How to Host a Hytale Dedicated Server in 2026
Hytale finally launched into Early Access on 13 January 2026, and its dedicated server support is one of the nicer surprises of the release. Mods are delivered from the server to the client automatically. The protocol is QUIC over UDP — modern, fast, painless to firewall. The server is a single HytaleServer.jar that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux (x64 and arm64), so you can put it on basically any hardware you have lying around.
This post is the short version of what's actually involved in hosting your own Hytale server in 2026 — self-hosted vs managed, what the hardware looks like, and how the LOW.MS setup works for people who'd rather not DIY it.
Who makes this thing again?
Worth a quick detour because the history is genuinely interesting. Hytale is built by Hypixel Studios — the team behind the Hypixel Minecraft server, which is one of the largest Minecraft multiplayer operations that has ever existed. Riot Games acquired the studio in 2020. In November 2025, after years of delays and a near-cancellation, the original founders bought the IP back from Riot and reformed Hypixel Studios as an independent company, with most of the original team returning. The Early Access release two months later used a four-year-old legacy build as the starting point, and they've committed to funding development for ten more years.
None of which changes how you run a server, but if you've been following the Hytale story from a distance and you thought the game was dead, it isn't — it's genuinely out, it's genuinely playable, and dedicated servers work.
Why run a dedicated server at all?
Hytale supports singleplayer and peer-to-peer multiplayer, so you don't strictly need a dedicated server. But a dedicated server gets you four things that peer hosting can't:
It's always online. Your friends can join whenever they want, not just when you happen to have the game open.
Your frame rate is your own. Peer hosting splits your PC's resources between playing the game and running the world simulation. A dedicated server takes the simulation elsewhere.
Mods are installed once. Drop mods into the server's mods/ folder and every player who joins receives them automatically when they connect. No client installs, no version-mismatch hunts, no mod loader setup. This is the single biggest quality-of-life win Hytale has over most other Java games I've hosted.
You own the world. Persistent, backed up, configurable, under your control.
Self-hosting: what it actually involves
If you want to self-host, the short version is: install Java 25 (Adoptium/Temurin is the easy choice), download the HytaleServer.jar and Assets.zip from the official Hytale Downloader or from your own Hytale install, drop them in a folder, and run:
java -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip
First launch authenticates the server via /auth login device — a one-time URL-and-code flow in your browser. On Java 25 you'll also want the AOT cache flag for faster startups:
java -XX:AOTCache=HytaleServer.aot -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip
After that, it's just networking: open UDP 5520 in your firewall, and if you're behind a home router, forward UDP 5520 to the machine running the server. TCP isn't used at all — don't waste time forwarding it. The full walkthrough is in the Make a Hytale Server guide.
The catch with self-hosting is everything that isn't listed above. You're responsible for updates every time Hytale drops a patch. Backups are your problem. DDoS protection is your problem. Your home internet's upload bandwidth is almost certainly not enough for more than a handful of players. And when someone complains that the server is down at 3am on a Sunday, that's your problem too.
For a small friend-group server on a spare PC, that's all fine. For anything bigger, it's a part-time job you didn't apply for.
Managed hosting
Managed hosting (LOW.MS is what I work on, so obvious disclaimer) takes the operations side off your plate. You pick a RAM tier, pick a region close to your players, and the server is provisioned within a couple of minutes with Java 25 pre-installed, UDP 5520 open, and the server pre-authenticated. You get automatic cloud backups, DDoS protection, and a web control panel where you can start and stop the server, edit config files, install mods, watch the live console, and schedule restarts.
The main trade-off is the monthly cost. Whether that's worth it depends on how much you'd value not having to deal with patch-day fire drills, hardware failures, and dynamic IP headaches.
Hardware: what to actually buy
Hytale's server needs at least 4 GB of RAM and Java 25 to run at all. Beyond that, the main thing that drives resource usage is how much world you've loaded — view distance, entity count, and mods.
Rough shape of it:
- Small friend group, vanilla — 4 GB RAM is comfortable for up to half a dozen players.
- Medium community, light mods — 6 to 8 GB gets you to roughly 10–15 players without fighting the server.
- Larger community or moderate modding — 10 to 12 GB for 15–25 players.
- Big public server or a heavy mod pack — 16 GB or more, and consider the premium CPU option for the single-thread headroom.
These are rough guidelines and your mileage will vary with the specific mods you're running — a world-generation mod or an entity-heavy mod can blow the budget of what looks like a modestly-sized server. Server requirements and specs has a more detailed hardware breakdown.
I'm not listing prices in this post because the Hytale hosting page has the current tiers and they change more often than I'd be able to keep a blog post in sync with.
Setting up on LOW.MS
The actual process on LOW.MS is about as light as it gets:
- Pick a plan on the Hytale hosting page. Choose your RAM tier, pick a region, add a dedicated IP or premium CPU if you want them.
- Check out. The server is provisioned in a couple of minutes and you'll get an email with the connection details.
- Log in to control.low.ms. Your server is on the dashboard, ready to configure.
- Set the basics in Service Settings and Configuration Files — server name, password if you want one, game mode, seed.
- Start the server from the top of the page.
- Connect from the Hytale client using Direct Connect with the IP and port shown in the panel. Share the details with your friends and you're done.
If you want the blow-by-blow, the getting started guide has the full walkthrough including the small list of things worth setting up before you invite anyone in.
A quick note on networking
One thing that sometimes throws people off: Hytale is pure UDP. There is no TCP component. If you're used to Minecraft where UDP is only for voice chat and TCP carries the game, this is a real change. The default port is 5520. If you ever see a troubleshooting guide telling you to forward TCP as well, that guide is wrong — Hypixel's own docs and the reality of the protocol both say UDP only.
Mods on a Hytale server
Worth emphasising this one more time because it's genuinely the best thing about Hytale hosting. Mods go into the mods/ folder as .zip or .jar files. Restart the server. Every player who connects after that gets the mods delivered automatically — there's nothing for them to install on their side. CurseForge is the primary place to find mods, and LOW.MS's Mod Manager panel has one-click installs for a curated set of popular ones. The mods and plugins guide walks through the full process on LOW.MS, including how to handle larger mod packs.
The short answer
If you have a spare PC, decent home internet, and you're hosting for 3–4 friends, self-hosting is fine and the setup guide will get you there. For anything bigger, or for anyone who doesn't want to become part-time sysadmin, LOW.MS (or any managed host) is going to save you more time than it costs.
Either way, Hytale's dedicated server support is good, the modding experience is excellent, and it's a better multiplayer setup than a lot of games twice its age. After years of waiting, it's nice to say that.