How to Make a Hytale Server (2026)
Last verified: July 16, 2026, against the official Hytale Server Manual. Applies to the Early Access builds (Hytale launched into Early Access January 13, 2026).
Making a Hytale server is genuinely easy - easier than most survival games. Hypixel Studios ships official dedicated-server files, documents them in a public server manual, and explicitly supports self-hosting. A working server takes about five minutes on any machine with 4 GB of free RAM. This guide covers the complete self-host path step by step, then the honest trade-offs of self-hosting versus renting when your community outgrows a home connection.
What you need
- Java 25. Hytale's server will not run on an earlier version. Install Adoptium Temurin 25 - it is free and works on every platform.
- 4 GB of RAM minimum for the server process, scaling up with player count, view distance, and how spread out players are.
- Windows, Linux or macOS, on x64 or arm64 - the server runs on all of them (a spare PC, a home server, or a Raspberry-Pi-class arm64 box all work).
- The official server files:
HytaleServer.jarplusAssets.zip, downloaded from your Hytale account's server-files page.
Self-host: the five-minute setup
- Install Java 25 and confirm it with
java -version(it must report 25). - Make a folder for the server and put
HytaleServer.jarandAssets.zipin it. - Start the server:
Addjava -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip--bind <port>only if you want a port other than the default 5520. On first run the server generates its working files next to the jar:config.json, and after authenticationauth.encandauth.key. - Authenticate the server (first launch only). In the server console run:
It prints a URL (/auth login deviceaccounts.hytale.com/device) and a short code such asABCD-1234. Open the URL, sign in with your Hytale account, enter the code. The code expires after 15 minutes - if it does, run the command again. - Open the port. Hytale uses the QUIC protocol over UDP - not TCP. Forward UDP 5520 (or your custom port) on your router to the server machine. A TCP-only rule is the most common "friends can't connect" mistake.
- Join. From the game, connect to your public IP (or LAN IP locally). You are live.
If the server won't start, the usual suspects are a pre-25 Java on the PATH, a missing --assets Assets.zip argument, or a corrupted download. Full symptom-by-symptom fixes are in Hytale server won't start. For console commands, ops and world management once you are running, see the server commands reference.
Self-host or rent? The honest comparison
| Self-host | Rented server | |
| Cost | Free (your hardware + power) | A few dollars/month |
| Uptime | Only while your machine is on | 24/7, world persists without you |
| Connection | Limited by your home upload; every player adds load | Datacenter bandwidth + DDoS protection |
| Setup / updates | You do everything (5 min setup, then ongoing patching) | Panel-managed, updates applied for you |
| Best for | 2-6 friends, evenings, tinkering | Communities, always-online worlds, public listings |
The practical rule from every other survival game applies to Hytale too: self-host while it is a handful of friends who play when you play; move to a host when you want the world up while you are offline, or when your upload bandwidth starts rubber-banding people. For picking a provider, our Hytale hosting provider guide covers what actually matters (RAM, region, backup policy); for moving an existing self-hosted world across, follow migrating your Hytale world to a server host - your world folder and config carry over.
After setup: the three things worth doing early
- Back up the world folder before every server update - Early Access patches land frequently.
- On Linux, run it as a service so the server survives reboots and SSH disconnects - systemd unit examples and performance flags are in the Linux setup and optimization guide.
- Decide your mod stance early. Hytale's modding ecosystem is moving fast in Early Access; adding mods later to an established world is easier than removing them.
Want the rented path with none of the setup? Supercraft's Hytale server hosting gives you an authenticated, always-on server in about a minute - panel config, daily backups, five regions - and you can upload a self-hosted world whenever you outgrow the kitchen-table setup.