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How to Host a Hytale Server: Dedicated Server Setup (Update 7)

How to host a Hytale server: Java 25, 4 GB RAM, UDP 5520 and two sign-ins. Self-host or hosted setup, Startup options, files, updates and Update 8 pre-release.

Updated October 28, 2026
Hytale

To host a Hytale server you run Hypixel's standalone server (HytaleServer.jar) on a machine with Java 25 and at least 4 GB of memory, open UDP port 5520, and sign the server in to a Hytale account. That's all you need, whether the machine is your own PC or a hosted server. Hytale is still in Early Access: Chapter I, "Out of the Breach" (Update 7), came out on 12 October 2026. The server has to be on exactly the same version as your players' game, so most problems come from versions and sign-in, not hardware.

This guide covers what a Hytale dedicated server needs, what happens on the first boot of a GameServerKings Hytale server, every option on the Startup tab, the files it writes, and how players connect. It reflects release 0.7.4 (Update 7, Chapter I) and the Update 8 pre-release, and was checked on 27 October 2026.

How to Host a Hytale Server: Your Own PC or a Hosted Server

Both routes use the same server software. The difference is who keeps the machine running and up to date.

Your own PC or VPS A hosted server (like ours)
Getting the files Copy them from your launcher folder, or use Hypixel's Hytale Downloader, which signs in with your account The install downloads the Downloader. The game arrives on first start (see below)
Java You install Java 25 yourself Already in the container
Network Forward UDP 5520 on your router. Hypixel: "TCP forwarding is not required" Comes with an allocated address and port
Stays online Only while that machine is on 24/7
Updates Restart or run the update commands, as soon as Hypixel ships a build Restart the server. It fetches the new build on every start

When you self-host, Hypixel's manual gives the launcher folders to copy the server from: %appdata%\Hytale\install\release\package\game\latest on Windows, and $XDG_DATA_HOME/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest on Linux. Copying them is fine for testing, but the manual describes this option as "annoying to keep updated". For a server you mean to keep, use the Downloader.

Two limits apply either way. Each game licence can authenticate up to 500 servers. And when Hypixel ships an update, "servers must update immediately or players on the new version cannot connect". Hypixel lists a tolerance of ±2 protocol versions as "Coming Soon", which means it isn't in the game yet. Since 0.7.3 (21 October 2026), Hytale's QUIC networking runs on any Linux with glibc 2.28 or newer, according to Hypixel's hotfix notes.

If you would rather not keep a PC running all the time, a GameServerKings Hytale server does this for you. The rest of this guide covers our setup, and most of it applies to a self-hosted server too.

What a Hytale Dedicated Server Needs

Requirement What Hypixel specifies On a GameServerKings server
Runtime Java 25, x64 or arm64 The container ships Java 25
Memory "at least 4GB of memory" Your plan's RAM becomes the Java heap limit (-Xmx)
Network UDP 5520 by default. "TCP forwarding is not required" Your allocated port, shown as the Address on the Console
Account The server authenticates with a Hytale account, and there is "a limit of 500 servers per Hytale game license" You sign it in once from the Console (see below)
Version "Client and server must be on the exact same protocol version" The server checks for a new build every time it starts

The version row is the one that causes most "can't connect" reports. When Hypixel ships an update, players' launchers update straight away. A server that hasn't restarted since then is still running the old build, and those players get turned away until it does.

What Happens on the First Boot

The install step on our Hytale servers is deliberately small: it downloads Hypixel's Hytale Downloader and nothing else. The game itself arrives on the first start. That means the first start asks you to sign in twice, once for each of two tools.

Sign-in 1: the Downloader. On first start the Downloader prints a sign-in link and an authorization code in the Console, then waits. Open the link in your browser, log in with the Hytale account that owns the game, and approve. The Downloader notices the approval by itself and the download carries on. Hypixel's Downloader guide says the login is saved (in a file called .hytale-downloader-credentials.json), so later starts shouldn't ask again.

Sign-in 2: the server itself. When the Console shows the server has booted, type this in the Console:

/auth login device
text

The server prints a code and a link to accounts.hytale.com/device. Open the link, enter the code and approve. The code expires after 900 seconds, so don't leave it for later. Then check the result:

/auth status
/auth persistence
text

/auth persistence shows where the login is stored. If it says Memory, the login disappears on the next restart, and the server prints a warning to that effect. Switch it to encrypted storage so it survives restarts:

/auth persistence Encrypted
text

After that, Hypixel's authentication guide says the server "stays authenticated indefinitely as long as it remains online". You only sign in again if the server is offline for more than 30 days.

Why two sign-ins?

The Downloader needs your account to fetch the game files. The running server needs its own session to talk to Hypixel's services and let players in. They are separate tools with separate logins.

The Startup Tab, Option by Option

Every Hytale option we expose is on the Startup tab. Changes apply on the next start.

Panel setting Default What it does Our advice
Patchline release Which build the Downloader installs: release or pre-release Match what your players run. See the pre-release warning below
Auth Mode authenticated authenticated or offline Leave on authenticated. Hypixel says authentication exists "to enable communication with our service APIs and to counter abuse"
Allow operators Off Adds --allow-op, which lets a player use /op self Leave off. See Hytale server commands for the safer way to become an operator
Accept Early Plugins Off Adds --accept-early-plugins Only for plugins that say they need it. Hypixel calls early plugins "unsupported"
Use Ahead-of-Time Cache On Starts Java with Hytale's shipped AOT cache (Server/HytaleServer.aot) Leave on. It shortens boot times
Disable Sentry Off Stops crash reports going to Hypixel Hypixel's advice is to turn it on only while you are developing plugins
Install Source Query plugin On Downloads a Source Query (A2S) plugin into mods/ on every start, so server lists and status bots can read the name and player count Leave on unless you use a different query plugin
Source Query Port Empty (game port + 1) The port that plugin answers on Only change it if a tool tells you to

Files in Your Server Root

Our Hytale servers run from the server root, so this is where the server writes its data. Open them in File Manager or over SFTP.

Path What it is
config.json Server settings: name, MOTD, password, max players, view radius, backups
permissions.json Operator and permission groups
whitelist.json, bans.json Access lists (manage them with commands)
universe/ Every world and all player data. This is what you back up
mods/ Plugins (.jar) and asset packs (.zip)
logs/ Server logs
Server/, Assets.zip, version The game build. The version file is how the server tells whether an update is needed. Don't edit these

Stop the server before editing config.json

Hypixel's manual says config files are read on startup and written back during play, and "manual changes while the server is running are likely to be overwritten." Stop the server, edit, then start.

The settings most people change first, all in config.json:

  • ServerName and MOTD: what players see.
  • Password: leave it empty for no password.
  • MaxPlayers: the build we checked defaults to 100.
  • MaxViewRadius: Hypixel calls view distance "the main driver for RAM usage" and recommends a maximum of 12 chunks (384 blocks). If your server runs short of memory, lower this before anything else. You can also change it live with /maxviewradius <radius>.

How Players Connect

Players need two things: your server's Address (IP and port) from the top of the Console, which they enter in Hytale to join, and a game on the same version as the server.

Hytale doesn't read DNS SRV records yet. Hypixel's manual lists SRV support as "Unsupported. Under evaluation." A domain still works if you point an A record at the server's IP. Players type the name plus the port, for example play.example.com:5520. How to Give Your Server a Custom Address explains the setup.

For letting friends in, keeping strangers out and the whitelist, see How to play Hytale with friends.

Updates, Pre-Release and Update 8

The server checks for a new build on every start and downloads it when the version has changed. So after a Hytale update, restart the server and it catches up. Hytale's built-in /update commands expect the wrapper-script layout from Hypixel's manual (start.sh / start.bat, plus an exit code 8 that tells the wrapper to apply a staged update). A hosted server doesn't use that layout, so restart instead.

Where things stand as of 27 October 2026:

  • Release: Update 7 (Chapter I: Out of the Breach), out since 12 October. Hypixel's release metadata lists server build 0.7.4 (22 October). The hotfix notes on hytale.com run up to 0.7.3 (21 October). For servers, the hotfixes mostly fix joining: a 30-second timeout when joining a world hosted on Windows (0.7.1), the server refusing a reconnect after a player's IP address changed (0.7.1), and joins that hung for 20 seconds and then failed when a packet was lost (0.7.3).
  • Pre-release: Update 8 Part 1, published 22 October (build 0.8.0-pre.2.1). Hypixel hasn't given a release date. The notes say they "will update weekly". For server owners, the main change is that dedicated servers "now start on quiche instead of netty".

Setting Patchline to pre-release puts the server on the Update 8 builds. Players can only join if their own launcher is on pre-release too (Launcher → Settings → Pre-Release).

A world opened on a newer build may not go back

Hypixel has warned about this twice now. The Update 7 pre-release notes said that for cubic worlds, "a world loaded on this version cannot be opened on an older one". The Update 8 pre-release notes say of a changed world file that "a server older than this change does not read the new file." Take a panel backup before you switch Patchline or restart into a big update, and test pre-release on a copy, never your main world. Hytale worlds, saves and backups covers this in full.

New in config.json since 0.7.3: a SentryDsn key, which sends crash reports to your own Sentry project instead of Hypixel's. It only matters if you develop plugins.

If Players Can't Join

  • "Version mismatch" or an instant disconnect. The server is behind the players' game. Restart it.
  • The server never finishes signing in. Run /auth status. If it isn't authenticated, run /auth login device again.
  • The Downloader asks for a sign-in on every start, or reports an authentication error. Hypixel's fix is to delete .hytale-downloader-credentials.json and run it again. Stop the server, delete that file in File Manager, then start and sign in again. If you can't find the file, contact support.
  • A world won't load after you removed a mod. Hytale refuses to load a world whose required plugin is missing. Put the mod back, or see the mods guide.
  • Anything else: Players Can't Connect to My Server.

FAQ

Can I host a Hytale server for free?

Yes. The server software comes with the game, and you can run it on your own PC if it has Java 25 and at least 4 GB of memory to spare and you forward UDP port 5520. It only stays online while that PC is on, and you have to update it yourself every time Hypixel releases a build.

What port does a Hytale server use?

UDP 5520 by default. Hytale uses QUIC over UDP, and Hypixel's manual says TCP forwarding is not required. You can change the port with --bind. On our servers, the port is the one shown in the Address on the Console.

How much RAM does a Hytale server need?

Hypixel's minimum is 4 GB. Memory use grows mainly with view distance. Hypixel recommends a maximum of 12 chunks (384 blocks) and says this is "the main driver for RAM usage". If memory is tight, lower MaxViewRadius before anything else.

Why can't my friends join after a Hytale update?

Client and server have to be on exactly the same protocol version. Their launcher updated, but your server is still on the old build. Restart the server so it downloads the new one.

Does a Hytale server need a Hytale account?

Yes, in the default authenticated mode. The server signs in with /auth login device, and each game licence can authenticate up to 500 servers. Run /auth persistence Encrypted so the login survives restarts.

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