server yourself.

It's free and fully customizable. It's also the most technical and the most RAM-hungry path here, so it's not the one I'd recommend to a beginner.

What is self-hosting?

Self-hosting means running modded server software directly on your own computer. Your PC becomes the server, your home internet handles the connection, and your friends connect through your home IP.

How it works

Modded self-hosting has a lot of moving parts: the right Java version, modded server software, the server pack, port forwarding, and firewall rules. The key difference from vanilla is that you need modded server software (a Forge, Fabric, or NeoForge server, not the vanilla jar), and for a modpack you'll usually grab the server files straight from the pack's page.

It's too much to cover in one section, so check our step-by-step guides for each setup:

How To Make A Modpack Minecraft Server with CurseForge:

How To Make A Fabric Minecraft Server:

Pros

• Completely free. No monthly fee.
• Total control. Every mod, config, and file is yours to edit.
• Great for learning. Nothing teaches you how modded servers work faster than running one yourself.
• Can be powerful. If you own a strong CPU or a spare home server, it can outperform a budget rented plan.

Cons

• Not 24/7 online unless your PC stays on. Shut it down and your friends get kicked.
• It hurts your performance. Running the game and the modded server on one machine causes lag, and modpacks make that worse.
• The highest RAM demand here. You're feeding both the game and a memory-hungry pack from the same computer.
• Port forwarding is required. Opening a router port exposes your home IP and invites attacks if done wrong.
• No automatic backups. A drive failure or a griefed spawn can wipe your world.
• You are tech support. When the pack crashes, you have to figure out everything on your own.

Join a public modded server

The first three options assume you want your own world. This one flips that. You don't host anything; you join someone else's modded server. It's the fastest way to start playing a modpack with other people.

What is a public modded server?

A public modded server is a server run by a third party, built around a specific modpack, and open to anyone with the IP. You'll find everything from Pixelmon servers to big tech-pack communities, some with thousands of players and some with only a handful.

How it works

Here's how to join a public modded server with your friends:

1. Find a server on a listing site like minecraftservers.org and filter by modded.
2. Install that exact modpack on your own launcher.
3. Copy the server IP from the listing.
4. Open Minecraft, click "Multiplayer," click "Add Server," and paste the IP.
5. Connect, and tell your friends to do the same so you can meet up in-game.

Pros

• Completely free. No cost to play.
• Instant access. You're in within a couple of minutes of finding a server.
• Prebuilt and active. Big servers come with economies, ranks, and events already running.

Cons

• You're playing with strangers. It's not a private world for you and your friends.
• Zero control. Rules, mod lists, and world resets are all the owner's call.
• The server can vanish. If the owner quits, your progress goes with it.
• Spawn is picked clean. Finding fresh land near spawn is nearly impossible.

Final thoughts

Playing modded Minecraft with friends got a lot easier in 2026. The Essential Mod makes free hosting painless, the modpack launchers handle dependencies for you, and rented hosting is faster and cheaper than it was five years ago.

But notice the one rule that never goes away, no matter which method you pick: everyone needs the same mods, the same loader, and the same version. That's the real work in modded multiplayer. Renting a server doesn't erase that rule, but it removes everything around it: the RAM math, the uptime, and the manual server setup.

So pick based on how serious you are. For a quick session with a friend on a small pack, Essential is perfect. For a long-running modded SMP you actually care about, rent a server and skip the headaches.

Got questions? Ask me on Discord.