Simulation Distance refers to how far Minecraft will load entities' interactions with the world or with the player. Read on to learn more about Simulation Distance, how it affects gameplay, and how it's different from Render Distance.

What is Simulation Distance?

Nearby mobs move around freely while the Sheeps in the distance are stationary

Simulation Distance affects the distance that the game will load entities that can still be affected or changed by the player's actions or their own. For example, if you set your Simulation Distance to 4 chunks, then any Mobs not within those 4 chunks will still be visible but static, as seen above.

This is not just restricted to Mobs, as even seeing crops from a farm growing are affected by Simulation Distance. The Simulation Distance does not directly impact crop growth or mob spawns, however, since they will still continue even if they're beyond the distance limit.

Helps with Performance

Java	Bedrock

This setting is present in both Java and Bedrock, and is used to improve the game's performance since it reduces the amount of entities that need to be processed. This will improve your FPS since your CPU will have less burdens.

Released with Java Edition 1.18 Snapshot 21w38a

This was introduced to the Java Edition in 1.18 Snapshot 21w38a. However, it was already present in the Bedrock Edition beforehand.

Source: Minecraft Official Website

Difference with Render Distance

Render Distance merely refers to the number of chunks that are visible to you, affecting how far you can see in your world.

It's best to have the Simulation Distance lower than the Render Distance, since seeing crops grow or Mobs move around will have no impact on your gameplay if you're too far away to interact with them. There's no optimal Render Distance and Simulation Distance setting, so try testing out different variations until you find one that's best suited to your system.

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