Native on Apple Silicon · Vulkan
Minecraft Beta 1.7.3, built for the Mac.
Silica is a launcher and an improved build of Beta 1.7.3 with a Vulkan renderer, a better inventory, and real world tools. No Rosetta.
Apple M5 · 1080p fullscreen · render distance 256
Requires macOS 14+, Apple Silicon, and a Minecraft: Java Edition purchase.
Over three times the frame rate.
The same world, camera path and seed on both renderers. Vulkan on MoltenVK keeps the Mac busy with the game instead of the driver.
Far · 256 blocks
Normal · 128 blocks
Average FPS. Apple M5, 1080p fullscreen, fixed camera path and seed 1337, 10 s warm-up, 20 s measured, run on Nov 12, 2026.
The Beta you remember, with the rough edges sanded off.
- Inventory. Sort chests, drag to spread stacks, number keys to swap, shift-click to craft in bulk.
- Worlds. Resume your last world, set an autosave interval, back up, import and export saves.
- Controls and sound. Toggle sneak, a zoom key, volume sliders, and directional sound captions.
- Commands and debug. Optional cheats with Tab completion, and a much fuller F3 screen.
- A launcher that helps. Guided setup, performance presets, benchmarks, and plain-language crash hints.
Questions
When can I download it?
Silica is waiting on Microsoft’s approval for its sign-in. The download goes up here as soon as that comes through.
Do I need to own Minecraft?
Yes. You sign in with the Microsoft account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition, and Silica checks the purchase before it starts the game.
Is it free?
Free and open source at release. No charges, no revenue.
Does it include Mojang’s game?
No. Silica contains no Mojang code or assets. On first run it downloads the game from Mojang’s own servers to your Mac, checks it against Mojang’s checksum, and prepares it locally.
Will my worlds still work?
Yes. Worlds stay plain Beta 1.7.3 worlds, compatible with the original game and servers.
Which Macs does it support?
Apple Silicon only, on macOS 14 or later. It runs natively and never under Rosetta.