Compatibility

Supported setup

This snapshot covers Minecraft Java 26.3, Fabric, and the matching Sodium build. Sulkan is client-side and relies on Minecraft’s Vulkan renderer.

Older Sulkan releases target different Minecraft versions. Choose a matching release from the platform’s version list rather than installing the latest JAR into an older game.

Native Sulkan packs

Sulkan uses sulkan.json and a native render graph. Sharing GLSL syntax with another shader system does not make packs interchangeable.

Unmodified Iris and OptiFine shader packs are unsupported. Porting requires adapting scene interfaces, resource bindings, depth conventions, effects, and settings to Sulkan’s API.

Other renderer mods

Mods that replace the renderer, assume OpenGL, or make direct OpenGL calls may conflict. Test a clean Fabric API + Sodium + Sulkan instance first, then add other mods one at a time.

Do not assume compatibility simply because the loader accepts a mod combination. Use GitHub Issues to report a reproducible conflict.

Transparency behavior

While a native pack is active, Sulkan uses classic transparency for its water, weather, and scene composition. Minecraft’s improved transparency preference is preserved and applies again when native shaders are disabled.

Visual limits

Sulkan Realistic is a native adaptation with its own implementation and included port notes. It does not claim exact parity with its upstream visual reference.

Screen-space reflections can only use geometry available in the captured view; hidden and off-screen objects cannot appear as a fully reflected world. Shader features and limitations depend on the pack. Do not infer PBR, TAA, or a compatibility layer from Vulkan support alone.

Hardware behavior

Use current GPU drivers and ensure Minecraft selects the intended GPU on systems with integrated and discrete graphics. Shader work must fit the device’s format, descriptor, workgroup, and memory limits.

For fallback or compilation failures, follow troubleshooting.