How to Update a Create: Above and Beyond Server | 2026 Guide
Create: Above and Beyond is unusual among active modpacks: it's still on Forge 1.16.5, and that's deliberate — roughly two dozen of its mods have never been ported further. Knowing that changes what updating this pack actually means.
For RAM sizing, see how much RAM does a Create: Above and Beyond server need, or the Create: Above and Beyond pack page.
1. Understand what kind of update you're actually doing
Because the official pack stays on Forge 1.16.5, a real update here is a patch release within that same Minecraft version — bug fixes, balance changes, the occasional mod bump — not a jump to a newer Minecraft version.
If what you actually want is a newer Minecraft version with the same Create-progression idea, that's CABIN (Create Above & Beyond In Newer), a separate community remaster on 1.18.2/1.20.1. Treat moving to it as a migration with its own world, not an update of your current one.
2. Back up before any patch
Create contraptions are sensitive to version drift in a way plainer packs aren't — a moving factory line mid-save, or a mod patch that changes block behavior, can corrupt in ways that are hard to spot immediately.
A full world backup before any update, however minor it looks in the changelog, is the cheap insurance.
3. Get the matching server pack
- Download the server pack specifically from the same CurseForge listing, not the client pack.
- Shut the server down cleanly with the stop command before swapping files.
- Keep the old version's files aside until you've confirmed the update works, rather than deleting immediately.
4. Verify Create contraptions specifically on first boot
Generic chunk loading isn't enough verification here. Check that a moving contraption — an elevator, a mixer, a train — still runs correctly after the update before calling it done. Create's mechanical systems are exactly the kind of thing a subtle version mismatch breaks first.
FAQ
Is Create: Above and Beyond getting a 1.18 or 1.20 update?+
The official pack is still on Forge 1.16.5 — roughly two dozen of its mods haven't been ported to newer versions, which is the real blocker, not a lack of maintenance. If you want a newer Minecraft version with the same core idea, CABIN (Create Above & Beyond In Newer) is a community remaster on 1.18.2/1.20.1 — that's a different pack to migrate to, not an update to apply.
What actually changes when Above and Beyond gets a patch?+
Small bug fixes and balance tweaks within 1.16.5 — the kind of update that's low-risk with a normal backup-first workflow, since it isn't touching mod versions across a Minecraft version line.
Do I need the server pack or the client pack to update?+
The server pack specifically, from the same CurseForge listing as the client pack. It's built to run headless and doesn't carry resource/shader files the server doesn't need.
Run Create: Above and Beyond on the right Forge build by default
CoalHost pins the exact Forge 1.16.5 build this pack needs and keeps backups ahead of every update, so contraption-breaking surprises don't happen.
View Create AB Hosting →