How to install TownTopia

TownTopia is a mod for Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.1. It runs on NeoForge and needs one other mod, GeckoLib. Never installed a mod before? This guide walks you through every click and takes about ten minutes.

1. Open the Minecraft Launcher once

   If you've played Minecraft Java on this computer before, skip this step. Otherwise install the official Minecraft Launcher, log in, and close it again. NeoForge installs into the launcher, so the launcher has to exist first.

2. Install NeoForge

   1. Download the NeoForge installer:
      Download NeoForge 21.1.238 installer
      Any newer 1.21.1 build from neoforged.net works too: look for a version starting with 21.1.
   2. Your browser may warn that this kind of file (.jar) can be harmful. This is NeoForge's official installer, so choose Keep.
   3. Double-click the downloaded file. A window called NeoForge Installer opens.
   4. Pick Install client, leave the folder as it is, and click OK. Wait until it says Successfully installed client.

   Double-clicking doesn't work?

   Windows: if nothing happens, or the file opens like a zip (WinRAR, 7-Zip), your computer is missing Java. Install Java 21 from Adoptium (the .msi installer), then double-click the NeoForge file again. You can also right-click it and choose Open with → Java(TM) Platform SE binary or OpenJDK Platform binary.

   Mac: if it says the file is from an unidentified developer, right-click it, choose Open, then Open again.

3. Set up a TownTopia profile

   Open the Minecraft Launcher and go to Installations. NeoForge added one called neoforge. Don't see it? Tick Modded at the top of the list.

   We recommend giving TownTopia its own folder and more memory. Hover over the installation, click … and then Edit:

   • Name: TownTopia
   • Game directory: click Browse and pick a new, empty folder, for example C:\Games\TownTopia. This keeps TownTopia's mods and worlds apart from your normal game. You can skip this; the game then uses your regular .minecraft folder.
   • More options → JVM arguments: the text starts with -Xmx2G. Change it to -Xmx6G (4G at the very least). That's how much memory the game may use, and villages with lots of villagers need it.

   Click Save, then Play. Wait for the title screen and quit the game. This first start creates the mods folder.

4. Open your mods folder

   The easiest way: in Installations, hover over TownTopia and click the folder icon. That opens the game folder; the mods folder is inside.

   Or open it by hand. If you picked your own game directory in step 3, the mods folder is in there. Otherwise:

   Windows

   Press Win + R, type

   %appdata%\.minecraft\mods

   and press Enter. The AppData folder is hidden in File Explorer, but this shortcut goes straight there.

   Mac

   In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder… (Shift + Cmd + G) and enter

   ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/mods

   Linux

   Open your file manager at

   ~/.minecraft/mods

   Folders starting with a dot are hidden: press Ctrl + H to show them.

5. Add TownTopia and GeckoLib

   Download both mods:

   Download TownTopia Download GeckoLib

   On GeckoLib's page, pick the file for NeoForge and 1.21.1, version 4.8 or newer, not the Forge or Fabric one.

   Move both .jar files into the mods folder. Leave them as they are: don't unzip or rename them.

   Beta tester? The tester pack already has both jars: unzip the pack and copy the two files from its mods folder.

6. Play

   Start the TownTopia installation in the launcher. On the title screen, click Mods: TownTopia and GeckoLib should both be in the list. Create a new world and found your first town.

   How to start your first village