Overview
The Lost Cities turns the normal Minecraft world into a network of abandoned skyscrapers, apartment blocks, factories, highways and subway tunnels. The mod generates these urban ruins directly into the terrain, so they blend with existing biomes and can coexist with other world-generation mods.
Who it’s for
If you enjoy exploring dense, loot-filled environments and want a fresh take on survival, this mod fits players who prefer server-side gameplay. Because the client side has no features, vanilla players can join a server running Lost Cities without installing anything extra.
Core features
- Procedural megacities - Streets, bridges, railways, tunnels and subways appear automatically. Buildings range from towering skyscrapers to low-rise apartments, each with varying levels of decay.
- Rich interiors - Inside structures you’ll find chests, mob spawners, cellars, lighting and configurable damage levels, creating a sense of danger and reward.
- Multiple generation profiles - Choose from presets such as sprawling skylines, isolated ruins, domed cities or heavily damaged zones. An in-game screen lets you tweak frequency, building height, loot tables and more.
- Mod compatibility - The city layout respects other biome and terrain generators, allowing you to layer Lost Cities with additional world-gen mods.
- Data-driven assets - Buildings, palettes and city styles are defined in external files, giving modpack creators the ability to add custom content without changing code.
Technical details
- Server-only - All generation runs on the server; clients don't need the mod to connect.
- Supported loaders - Forge, Fabric and NeoForge are all compatible.
- Minecraft versions - The mod is officially listed for 1.20.1, 1.21.1, 1.21.11, 26.1.2 and 26.2.
- License - Distributed under the MIT License, allowing free use and modification.
Configuration and customization
Profiles are selected during world creation and stored in a server-side configuration file. Changing a profile later only affects newly generated chunks, which can lead to abrupt borders if the world is already populated. Custom profiles can be added by placing JSON files in the appropriate server config folder.
Development and documentation
The project’s source lives on GitHub, where the repository includes documentation on the asset system, city generation pipeline, profile options and thread-safety considerations. Honestly, a changelog tracks updates across versions.
Caveats
- The mod doesn't provide any client-side features; vanilla clients will see only the generated terrain.
- Only the listed Minecraft versions are guaranteed to work; other releases aren't covered by the official record.
- Compatibility is limited to the three supported loaders; using a different loader won't load the mod.
Getting started
Install the version that matches your server’s Minecraft release and loader, enable Lost Cities in the server’s mod list, and select a generation profile before creating the world. Once the world is generated, players can explore the endless concrete maze and scavenge the hidden loot.
