SkyCraft README

The project's README from github.com/chasmlol/SkyCraft. As one markdown file: README.md.

SkyCraft

SkyCraft: a Minecraft player walking through Riverwood with the Minecraft HUD

Play Skyrim as a Minecraft player. You move with Minecraft's physics, carry Minecraft's inventory and HUD, and place and break blocks in Skyrim's world. You fight Skyrim's NPCs with Minecraft weapons, and they fight back.

Neither game is rewritten. Minecraft runs its own game logic, and Skyrim runs its world, NPCs, quests and saves. A Skyrim SKSE plugin and a Minecraft Fabric mod talk to each other through shared memory. Minecraft runs hidden in the background, and Skyrim draws everything.

Status: early and experimental. Expect rough edges, and back up your saves. This is a fan project. It isn't affiliated with Mojang, Microsoft, Bethesda or ZeniMax, and you need to own both games.

What works

Requirements

Skyrim
Skyrim Special Edition, Anniversary Edition runtime (1.6.x / 1.7.x) Developed and tested on 1.7.104. Not SE 1.5.97, not VR.
SKSE64 For your game version
Address Library for SKSE Plugins The "All in one (Anniversary Edition)" file

Heavily recommended: Alternate Start - Live Another Life. Skyrim's opening (the cart ride and Helgen) is heavily scripted and may not work with SkyCraft, so you can get stuck. Alternate Start skips it and lets you choose where your new character begins. Otherwise, play from a save made after Helgen.

Minecraft

You only need a Microsoft account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition. SkyCraft comes with everything else: a portable Prism Launcher set up with Minecraft 26.3, Fabric, Fabric API and the SkyCraft Minecraft mod. Prism downloads Minecraft and Java itself.

Minecraft runs hidden next to Skyrim. Budget about 3 GB of extra RAM, about 1.5 GB of disk for Minecraft's own files, and a GPU that runs Minecraft 26.3.

Installing

  1. Install SkyCraft-<version>.zip with Mod Organizer 2 or Vortex, like any SKSE plugin.
  2. Start Skyrim through SKSE. The first time, SkyCraft unpacks its Minecraft to %LOCALAPPDATA%\SkyCraft and a small Prism Launcher window asks you to sign in with your Microsoft account. Alt-Tab to it, sign in, then go back to Skyrim. Prism downloads Minecraft, Fabric and Java (a few minutes, first time only), and Skyrim's corner messages tell you when Minecraft is ready.
  3. After that it's automatic. Minecraft starts with Skyrim with no window and no sound, opens its SkyCraft world by itself (a new Survival world, created on your PC), and quits when Skyrim closes.

Updating: install the new SkyCraft zip over the old one. The next start updates the Minecraft side too and keeps your sign-in and your world.

Uninstalling: remove the mod, then delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\SkyCraft. That folder holds Prism, your Microsoft sign-in (Prism's), Minecraft's files and your SkyCraft world.

Using your own launcher

Data/SKSE/Plugins/SkyCraft.ini can point SkyCraft at your own Prism, MultiMC or .bat file instead:

[Minecraft]
bStartWithSkyrim = 1              ; 0: start Minecraft yourself, any way you like
sLauncher =                       ; empty: the Minecraft that comes with SkyCraft
sArguments = --launch SkyCraft    ; what your launcher needs to start the SkyCraft instance

Your instance needs Minecraft 26.3, Fabric Loader 0.19.5 or newer, Fabric API, Java 25 and skycraft-fabric-<version>.jar (from the release), plus -Dskycraft.startHidden=true in its JVM arguments if it should stay hidden from the start. SkyCraft never starts a second Minecraft if one with the mod is already running. It starts Minecraft through Windows' shell, so under Mod Organizer Minecraft stays outside MO2's virtual file system and doesn't keep MO2 locked.

Playing with friends

Everyone needs their own Skyrim with SkyCraft. Only the Minecraft world is shared: blocks, items, mobs and each other. Up to 100 players. Each player keeps their own Skyrim world, NPCs and quests.

  1. Host: press O (Minecraft's menu), choose Open to LAN, then Start LAN World. SkyCraft's bundled e4mc puts a link like abc-def.e4mc.link in chat. Click it to copy it, then send it to your friends.
  2. Friends: press T and type /join abc-def.e4mc.link. Your Minecraft leaves its own world and joins the host's.
  3. /leave goes back to your own world. If the host closes their world, you're put back in yours automatically.

With Discord: your Discord status shows SkyCraft while you play. Once you've opened your world to LAN it has a Join button (and you can invite friends from a Discord chat). A friend with Skyrim and SkyCraft already running clicks it and joins you, no link needed.

Controls

Minecraft has priority. These keys still go to Skyrim:

Key Does
G Skyrim activate: doors, NPCs (talk), containers, levers, furniture
Esc Skyrim menu (or closes an open Minecraft screen)
J / M Skyrim journal / map
H Skyrim wait
F9 Skyrim quickload (save from the Esc menu)
~ Skyrim console
O Minecraft pause / options menu

Every other key is Minecraft's: E inventory, F5 camera, T chat, / commands, Shift crouch/sneak, and so on.

Known limitations

Building from source

You need Visual Studio 2026 (C++), CMake 3.25+, Git, and JDK 25.

git clone --recursive <this repo> skycraft
cd skycraft
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg .tools\vcpkg
.tools\vcpkg\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat

cd skse
cmake --preset default
cmake --build --preset release

cd ..\fabric
gradlew build

cd ..
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tools\package.ps1 -NoBuild

tools\package.ps1 builds both halves (drop -NoBuild) and writes the release files to dist\.

For development:

Folder
skse/ The Skyrim SKSE plugin (C++, CommonLibSSE-NG)
fabric/ The Minecraft Fabric mod (Java)
protocol/ The shared-memory protocol between them
tools/ Packaging, test stand-ins (fake_skyrim.py, fake_guest.py) and diagnostics

License

MIT

SkyCraft (chasmlol/SkyCraft)

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SkyCraft
What is this?SkyCraft lets you play Skyrim as if you were a Minecraft player: you move with Minecraft's physics, carry Minecraft's inventory and HUD, and place/break Minecraft blocks inside Skyrim's actual world, fighting Skyrim's NPCs with Minecraft weapons.
Is this a standalone game or a mod for existing games?It's two mods glued together: a Skyrim SKSE plugin and a Minecraft Fabric mod that talk through shared memory. Neither game is rewritten; Minecraft runs hidden in the background while Skyrim renders everything.
How do I install and start it?Install the SkyCraft .zip with Mod Organizer 2 or Vortex like any SKSE plugin, then start Skyrim through SKSE. On first run it unpacks a bundled Prism Launcher, asks you to sign into your Microsoft account, and downloads Minecraft, Fabric and Java automatically; after that it starts Minecraft hidden alongside Skyrim every time.
What do I need to own and install beforehand?You need Skyrim Special Edition/Anniversary Edition (runtime 1.6.x/1.7.x, tested on 1.7.104) with SKSE64 and Address Library installed, plus your own Microsoft account that owns Minecraft: Java Edition — SkyCraft bundles Prism Launcher, Fabric and Java for the Minecraft side.
What doesn't work yet, or could trip me up?It's early and experimental: Skyrim's inventory, magic, shouts and perks can't be opened while Minecraft is driving the player, Minecraft hits don't reach non-NPC Skyrim objects, there's no switch back to plain Skyrim, sign text isn't drawn, all interiors share one Minecraft world (so blocks can leak between them), and camera-mod conflicts (SmoothCam, Improved Camera SE) will break it. Skyrim's scripted opening (cart ride/Helgen) may also get you stuck.
Which OS does this run on?Windows only — it's built around SKSE64 and Mod Organizer 2/Vortex, and starts Minecraft through Windows' shell.
Can I play with friends?Yes, up to 100 players, but only the Minecraft world is shared (blocks, items, mobs); everyone keeps their own separate Skyrim world, NPCs and quests. Hosting uses Minecraft's Open to LAN plus a bundled e4mc link, or Discord's rich presence Join button.
Does digging into Skyrim's terrain actually change the world?Yes — mining ground, rocks, roads and objects drops real Minecraft blocks (dirt, stone, ores, bedrock), craters from TNT or creepers are permanent, and what you dig is saved in your Minecraft world. A toggle in the Minecraft pause menu can turn Skyrim destruction off.
Does playing SkyCraft affect my Skyrim character's skills?Yes — Minecraft actions train Skyrim skills automatically: swinging swords/tools trains One-Handed, axes/spears train Two-Handed, bows/thrown items train Archery, shields train Block, taking hits trains Armor, crafting trains Smithing, and sneaking trains Sneak.
What are similar projects?2010-rust-rewrite-mashup, iw4L, skate-3-rust-engine, ReSkate, luanti, CnC_Remastered_Collection, CircuitLordVRModInstaller, D2R-3D
Which topics is it in?physics, multiplayer, game-modding, modding, protocol, game-engine, microsoft, game, windows-app, gaming, c++, java
Creator
chasmlol
Size
0.8 MB
Stars
1.2K
Updated
CommitOct 01Releasev0.1.2Oct 01
Age
18d
Commits · 90 Days