Tellus review

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Tellus is a free Minecraft Java Edition world-generation mod for players who want to explore landscapes shaped by real-world geography. It uses elevation data to generate Earth-scale terrain, draws roads and buildings from OpenStreetMap, and places biomes to reflect real-world climate regions. A map interface lets players choose a location, while settings for world scale, terrain height, sea level and altitude limits shape the result. Tellus covers the overworld rather than adding dimensions or new biomes, so its appeal is geographic exploration rather than expanding Minecraft’s biome roster.

Its world-building controls are a central strength: players can preview terrain settings before creating a world and adjust the scale and vertical limits. Optional real-time weather and time can follow the selected location. Tellus also integrates with Distant Horizons and supports Voxy chunk ingestion for distant-terrain rendering workflows. It supports Fabric, Forge and NeoForge across the listed Minecraft versions, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Retrieving geographic data requires an internet connection, which is an important consideration for offline play.

Tellus is better suited to exploration and testing than a long-term survival world: the project says survival features are incomplete. Although the page describes server-side and client/server environments, official server support is not yet available, and it recommends creating worlds in singleplayer first. That makes Tellus a fit for players who want a location-driven terrain experience and are comfortable with those constraints, but a poor choice for players seeking a finished survival-focused mod or official server support.

Tellus pros and cons

• Where it wins
  • Builds terrain from geographic elevation data and OpenStreetMap features
  • Offers a map picker plus previews and adjustable terrain settings
  • Supports Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, with Distant Horizons and Voxy integration
• Where it doesn't
  • Requires an internet connection to retrieve geographic data
  • Survival features are incomplete; the project recommends exploration and testing
  • Official server support is not yet available, and worlds should start in singleplayer

Tellus fact sheet, pricing and score →

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Last updated 21 Oct 2026 · How we research and update