A great modpack can carry a community for months — but the bigger ones are hungry, so picking the right pack (and the right amount of RAM) matters. Here are the modpacks worth hosting a server with in 2026, and how to size the server correctly.
Quick answer
The most popular modpacks to host in 2026 are All The Mods 10 (kitchen-sink, plan 8–10 GB+ RAM), RLCraft (hardcore survival, about 6–8 GB) and Create-based packs such as Create: Above and Beyond (lighter, 5–7 GB). Pick the pack for your group's style first, then size the server's RAM to the pack, not the other way round.
All The Mods 10 (ATM10)
The go-to "kitchen sink" pack — hundreds of mods, tech, magic and exploration in one. It's feature-packed and very popular for community servers, but it's heavy: plan for 8–10 GB+ of RAM for a small group.
RLCraft
The famous hardcore survival pack — brutal, dragons, thirst and temperature. Still hugely searched and played. It runs on an older version, and a server wants around 6–8 GB.
Create-based packs
Packs built around the Create mod (Create: Above and Beyond, Create: Astral and similar) are perfect for engineering-minded communities. They're lighter than kitchen-sink packs — 5–7 GB is usually plenty.
Vault Hunters
A roguelike progression pack with a huge following thanks to its streamer roots. Great for sticky, long-term servers. Budget 6–8 GB for a group.
Pixelmon
The Pokémon-in-Minecraft pack — evergreen and always popular for public servers. A busy Pixelmon server wants a strong CPU and 6–8 GB+ depending on player count.
Better MC & Prominence
Polished, curated "better vanilla-plus" packs (Better MC, Prominence II) that look and feel great without being overwhelming — ideal for friend groups. Around 6–8 GB.
How much RAM does any modpack actually need?
As a rule of thumb: count the number of mods and their weight, not just the pack's marketing. Small curated packs (under 100 mods) run fine on 4–6 GB for a couple of players; kitchen-sink packs (200+ mods, tech and magic combined) want 8–12 GB even for a small group; and heavily modified packs with a dozen dimensions or huge machine chains can push past that. If you're unsure how to raise the allocation, see how to allocate more RAM to a Minecraft server, and if the server crashes with a heap error, our Java heap space fix covers it.
Modded (Forge/NeoForge) vs plugin (Paper) — pick the right base
Modpacks like ATM10, RLCraft and Pixelmon run on Forge or NeoForge and change the game itself — new blocks, mobs and mechanics. Plugin servers (Paper) instead add features on top of vanilla without changing the client. If your community wants a curated, story-driven world, a modpack is the answer; if you want vanilla Minecraft with quality-of-life and moderation tools instead, see our best free Minecraft plugins guide.
Performance mods worth adding to any heavy pack
Regardless of which modpack you run, a handful of optimisation mods (where the pack allows them) noticeably improve tick rate: chunk and lighting optimisers, entity culling and asynchronous world-saving. If your server is already struggling with low TPS, start with our Minecraft settings to reduce lag guide before piling on more content mods.
Rule of thumb: small kitchen-sink packs want 8 GB+, lighter curated packs are happy on 5–7 GB — and a fast CPU matters more than extra RAM.
Whatever you pick, modpacks love single-core speed and fast storage. Our Minecraft hosting runs high-clock CPUs and NVMe with one-click modpack installs — so you can try a few and see what your community loves. First time setting one up? See how to make a Minecraft server.
Host a specific modpack
We have recommended specs — the exact RAM and player counts — for every popular pack. Browse them all on our Minecraft modpack hosting page, or jump straight to one: All the Mods 10, All the Mods 9, RLCraft, Vault Hunters, Create: Above and Beyond, DawnCraft, Pixelmon, Cobblemon, Better MC, Prominence II RPG, GregTech: New Horizons, Enigmatica 9, FTB Skies, StoneBlock 3, SkyFactory 4 and SkyFactory 5.
Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang Synergies AB / Microsoft. All modpack and mod names are the property of their respective creators. ESAGAMES is an independent hosting provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Mojang, Microsoft or any modpack author.