# Run an older Minecraft version

> Run 1.12.2, 1.16.5, 1.8.9 or any release the game ever had, and let newer clients join with ViaVersion.

Source: https://fadehost.com/docs/old-versions/

Every Minecraft release is in the version list, back to the early ones, and the right Java runs each of them.

## Pick the version

**Server Software** in the header: choose the software, then the version. 1.12.2 for RLCraft-era packs, 1.16.5 for the last big Forge generation, 1.8.9 for PvP. Java 8 is selected for those automatically; nothing to install.

## Let newer clients join

Players on the current version cannot join an older server by default. On Paper, Purpur and Spigot, install **ViaVersion** from **Resources**, **Plugins**: clients on newer versions join an older server. **ViaBackwards** does the reverse (older clients on a newer server), **ViaRewind** reaches back to 1.8.

## Good to know

- Old versions are slower on big heaps. Keep 1.12.2 and older at 4 to 6 GB. See [Allocate RAM](/docs/allocate-ram/).
- Worlds only move forward. A 1.16 world opens on 1.20; a 1.20 world does not open on 1.16. Back up before any version change. See [Change version](/docs/change-version/).
- Snapshots and pre-releases are listed for vanilla; they are not for a world you care about.