Minecraft Forge is a mod loader: the layer that Minecraft mods are built on and loaded through, around since early 2012. On its own it adds almost nothing you can see. What it gives mods is a shared base, so a tech mod and a magic mod can run in the same game without stepping on each other. Its README says it in one line: “Forge is a free, open-source modding API all of your favourite mods use!”
This page goes back to ModReview’s first year. Our December 20, 2012 review opened with: “It goes without saying really that this mod is pretty much required for many of the best mods for Minecraft.” It went on to call Forge a framework that mods build on, and said that when two mods did clash, it was usually over an ID. Most of that still holds. The rest has moved on a lot.
This is a rebuild of that page, not a new review. The facts come from Forge’s file server, its GitHub repositories, the NeoForged project and the Prism Launcher wiki, checked on October 16, 2026.
Forge in 2012
Forge’s own file server still lists builds back to Minecraft 1.1. The oldest is 1.3.2.1, dated February 2, 2012. By the week of our old review, Forge was on version 6.5.0 for Minecraft 1.4.6, with new builds almost every day from December 17 to December 27.
Installing it took more work then. The 1.4.6 builds came as two zips, Universal and Src. No installer. One appears in the file list by the last builds for Minecraft 1.5.2. Today’s installer, in its own words, is “a simple installer for creating Launcher profiles”.
Forge and NeoForge
In July 2023 the project split. A post from the new NeoForged project, dated July 13, 2023, says: “NeoForged is a fork of MinecraftForge.” The post, by cpw, blames ongoing difficulties inside the team. It says “almost all of the original team has joined the new team”, with Lex as the notable exception. It also explains the new name: many core assets are licensed by Lex’s company, Forge LLC. Forge itself carried on. Its newest build, for Minecraft 26.3, is dated October 14, 2026.
The 2023 post promised to stay compatible with Forge “for the present time” and left the future open. Today mods treat them as two loaders and ship a separate build for each. NeoForge now numbers its builds after the Minecraft version. From 26.1 on, “the first three components identify the Minecraft version, the last the NeoForge release”, so NeoForge 26.3.0.85 is release 85 for Minecraft 26.3.0.
Current versions
Forge marks some builds as “recommended”. For the newest Minecraft versions it often has only a “latest” build.
| Minecraft | Forge latest | Forge recommended | NeoForge | Java |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.3 | 66.0.12 | None yet | 26.3.0.85 | 25 |
| 26.2 | 65.1.5 | 65.1.0 | 26.2.0.93 | 25 |
| 1.21.11 | 61.2.4 | 61.2.0 | 21.11.48 | 21 |
| 1.21.1 | 52.1.20 | 52.1.0 | 21.1.262 | 21 |
| 1.20.1 | 47.4.28 | 47.4.10 | 47.1.106 | 17 |
| 1.12.2 | 14.23.5.2864 | 14.23.5.2859 | None | 8 |
The Java column comes from Forge’s README: Java 25 for Minecraft 26.1 and newer, Java 21 for 1.20.6 to 1.21.11, Java 17 for 1.18 to 1.20.4, and Java 8 for 1.16.5 and older.
Forge or NeoForge?
Let the mods you want decide. A mod made for NeoForge needs NeoForge, and the same goes for Forge. Prism Launcher’s wiki gives a simple rule: Forge for Minecraft 1.20.1 and older, NeoForge for anything newer. Just Enough Items is a good example: it has Forge builds up to 1.21.1, and only NeoForge and Fabric builds after that.
If you are going back to an old favourite from our older posts, such as Mo’ Creatures or Pam’s HarvestCraft, check which Minecraft version the mod stops at first. NeoForge starts at 1.20.1, so anything older means Forge, or Fabric from 1.14 on.
How to install Minecraft Forge
With the Forge installer
- The installer is a
.jarfile, so you need Java installed to run it. - Open files.minecraftforge.net, pick your Minecraft version in the sidebar, and download the installer. The file page says to prefer the links at the top unless you need one specific build.
- Run the installer and choose Install client. The installer describes it as “Install a new profile to the Mojang client launcher”.
- Open the Minecraft Launcher, choose the new Forge profile and start the game.
- Put your mod jars in the
modsfolder of your game directory, then start the Forge profile again.
The installer links go through adfoc.us, an ad service, before the download starts. That is Forge’s own choice: the site says “Ads are Forge’s main source of income.” Download only the Forge file. For a server, the same installer has Install server, which creates “a new modded server installation”.
With Prism Launcher
A launcher skips the installer and the ad page. In Prism Launcher, create an instance for your Minecraft version, choose Edit, open the Version tab and add Forge or NeoForge. Then add mods from the Mods tab.
Sources
- Minecraft Forge downloads, including the 1.1, 1.4.6 and 1.5.2 file lists
- MinecraftForge/MinecraftForge on GitHub and MinecraftForge/Installer
- NeoForged: the project announcement and NeoForge for Minecraft 26.1
- NeoForge release files
- Forge documentation: Getting started
- Prism Launcher wiki: Downloading mods
- ModReview home page, April 2013, in the Wayback Machine