Fog IDs Reference and Stack Management

Bedrock Edition does not simply apply one fog setting at a time; instead, it evaluates a prioritized list called the fog stack. Every player has an individual fog stack managed by the client. At the absolute bottom of this stack sits the default fallback fog, which only renders if no biome or command provides valid settings. Directly above the default layer is the biome fog layer, which updates automatically as the player walks across chunk borders into different biomes.

Above the biome layer sits the command layer, controlled via the /fog command or script APIs. When you push a fog ID to a player using a command, you must also supply a user-defined ID string. This string acts as a handle, allowing you to pop or remove that specific fog instance later without accidentally clearing other environmental fogs. If multiple fogs are pushed to the command layer, the most recently pushed fog takes priority at the top of the stack.

Finally, active status effects like Blindness or Darkness override the standard stack behavior for distance rendering, forcing the fog start and end planes immediately in front of the camera regardless of what biome or command fog is currently active.

The Overworld relies heavily on biome-specific fog definitions to subtly shift the sky and horizon color between cold, temperate, and warm regions. While most standard surface biomes share the exact same distance values in vanilla, they remain separated by unique identifiers so resource pack creators can customize individual regions without affecting the entire dimension. For example, replacing the swampland fog allows you to create a murky, close-range atmosphere in swamps while leaving adjacent plains completely clear.

When referencing these in commands or custom biome files, always include the minecraft: namespace. Omitting the namespace in a custom biome client definition will cause the game to look for a custom fog under a missing namespace and fall back to the default engine fog.

Unlike the Overworld, where fog primarily blends the far render distance border into the skybox, Nether fogs are aggressive and close-range. They use fixed distance values rather than render-distance multipliers in certain modes, obscuring terrain to create a claustrophobic atmosphere and hide unloaded chunks inside the dimension ceiling. Each Nether biome uses a distinct fog color to dramatically shift the mood as players travel.

The End dimension uses a single identifier across the central island and outer void islands, producing a dark, starless purple-black horizon.

You can create completely new fog identifiers or override the vanilla IDs listed above by placing a JSON file in the RP/fogs/ directory of your resource pack. The file name does not dictate the identifier; the identifier inside the description object is what commands and biome files actually read.

A fog definition is split into two primary parts: distance and volumetric. The distance object controls standard linear fog for different camera media (air, water, weather, lava). Setting render_distance_type to render makes the fog_start and fog_end values act as multipliers of the player's current video settings (from 0.0 to 1.0). Setting it to fixed interprets those numbers as exact block distances from the camera, which is useful for blinding sandstorms or pitch-black dungeons.

{
  "format_version": "1.16.100",
  "minecraft:fog_settings": {
    "description": {
      "identifier": "my_pack:fog_toxic_swamp"
    },
    "distance": {
      "air": {
        "fog_start": 4.0,
        "fog_end": 28.0,
        "fog_color": "#4E6B2C",
        "render_distance_type": "fixed"
      },
      "water": {
        "fog_start": 0.0,
        "fog_end": 8.0,
        "fog_color": "#2A3B17",
        "render_distance_type": "fixed"
      },
      "weather": {
        "fog_start": 2.0,
        "fog_end": 16.0,
        "fog_color": "#394F21",
        "render_distance_type": "fixed"
      }
    }
  }
}

To make a biome use a vanilla or custom fog ID without running commands, bind it inside RP/biomes_client.json. Every biome key in this file accepts a fog_identifier string alongside its water surface color and transparency settings. This file applies to both vanilla biome overrides and custom biomes created in your behavior pack.

Notice that biomes_client.json does not use the standard minecraft: prefix on the biome object keys themselves, except when necessary for custom namespaces, though the fog_identifier value always requires its full namespace.

{
  "biomes": {
    "swampland": {
      "water_surface_color": "#4c6559",
      "water_surface_transparency": 1.0,
      "fog_identifier": "my_pack:fog_toxic_swamp"
    }
  }
}

Applies to Minecraft Bedrock 1.16.100 and newer. No experimental toggles are required to create custom fog JSON files, use RP/biomes_client.json, or run the /fog command.

Read out of the game itself, so the ids match the version you are building for.