diff --git a/src/client/clientmap.cpp b/src/client/clientmap.cpp
diff --git a/src/client/clientmap.h b/src/client/clientmap.h
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ class ClientMap : public Map, public scene::ISceneNode
 			s32 id
 	);
 
-	virtual ~ClientMap() = default;
+	virtual ~ClientMap();
 
 	bool maySaveBlocks() override
 	{
@@ -116,6 +116,8 @@ class ClientMap : public Map, public scene::ISceneNode
 	void getBlocksInViewRange(v3s16 cam_pos_nodes,
 		v3s16 *p_blocks_min, v3s16 *p_blocks_max, float range=-1.0f);
 	void updateDrawList();
+	// @brief Calculate statistics about the map and keep the blocks alive
+	void touchMapBlocks();
 	void updateDrawListShadow(v3f shadow_light_pos, v3f shadow_light_dir, float radius, float length);
 	// Returns true if draw list needs updating before drawing the next frame.
 	bool needsUpdateDrawList() { return m_needs_update_drawlist; }
@@ -136,11 +138,14 @@ class ClientMap : public Map, public scene::ISceneNode
 	f32 getWantedRange() const { return m_control.wanted_range; }
 	f32 getCameraFov() const { return m_camera_fov; }
 
+	void onSettingChanged(const std::string &name);
+
 private:
 
 	// update the vertex order in transparent mesh buffers
 	void updateTransparentMeshBuffers();
 
+
 	// Orders blocks by distance to the camera
 	class MapBlockComparer
 	{
@@ -205,4 +210,7 @@ class ClientMap : public Map, public scene::ISceneNode
 	bool m_cache_bilinear_filter;
 	bool m_cache_anistropic_filter;
 	u16 m_cache_transparency_sorting_distance;
+
+	bool m_new_occlusion_culler;
+	bool m_enable_raytraced_culling;
 };
diff --git a/src/client/game.cpp b/src/client/game.cpp
@@ -696,6 +696,7 @@ struct GameRunData {
 
 	float damage_flash;
 	float update_draw_list_timer;
+	float touch_blocks_timer;
 
 	f32 fog_range;
 
@@ -4030,6 +4031,9 @@ void Game::updateFrame(ProfilerGraph *graph, RunStats *stats, f32 dtime,
 		changed much
 	*/
 	runData.update_draw_list_timer += dtime;
+	runData.touch_blocks_timer += dtime;
+
+	bool draw_list_updated = false;
 
 	float update_draw_list_delta = 0.2f;
 
@@ -4041,6 +4045,12 @@ void Game::updateFrame(ProfilerGraph *graph, RunStats *stats, f32 dtime,
 		runData.update_draw_list_timer = 0;
 		client->getEnv().getClientMap().updateDrawList();
 		runData.update_draw_list_last_cam_dir = camera_direction;
+		draw_list_updated = true;
+	}
+
+	if (runData.touch_blocks_timer > update_draw_list_delta && !draw_list_updated) {
+		client->getEnv().getClientMap().touchMapBlocks();
+		runData.touch_blocks_timer = 0;
 	}
 
 	if (RenderingEngine::get_shadow_renderer()) {

diff --git a/src/client/mapblock_mesh.cpp b/src/client/mapblock_mesh.cpp
@@ -1582,3 +1582,31 @@ video::SColor encode_light(u16 light, u8 emissive_light)
 	float b = (day + night) / 2;
 	return video::SColor(r, b, b, b);
 }
+
+u8 get_solid_sides(MeshMakeData *data)
+{
+	v3s16 blockpos_nodes = data->m_blockpos * MAP_BLOCKSIZE;
+	const NodeDefManager *ndef = data->m_client->ndef();
+
+	u8 result = 0x3F; // all sides solid;
+
+	for (s16 i = 0; i < MAP_BLOCKSIZE && result != 0; i++)
+	for (s16 j = 0; j < MAP_BLOCKSIZE && result != 0; j++) {
+		v3s16 positions[6] = {
+			v3s16(0, i, j),
+			v3s16(MAP_BLOCKSIZE - 1, i, j),
+			v3s16(i, 0, j),
+			v3s16(i, MAP_BLOCKSIZE - 1, j),
+			v3s16(i, j, 0),
+			v3s16(i, j, MAP_BLOCKSIZE - 1)
+		};
+
+		for (u8 k = 0; k < 6; k++) {
+			const MapNode &top = data->m_vmanip.getNodeRefUnsafe(blockpos_nodes + positions[k]);
+			if (ndef->get(top).solidness != 2)
+				result &= ~(1 << k);
+		}
+	}
+
+	return result;
+}
diff --git a/src/client/mapblock_mesh.h b/src/client/mapblock_mesh.h
@@ -340,3 +340,8 @@ void final_color_blend(video::SColor *result,
 // TileFrame vector copy cost very much to client
 void getNodeTileN(MapNode mn, const v3s16 &p, u8 tileindex, MeshMakeData *data, TileSpec &tile);
 void getNodeTile(MapNode mn, const v3s16 &p, const v3s16 &dir, MeshMakeData *data, TileSpec &tile);
+
+/// Return bitset of the sides of the mapblock that consist of solid nodes only
+/// Bits:
+/// 0 0 -Z +Z -X +X -Y +Y
+u8 get_solid_sides(MeshMakeData *data);
diff --git a/src/client/mesh_generator_thread.cpp b/src/client/mesh_generator_thread.cpp
@@ -299,6 +299,7 @@ void MeshUpdateWorkerThread::doUpdate()
 		MeshUpdateResult r;
 		r.p = q->p;
 		r.mesh = mesh_new;
+		r.solid_sides = get_solid_sides(q->data);
 		r.ack_block_to_server = q->ack_block_to_server;
 		r.urgent = q->urgent;
 

diff --git a/src/client/mesh_generator_thread.h b/src/client/mesh_generator_thread.h
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ struct MeshUpdateResult
 {
 	v3s16 p = v3s16(-1338, -1338, -1338);
 	MapBlockMesh *mesh = nullptr;
+	u8 solid_sides = 0;
 	bool ack_block_to_server = false;
 	bool urgent = false;
 

diff --git a/src/defaultsettings.cpp b/src/defaultsettings.cpp
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ void set_default_settings()
 	settings->setDefault("max_out_chat_queue_size", "20");
 	settings->setDefault("pause_on_lost_focus", "false");
 	settings->setDefault("enable_split_login_register", "true");
+	settings->setDefault("occlusion_culler", "bfs");
+	settings->setDefault("enable_raytraced_culling", "true");
 	settings->setDefault("chat_weblink_color", "#8888FF");
 
 	// Keymap

diff --git a/src/mapblock.h b/src/mapblock.h
@@ -469,6 +469,8 @@ class MapBlock
 	bool contents_cached = false;
 	// True if we never want to cache content types for this block
 	bool do_not_cache_contents = false;
+	// marks the sides which are opaque: 00+Z-Z+Y-Y+X-X
+	u8 solid_sides {0};
 
 private:
 	/*