# Fold Craft Launcher: Running Minecraft Java Edition on Android > Fold Craft Launcher is an Android launcher for Minecraft: Java Edition, built on HMCL's core with the Amethyst-Android backend. It supports every game version and most mod loaders, but it inherits the graphics and input limits of running a desktop game on a phone. **FCL-Team/FoldCraftLauncher** — Fold Craft Launcher, an Android Minecraft : Java Edition launcher. - Repository: https://github.com/FCL-Team/FoldCraftLauncher - Stars: 4,806 · Forks: 319 - Language: Java - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-09-23 · Updated: 2026-09-23 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/fcl-team-foldcraftlauncher ## What Fold Craft Launcher Solves on Android Minecraft: Java Edition is a desktop program. It expects a JVM, a windowing system and a GPU driver that behaves like a desktop one. Android offers none of those in the form the game assumes. Fold Craft Launcher exists to bridge that gap: it is an Android launcher that installs, manages and starts Java Edition, including modded instances. The README is explicit about its lineage. The launcher is built by FCL-Team on top of HMCL's core functionality, with the fclcore module ported from org.jackhuang.hmcl, and it uses the Amethyst-Android backend (a PojavLauncher Android fork) for JVM startup and rendering. That combination is the whole pitch: HMCL's version and instance management, plus PojavLauncher's Android runtime plumbing. Who it is for: players who own Java Edition and want to play it on a phone or tablet with mods, resource packs and shaders. It is not a way to play Bedrock, and it is not a way to play Java Edition without owning it. The README frames the audience around installing different versions and running mods, which is the same job HMCL does on desktop. ## How the HMCL Core and Amethyst-Android Backend Fit Together The architecture splits into two layers, and the repository layout reflects it. The FCL directory holds the Android application. The Terracotta directory holds the JNI wrapper for the Terracotta LAN networking module. LWJGL and ZipFileSystem are separate top-level modules, and there is a version_map.json at the root alongside build.gradle.kts. The upper layer is launcher logic inherited from HMCL: resolving game versions, downloading libraries and assets, assembling a classpath, and managing instances. The lower layer is Amethyst-Android, which starts the JVM and provides the rendering path. That is why the README lists OpenJDK builds by FCL-Team, LWJGL3 with Android source patches, and LWJGLX as a compatibility layer exposing the LWJGL2 API that older Minecraft versions call. Rendering is where the desktop illusion is thinnest. Graphics go through GL4ES, the NG-GL4ES fork, ANGLE, Mesa, virglrenderer and SPIRV-Cross, all listed as dependencies. The README states shader support requires the VirGL, Zink or MG renderer. That is a real constraint, not a footnote: on a stock Android GPU driver the game may start but shaders will not. Networking is a second layer. EasyTier provides the peer-to-peer mesh underneath, and Terracotta wraps it through JNI under the net.burningtnt.terracotta package for LAN play between players. ## Installing Fold Craft Launcher and Launching a First Instance The README does not give an install command. It is an Android application, so the distribution path is a release build rather than a package manager. The repository publishes releases; the current line is 1.3.3.3, released on 2026-09-18, following 1.3.3.2 and 1.3.3.1 earlier in the month. The README also links Discord and a QQ group for support, and the badges include a CI workflow at .github/workflows/build.yml. If you build from source, the Gradle wrapper is in the repository root. The README does not document the required JDK or Android SDK versions, so the wrapper is the only entry point you can rely on. On Windows the repository ships gradlew.bat for the same task. The build outputs land under the FCL module, which is where the Android application lives. Once installed and opened, the workflow mirrors HMCL: create an instance, pick a Minecraft version, and let the launcher download the libraries and assets. Java runtimes are bundled for Java 8, 17, 21 and 25, and the README states you can also import your own Java. Mod loaders are selected per instance; the README lists Forge, NeoForge, LiteLoader, OptiFine, Fabric, Quilt and Cleanroom. Controls are the part most users will adjust first. The launcher provides a virtual mouse and custom key mapping, and it can convert control layouts between FCL and ZalithLauncher2, importing a ZL2 layout automatically. If you already have a ZL2 layout, bring it over rather than rebuilding it by hand. ## Where Fold Craft Launcher Falls Short The rendering dependency list is the main limitation. Shaders require VirGL, Zink or MG, and those are not the default path on every device. The README does not publish a device compatibility matrix, so whether a specific phone or tablet works is something you find out by trying it, not by reading the documentation. Input is the second gap. A virtual mouse and key mapping are a substitute for a mouse and keyboard, not an equivalent. The README presents them as features, and they are, but the phrasing also signals the trade-off: you are playing a game designed around precise pointer input on a touchscreen. Platform reach is the third. Fold Craft Launcher is an Android launcher. The related search data includes people asking about iOS, and the README offers nothing for it. There is also a search phrase about a PC version; the README describes an Android application only. Finally, the README does not document rollback, checksums or signature verification for release builds. For a launcher that downloads game files and executes a JVM, that silence matters, and it is the reason the FAQ below cannot answer the safety question with a guarantee. ## Fold Craft Launcher Compared with PojavLauncher PojavLauncher is the obvious comparison, and the relationship is closer than a typical rivalry. Fold Craft Launcher uses Amethyst-Android, which the README describes as a PojavLauncher Android fork, as its JVM and rendering backend. So the two share a foundation. The difference is the layer above it. Fold Craft Launcher takes its launcher core from HMCL, with fclcore ported from org.jackhuang.hmcl. That means version resolution, instance management and mod loader handling follow HMCL's model rather than PojavLauncher's. If you have used HMCL on desktop, the instance and version concepts will look familiar. Fold Craft Launcher also adds pieces PojavLauncher does not ship in the same form: renderer plugins through FCLRendererPlugin, driver plugins through FCLDriverPlugin, control layout conversion with ZalithLauncher2, and the Terracotta and EasyTier networking stack for LAN play. The README lists all of these as related projects or dependencies rather than features invented in isolation. If you want the smallest possible Android Java Edition setup, PojavLauncher is the more direct route, since Fold Craft Launcher layers HMCL's management on top. If you want HMCL-style instance handling and the plugin surface, Fold Craft Launcher is the one that has it. ## Licence, Maintenance and the Cost of Upgrading Fold Craft Launcher is licensed under GPL-3.0. That is a copyleft licence. If you redistribute a modified version, or ship a product that links against this code, the GPL-3.0 obligations attach to the combined work. That is a statement about what the licence says, not legal advice; if you plan to redistribute, read the licence text and talk to someone qualified. The dependency licences are not uniform, and this is worth checking before you fork. Amethyst-Android is GPL-3.0. Terracotta is AGPL-3.0, which is stricter than GPL-3.0 for network use. EasyTier and TouchController are LGPL-3.0. OpenAL-Soft is LGPL-2.1 with a bundled pffft component marked ARR (all rights reserved). LWJGLX is listed with an unknown licence. That last one is a gap in the dependency documentation, and it is the kind of gap that matters when you are deciding whether a fork is safe to publish. Maintenance looks current. The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-09-22, one day before this writing. Releases have come at a steady cadence: 1.3.3.1 on 2026-09-08, 1.3.3.2 on 2026-09-13, and 1.3.3.3 on 2026-09-18. The README also points to Weblate for localisation, so translations are managed outside the repository and do not require installing tooling. Upgrade cost is mostly on the user side. Because the launcher bundles Java runtimes and renderer components, a version bump can change the graphics stack underneath an existing instance. The README does not document a rollback path, so keeping the previous release build around is the practical precaution. ## Conclusion Adopt Fold Craft Launcher if you want Minecraft: Java Edition with mods on an Android device and accept that rendering goes through VirGL, Zink or MG and that shaders need those renderers. Skip it if you need iOS, a desktop launcher, or a build you can verify against a published checksum, since the README points to Discord and QQ for support and does not document a hash. Before installing, check the release page for the current version and confirm your device's Android version and GPU are supported by the renderer you intend to use. ## FAQ ### What is Fold Craft Launcher? It is an Android launcher for Minecraft: Java Edition, developed by FCL-Team. It is based on HMCL's core functionality and uses the Amethyst-Android backend, which the README describes as a PojavLauncher Android fork, for JVM startup and rendering. ### How do I download Fold Craft Launcher? The README does not give a download command. It is an Android application, so you get it from the project's releases; the current line is 1.3.3.3, released on 2026-09-18. Building from source uses the Gradle wrapper in the repository root. ### How do I use Fold Craft Launcher? Create an instance, choose a Minecraft version, and select a mod loader; the README lists Forge, NeoForge, LiteLoader, OptiFine, Fabric, Quilt and Cleanroom. Java 8, 17, 21 and 25 runtimes are bundled, and you can import your own Java. Controls are configured through the virtual mouse and custom key mapping. ### Is Fold Craft Launcher safe? The README does not publish checksums, signatures or a security policy for release builds, so it cannot be used to verify a download. What it does document is the licence (GPL-3.0) and the dependency list, including Amethyst-Android, EasyTier and Terracotta. ### How does Fold Craft Launcher compare with PojavLauncher? They share a foundation: Fold Craft Launcher uses Amethyst-Android, a PojavLauncher Android fork, as its JVM and rendering backend. The difference is the layer above, where Fold Craft Launcher uses HMCL's core, with fclcore ported from org.jackhuang.hmcl, and adds renderer and driver plugins plus FCL to ZalithLauncher2 control layout conversion. ## Sources - [FCL-Team/FoldCraftLauncher on GitHub](https://github.com/FCL-Team/FoldCraftLauncher) - [Issues](https://github.com/FCL-Team/FoldCraftLauncher/issues) - [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/FCL-Team/FoldCraftLauncher/blob/main/LICENSE) - [README](https://github.com/FCL-Team/FoldCraftLauncher/blob/main/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/FCL-Team/FoldCraftLauncher/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/fcl-team-foldcraftlauncher