If you’re a Minecraft player, you’ve at one point tried a resource pack — and if you haven’t, you’re really missing out on what the game has to offer. After all, Minecraft’s default textures are charming, and some of the new item textures especially have certainly hit the upper limits of pixel art, in a great way. Still, after years — over a decade, for some of us — of looking at the same pixels arranged in the same way, it can get kind of old.
That’s why we’ve made this collection of beautiful Minecraft Resource Packs for you to enjoy while fishing, fighting, farming, mining and building in this incredible game. Please note that while there are tons of popular resource packs that maximize performance with minimalist textures (or absolutely destroy it with hyper-realistic, immersive textures that look more like real life than life itself), this list doesn’t aim to focus on these. These are strictly stylized, i.e. cartoony and non-realistic, resource packs meant to provide a lovely environment for you to enjoy the game in.
Zig Zag by Jamizzle
Zig Zag is a lovely cartoon texture pack that brings a unique Painterly style to the Minecraft world. Everything looks hand-painted on paper, with popping colors and shiny highlights on everything from the creepers to the diamonds. It offers 128x and 64x textures, as well as a new 32x for those with less-than-ideal PCs.
As a stylized pack connoisseur of sorts, I’ve been watching Zig Zag since its debut on Tumblr, and I was glad to see that it’s since been put on the Minecraft Marketplace for the world to see. It’s since enjoyed great popularity, as it well deserves. I’d definitely recommend giving it a try if you’re a fan of cartoon packs such as Sphax — which we’ll cover below as well!
Tale of Jobutara Kingdoms by Pathway Studios
Did someone say RPG? Tales of Jobutara Kingdoms transforms the familiar world, GUI and items of Minecraft into bright, whimsical icons reminiscent of old RPG icons. With gorgeously bright and vibrant colors, this pack relies heavily on high saturation and warm tones to deliver to your eyes an all-you-can-eat feast of hues.
I thought it was especially charming how tons of items have been changed to fit their purposes without being confusing — for instance, baked potatoes have been textured to look like fries, slimeballs to have little faces like archetypal RPG slimes, and the like.
Jolicraft by Jolicraft
An old-timer among the Minecraft texture packs that’s been revamped, renewed and proudly brandished on the Minecraft Marketplace. Jolicraft describes itself as a “whimsical storybook texture pack that will wash the dust away from your dreary world”, and I couldn’t have said it better.
Jolicraft is exclusively 16x, ensuring that all of their charm comes not from HD textures that’ll burn a hole through your PC, but rather true artistic expression within limited pixels. This makes it a great option for those with systems that can’t handle much more than vanilla Minecraft, while also going easy on your eyes.
Pure BDCraft by Sphax
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Sphax on a list post about cartoonish, stylized resource packs! One of the largest and most well-made cartoon packs, Sphax Pure BDCraft is drawn in a popping, cartoon style with shiny illustrations and vibrant colors that look like they were torn straight out of your favorite comic book page (complete with geeky references!)
Sphax can be known to tank performance a little bit when using their higher-end resolutions. However, with their expansion into offerings for 32x, 64x, 128x and 256x packs, there’s now a beautiful Sphax pack for everyone.
Dandelion by Steelfeathers
Dandelion is a beautifully illustrated texture pack that perfectly toes the line between cartoon and pixels, while staying within a lovely color palette. It’s difficult to do Dandelion justice with just words, and that’s saying quite a bit for someone who writes words for a living.
It’s been my personal favorite over the years, and you’d be pressed to find a single texture that isn’t pleasing on the eyes, despite it being a 16x pack with a simple style. Plus, it’s got Biomes o Plenty support, for all you mod experts out there looking for something to reduce the jarring difference between ruby ores and stone.
(Please note that as there is no official Minecraft Marketplace listing for this pack, I’ve linked it to the author’s PlanetMinecraft listing. It is fully updated to 1.16; you may need to dig a bit on the internet for later versions, though!)
The Find by SpiffyJ
Another gorgeous 16x pack that’s easy on the eyes and computer while still giving your Minecraft world a complete, lovely makeover, The Find is certainly one great find (heh). Bright and colorful textures, well-done illustrations and great mastery over pixel art really makes this cheerful, stylistic resource pack.
With custom music and a custom-made trailer video you can view on the page below, it’s clear that this artist values their craft greatly — and you can enjoy the works of their labor right here!
(Please note that as there is no official Minecraft Marketplace listing for this pack, I’ve linked it to the author’s PlanetMinecraft listing.)
Cocricot by Kixiko
A revolutionary pack in the pursuit of “aesthetic”, Cocricot is a stunning European – architecture – inspired pixel pack that’s been featured on the Minecraft official news page despite not having a Marketplace listing. As Marsh Davies, the writer of this article, aptly described this Japanese-made pack: “It’s gorgeous. I love it. It makes me feel warm and comfortable and strangely sad at the same time.”
While it can be used as a breathtaking standalone pack with beautiful chiseled details, custom leaf models and exquisite art, Cocricot also offers a mod that adds hundreds of new furniture and decor blocks into the game, creating a completely new, comforting experience within Minecraft (and giving your aesthetic instagram page one heck of a boost).
Mizuno’s 16 by Mizuno
Finally, last but certainly not least, another stunner from a Japanese artist who claims to be “not good at English” but proves that art transcends all linguistic barriers, Mizuno has become a fast favorite of aesthetic bloggers, builders and influencers everywhere due to its charming and simplistic beauty.
Warm colors and intricate details give this pack a homey feeling that fits right in with this familiar game that’s given us days, months and years of great times and friendships. Plus, if a resource pack can manage to make cobblestone look good, you know you’ve got to give it a try.
(Please note that as there is no official Minecraft Marketplace listing for this pack, I’ve linked it to the author’s PlanetMinecraft listing.)
Conclusion
Sometimes you play Minecraft to fight and destroy your friends in minigames. Sometimes to speedrun the ender dragon and test the limits of mortal hubris. But sometimes, you just want a bit of peace and quiet, spent in the comfort of the pixels that have stayed constant throughout your life.
We hope that this list has given you new ways to appreciate the beautiful, explosively popular game that is Minecraft. Thanks for the read!
