How to Host a Hytale Server: Early Access Setup Guide

To host a Hytale server, you install Java 25, get the official server files (HytaleServer.jar and Assets.zip), start the server, sign it in with /auth login device, and open UDP port 5520. Hypixel Studios says the server runs on any x64 or arm64 machine with at least 4GB of memory. Everything here comes from Hypixel's own Hytale Server Manual and news posts, and because Hytale is in early access, any of it can change with the next update.

Where Hytale stands in October 2026

Hytale entered early access on January 13, 2026. Hypixel called it "unpolished and incomplete" at launch, and the studio has shipped regular updates since. The most recent is Update 7, which arrived on October 12, 2026 alongside Chapter I: Out of the Breach, the first story chapter, added to Exploration Mode.

A few things matter for server owners:

Exploration Mode and Creative Mode are what you play today. The full Adventure Mode was listed as "not in Early Access (yet)" at launch, and Chapter I content is delivered inside Exploration Mode.
Official minigames are run by Hypixel. Prop Hunt and Shuffle Jam are reached from the main menu through matchmaking. They are not something you install on your own server.
The server manual is a living page. It was last edited on October 12, 2026, so check it before you rely on any flag or command below.

If you want the background on the long road to launch, see our earlier piece, Is the Hytale hype real?

Do you need a dedicated Hytale server?

Not always. Hytale lets you open a singleplayer world to friends through Online Play, which gives you a share code. Hypixel's Joining Friends guide describes it as an early system that "won't work flawlessly for everyone yet", and it only runs while the host is in the game.

	Online Play (share code)	Dedicated server
World online when host is offline	No	Yes
Router setup	Usually none; relay used if needed	Forward UDP 5520 if self-hosting at home
Server plugins and mods	Mods chosen for the save	`mods/` folder on the server
Hypixel's suggested use	Playing with a few friends	Persistent world or more than a few friends

Hypixel's own advice is to use a dedicated server "for a persistent world, or for more than a few friends."

Hytale server requirements

These are the official numbers. Hypixel does not publish a per-player RAM or CPU figure, and says usage "heavily depends on player behavior."

Requirement	Official guidance
Java	Java 25 (Adoptium recommended)
Memory	At least 4GB
CPU architecture	x64 or arm64
Network protocol	QUIC over UDP (no TCP needed)
Default port	5520 (UDP)
Account	A Hytale game license to sign the server in

What drives load, according to the manual:

CPU: high player counts and high entity counts (NPCs and mobs).
RAM: a large loaded world area, meaning high view distance and players exploring in different directions. Hypixel calls view distance "the main driver for RAM usage" and recommends capping it at 12 chunks (384 blocks).

For bandwidth, Hypixel's hardware requirements post gives worst-case download figures per player in an Exploration Mode server: 4.5 Mbit/s minimum and 7 Mbit/s recommended at a 384-block view distance. Those are per-client numbers, so a server's upload has to cover every connected player. The same post puts Exploration Mode saves at about 661MB for a 5,000 by 5,000 block area.

How to host a Hytale server step by step

These steps follow the official manual. Commands are shown for Linux, with Windows notes where they differ.

Install Java 25. Then confirm it with java --version. The manual's sample output shows a Temurin 25 build.
Get the server files. Pick one of the three official methods in the next section.
Keep the server outside the launcher's install folder. Since Update 7, the server refuses to boot (exit code 11) if its working directory, universe, or backups would land inside the launcher install folder, because launcher updates patch or wipe that folder.
Start the server.
Sign the server in with /auth login device in the server console.
Open UDP port 5520 in your firewall and router.
Connect. Players open the Servers screen from the main menu and add your server's address.

Getting the server files

The manual lists three options:

Copy from your launcher install. Fine for a quick test, but tedious to keep updated. Copy the Server folder and Assets.zip from:
- Windows: %appdata%\Hytale\install\release\package\game\latest
- Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest
Use the Hytale Downloader CLI. Hypixel recommends this for production servers. Download hytale-downloader.zip (Linux and Windows), then:

./hytale-downloader                      # download the latest release
./hytale-downloader -print-version       # show the game version without downloading
./hytale-downloader -patchline pre-release   # download the pre-release build instead

Bootstrap from HytaleServer.jar. Put HytaleServer.jar in an empty folder and run it in bootstrap mode. It asks you to sign in, then downloads the rest and lays out the folder for you:

java -jar HytaleServer.jar --bootstrap
# in the server console:
/auth login device
/update setup
# after it shuts down:
./start.sh        # start.bat on Windows

The bootstrap and downloader methods both produce the folder layout that the built-in auto-updater needs, so they are the better choice for anything long-lived.

Starting the server

The manual's launch command uses the bundled ahead-of-time cache to speed up startup:

java -XX:AOTCache=HytaleServer.aot -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

Run java -jar HytaleServer.jar --help to see every argument your build supports.

Opening the port

Hytale uses QUIC over UDP, so forward UDP 5520 (not TCP) if you host behind a router. The manual's firewall commands:

# Linux (ufw)
sudo ufw allow 5520/udp

# Linux (iptables)
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 5520 -j ACCEPT

# Windows Defender Firewall
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Hytale Server" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 5520 -Action Allow

To use a different port, pass --bind, for example --bind 3500. Hypixel notes that symmetric NAT setups can cause trouble, and suggests a VPS or dedicated server in that case.

How Hytale server authentication works

A Hytale server has to be signed in before it accepts players. Hypixel says this lets the server talk to its service APIs and helps counter abuse.

When you run /auth login device, the console prints a code and a link to accounts.hytale.com/device. Approve it in a browser and the server reports Authentication successful.

Details from the manual and the Server Provider Authentication Guide:

There is a limit of 500 servers per Hytale game license.
A signed-in server refreshes its own tokens while it is online. You only need to sign in again if the server stays offline for more than 30 days.
/auth status shows the current state, and /auth persistence shows where credentials are stored (Memory or Encrypted). If it says Memory, switch to the other option with /auth persistence Encrypted so credentials are not held only in memory.
Since Update 7, you can run /auth login again while already signed in, and the old session stays active until the new one finishes.

Configuring your Hytale server

The server creates these files and folders in its working directory:

Path	What it holds
`config.json`	Server configuration
`permissions.json`	Permissions
`whitelist.json` / `bans.json`	Whitelisted and banned players
`mods/`	Installed mods
`universe/`	Worlds and player saves
`logs/`	Server logs

Some practical points from the official docs:

Stop the server before editing config files. They are read at startup and rewritten when in-game actions change them, so edits made while it runs are likely to be overwritten.
View distance: MaxViewRadius in config.json is clamped to 1 to 32 chunks as of Update 7. Hypixel recommends 12.
Per-world settings live in universe/worlds/<world>/config.json, with keys such as IsPvpEnabled, IsFallDamageEnabled, and IsSpawningNPC. Each world runs on its own main thread.
Memory limits: set Java's -Xmx. If you use the official wrapper scripts, put JVM arguments in a jvm.options file, one per line. Hypixel notes that rising CPU use from garbage collection is a common sign of memory pressure.
Backups: the server has --backup, --backup-dir, and --backup-frequency (minutes, default 30). The official start.sh and start.bat turn these on by default, so watch your disk space. Hypixel's modding post also warned early on that crashes could cause data loss, so keep copies off the server too.

Installing mods and plugins on a Hytale server

Hytale modding is server-side. Hypixel's modding strategy post says players should be able to join any modded server without downloading anything, and that the studio does not intend to support client mods.

To install a mod, the manual says to download it (.zip or .jar) from a source such as CurseForge and drop it into the mods/ folder, then restart.

Mod content falls into four groups: server plugins (Java .jar files), data assets (JSON), art assets (models, textures, sounds), and save files (worlds and prefabs). Plugin developers can use the official Java API documentation. Two flags matter here:

--disable-sentry stops crash reports from going to Hypixel while you develop plugins.
--accept-early-plugins loads "early plugins", which the help text says is unsupported and may cause stability issues.

There is no text-based scripting such as Lua, and Hypixel has said it does not plan to add it. Visual scripting is on its roadmap instead.

Keeping a Hytale server updated

The client and server must run the same protocol version, and when Hypixel ships an update, players on the new version cannot join an old server. Update 6 changed the protocol and required servers and plugins to be rebuilt, so check plugin compatibility after every update.

The built-in updater checks hourly by default. Useful console commands:

/update check
/update download
/update apply --confirm
/update status

In config.json, the Update block controls this. AutoApplyMode can be Disabled (the default), WhenEmpty, or Scheduled. The updater only works with the bootstrap or downloader folder layout, where the server runs from Server/ and the parent folder holds Assets.zip and the start script.

What Hytale servers don't support yet

Per the official manual and patch notes, as of October 12, 2026:

SRV records are unsupported, so you can't use a DNS record to hide a custom port behind a domain name.
Version tolerance (letting clients and servers differ by up to two protocol versions) is listed as coming soon.
Fallback server lists for player transfers are listed as coming soon.
First-party API endpoints (name lookups, player profiles, reports) and an integrated payment system are planned, not live.
Adventure Mode in full has not shipped. Chapter I adds story content to Exploration Mode.
Client-side mods are not part of Hypixel's plan.

One thing that has shipped: Update 5 added Server Discovery, an in-game list of community servers. You submit a listing from the Server Profiles section of your Hytale account, and it goes through manual review against the Server Operator Policies.

Hosting your Hytale server with EZ Game Host

If you would rather not manage Java, firewall rules, and update scripts yourself, our Hytale server hosting plans give you a server with 24/7 support and a 99.9% monthly uptime SLA. Hypixel's stated minimum is 4GB of memory, which our Basic plan matches. Hypixel gives no per-player RAM figure, so if your group explores in different directions, runs a higher view distance, or uses heavier mods, start with more RAM and watch usage, as the manual suggests.

Plan	Price	RAM	CPU	Players	Storage	Backup slots
Basic	$12/mo	4GB	1 thread	10	40GB NVMe	3
Standard	$24/mo	8GB	2 threads	25	40GB NVMe	3
Pro	$48/mo	16GB	4 threads	50	80GB NVMe	3

These are advertised allocations as of October 12, 2026, not measured performance guarantees. See the current details at /games/hytale#plans, or read how to pick a plan.

Hytale server FAQ

What port does a Hytale server use?

UDP port 5520 by default. Hytale uses QUIC over UDP, so TCP forwarding is not required. Change the port with the --bind launch argument.

What Java version does Hytale need?

Java 25. Hypixel recommends the Adoptium (Temurin) build.

How much RAM does a Hytale server need?

Hypixel's minimum is 4GB. It does not give a per-player figure. View distance and how spread out your players are have the biggest effect on RAM, so monitor usage and adjust -Xmx as needed.

Can I run a Hytale server without signing in?

The help output lists an --auth-mode option with authenticated as the default, but the manual only documents signed-in servers and says an authenticated server is what accepts player connections. Plan on signing in.

Do players need to install mods to join a modded Hytale server?

No. Hytale's modding is server-side by design, so players join modded servers without downloading mods themselves.