Cobblemon Minimap Icons Not Working: Why Your Map Is Empty and How to Fix It

You've spent three hours building the perfect modpack. You finally spawn into a lush meadow, eager to hunt down a Scyther or maybe a rare shiny. You glance at your minimap, expecting to see those cute little sprites dancing around your position.

Instead? Nothing.

Maybe it’s just a sea of generic colored dots. Or worse, the map is a total void where the Pokémon should be. It's frustrating. Honestly, it kind of ruins the "tracker" vibe that makes Cobblemon feel so much like the handheld games.

If you're staring at a map that refuse to cooperate, you aren't alone. This is one of the most common hiccups in the Cobblemon community. Usually, the issue isn't that the mod is "broken." It’s almost always a disconnect between your map mod settings and your resource packs.

The Most Likely Reason Your Icons Are Missing

Most people assume that installing a minimap like Xaero’s or JourneyMap automatically gives them Pokémon icons.

It doesn't.

Minecraft minimaps are designed to show "mobs." By default, they use dots or basic heads. Cobblemon entities are technically complex models that the minimap doesn't inherently know how to "draw" as a flat sprite. To see them, you generally need two things: the right settings toggled and a specific icon resource pack.

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If you're using Xaero’s Minimap, the "Entity Radar" is your best friend and your worst enemy.

Checking the Xaero’s Settings

First, hit Y (the default key) to open your minimap settings. Navigate to Entity Radar Settings.
Look for a setting called Display Icons. If this is set to "Dots" or "Player List," you'll never see the sprites. Switch it to Always.

Suddenly, you might see icons! But wait—are they just tiny, blurry versions of the 3D models? That’s because you’re missing the "secret sauce" used by big modpacks like Big Chad Guys or Star Academy.

The Resource Pack Requirement

You need a dedicated icon pack. There are a few heavy hitters in this space that everyone uses.

• E19 Cobblemon Minimap Icons: This is arguably the gold standard. It’s clean, it supports shiny variants with a little sparkle, and it covers almost everything currently in the mod.
• Kiece - Cobblemon Minimap Icons: Another solid choice that a lot of CurseForge users swear by.
• Maxi’s JourneyMap Icons: If you’re a JourneyMap loyalist, this is your go-to.

Important: Just downloading these isn't enough. You have to go into your Options > Resource Packs and make sure the icon pack is at the very top of the list. If another pack—like a high-res texture pack or a GUI overhaul—is sitting above it, it can override the entity textures and break the map icons.

Cobblemon Minimap Icons Not Working on Servers

Playing on a server adds another layer of "Why isn't this working?"
Sometimes, server owners use an API to deliberately hide certain Pokémon from the radar to prevent players from "cheating" their way to a legendary. If you can see common Pidgeys but that Mewtwo you know is nearby isn't showing up, the server might have restricted those specific icons.

However, if nothing is showing up, it's a local issue.
One weird quirk I've seen: if you're using Fresh Animations, it can sometimes mess with how the minimap "reads" the entity. There are specific compatibility patches like "Xaero Icons x Fresh Animations" that fix this. Without the patch, the minimap tries to grab a frame of an animation that doesn't exist in 2D, resulting in a blank space or a broken texture.

The "Smooth Models" Conflict

There's a setting in some map mods called "Smooth Models" or "Smooth Dots."
Turn it off.
Seriously.
Several community members on GitHub and Reddit have noted that when smooth rendering is enabled for the radar, it fails to pull the sprite from the resource pack correctly. It tries to be "too fancy" and ends up breaking the simple sprite display.

Step-by-Step Recovery Plan

If you’re still staring at a blank map, follow this exact sequence. Don't skip the boring parts.

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1. Check your mod list. Do you actually have a minimap installed? (Don't laugh, it happens).
2. Download a dedicated icon pack. Grab the E19 or Sinnamoth’s pack from Modrinth or CurseForge.
3. Priority check. Move that pack to the #1 spot in your Resource Packs menu.
4. The "Y" Key. Go into Xaero's (or 'O' for JourneyMap) and find the Entity Radar section.
5. Toggle "Always". Ensure Display Icons is set to "Always" and not "Dots."
6. Scale it up. If the icons are there but too small to see, look for Entity Icon Scale. Bump it to 1.5x or 2.0x.

Dealing with "Incomplete" Maps

Sometimes the icons work, but they look like... well, junk.
This usually happens because Cobblemon is updated frequently. If the mod adds a brand new Pokémon but your icon resource pack hasn't been updated since 2024, that new 'mon will show up as a generic icon or a white square.

Keep an eye on the Cobblemon Discord. They have a specific channel for "Addons" where the creators of these icon packs post the most recent versions. If you’re using a modpack like Big Chad Guys Plus, they usually bundle the icons, so just make sure your whole modpack is up to date in your launcher.

Actionable Steps for a Perfect Map

• Download the latest E19 Icons pack if you want the most consistent experience.
• Disable "Smooth Icons" in your map settings to prevent rendering glitches.
• Set Entity Radar to "Always" to ensure the 2D sprites override the default dots.
• Clear your config. If all else fails, go to your .minecraft/config folder, delete the configuration file for your minimap mod, and restart the game. This forces the mod to rebuild its settings from scratch, which often clears up "ghost" bugs.

Once you get those sprites working, the game feels totally different. You'll stop wandering aimlessly and start actually hunting. Just remember to keep your resource packs in the right order, or you'll be back to looking at dots before you know it.