Modpack Roundup: Notable Multiplayer Modpacks Worth Watching in 2026
A look at multiplayer modpacks with steady server traction in 2026: All The Mods 9, Vault Hunters, Cobblemon packs, Better MC, Create packs and FTB skyblock packs, with the loader each targets and the communities they attract.
ChunkPod Team · · 7 min read
Modpack Roundup: Notable Multiplayer Modpacks Worth Watching in 2026
Multiplayer modpacks live and die on whether a group can actually play together for weeks without the whole thing collapsing. That means predictable performance, updates that don't break saves, and gameplay loops that give everyone something to do at the same time. A handful of packs have picked up steady traction in server communities on exactly those grounds. The sections below cover what each is built around, which loader it targets, and the kind of server community that tends to form around it.
All The Mods 9
All The Mods 9, usually shortened to ATM9, is the ninth entry in the long-running All The Mods series from the ATM team. It's a kitchen-sink pack, which means it bundles hundreds of mods rather than building around a single theme. Tech mods sit next to magic mods, and the pack ships with an in-game quest chain that funnels players toward the ATM Star, a late-game craftable that pulls resources from most of the pack's major systems.
ATM9 runs on Forge for Minecraft 1.20.1. All The Mods 10 is the newer entry in the series and runs on NeoForge for Minecraft 1.21.1. Servers running ATM9 tend to be small to medium groups where each player claims a specialty: one person handles power, another handles storage, someone else runs mob farms. The ATM Star is long enough to keep a group of four or five occupied for months, and communities usually pool their infrastructure. Shared item networks, communal quarries and public grinders are the norm, which pushes players to cooperate rather than build a walled-off private base.
Vault Hunters 3rd Edition
Vault Hunters, developed by Iskallia, is built around one central mechanic: procedurally generated dungeons called vaults. Players farm materials in the overworld, craft vault crystals, then use those crystals to enter a timed run inside a self-contained pocket dimension. Each vault has an objective, such as clearing rooms, finding scavenger items or hunting bosses, and the loot from a successful run drives the next round of gear upgrades.
The pack runs on Forge. Its multiplayer side works best on servers where players build a shared hub with vendors, gear rooms and communal storage, then take turns going into vaults or run them as a group. Communities around Vault Hunters skew toward players who like grinding, comparing builds and running seasonal resets. It isn't a passive SMP. The whole pack is structured around getting stronger for the next vault, and servers usually set weekly targets or ladder events to keep the group's progression aligned.
Cobblemon-based packs
Cobblemon is a Fabric mod that adds a Pokemon-style capture and battle system to Minecraft, using original 3D models rather than pixel sprites. It isn't a modpack itself, but multiple pack teams have built questing modpacks around it, layering exploration mods, custom regions and quality-of-life additions on top of the Cobblemon core loop.
Because Cobblemon-based packs run on Fabric, they tend to be lighter on server resources than a large Forge kitchen-sink pack. That makes them a reasonable fit for a small group running a server on modest hardware. The communities that form around these packs lean social. Trading is the natural center of gravity, and organized servers often run gym-style progression, tournaments and league seasons rather than base-building competitions. If a group cares more about events and shared systems than about mining and automation, a Cobblemon pack is worth a look.
The Better MC series
Better MC is a family of modpacks aimed at making the base survival loop richer without pushing players toward a fixed endgame. Different editions target different loaders and Minecraft versions, including Fabric, Forge and NeoForge variants. The packs pull in structure and biome mods, harder mob behavior, better animations, and lightweight RPG systems, without wiring everything to a single questline.
Servers running Better MC tend to be casual SMPs. There isn't a defined endgame goal dictating how the group plays, so people gravitate to what they already enjoy: base building, exploration, boss hunting, or a bit of everything. It fits groups who want a longer, more textured survival run rather than a tech grind or a dungeon crawl. Because the pack isn't quest-driven, admins usually add their own goals, whether that's community builds, a shared town or a periodic boss night.
Create-focused packs
Create is a mod that adds mechanical contraptions, belt-driven factories and, through its train system, working railways. It's popular enough that several modpacks have been built specifically around it. Create: Astral is a Fabric example. Create: Above and Beyond is an older Forge pack that treats Create as the primary progression tool rather than one option among many. Newer Create-centric packs continue to appear as the mod itself picks up updates.
Server communities around Create packs are engineering-heavy. Players collaborate on large contraption builds, share ore processing chains and often lay a communal train network across the server's spawn area. The pack style rewards patience and system design more than combat skill, so the servers tend to attract builders and factory-planners rather than PvP players. Screenshots and video tours are a big part of the community culture, since a lot of the fun of Create is showing other people what you built.
FTB Skies and FTB Oceanblock
The Feed The Beast team maintains a set of skyblock-style packs, most notably FTB Skies and FTB Oceanblock. Both drop players into a small starting area, an island or a boat on open water, and rely on a quest book to guide expansion outward. Both target Forge.
Skyblock packs form the tightest server communities of anything on this list. A team of two to four is often enough, and the shared-island model means everyone works on the same base rather than spreading out across a large world. Progression is defined, milestones are visible, and there is little pressure to run the server open to strangers. For a small group of friends who want a modded pack with clear goals and a manageable footprint, an FTB skyblock pack is one of the easier calls to make.
Picking between them
The pack that fits a server is mostly a question of matching the pack's rhythm to what the group actually wants to do together. A kitchen-sink pack rewards long attention spans and role specialization. A vault-style pack rewards a group that likes shared grinds and defined targets. A skyblock pack rewards small, tight teams. A Cobblemon pack rewards a group that would rather run events than automate quarries. Better to run a smaller pack that everyone finishes together than a bigger one that half the group drops out of after two weeks.
Once a pack is chosen, the server side is its own project. Modded servers usually need more RAM than a vanilla or Paper server, and Java startup flags matter more than they do on lighter servers. The JVM Arguments Generator at chunkpod.com/tools has presets for Forge and Fabric sized to the RAM given to the server, which is a reasonable starting point.
ChunkPod itself is a Minecraft host in early access. If running a modded server yourself sounds like more work than it's worth, joining the waitlist at chunkpod.com is the way in once hosting opens.