Hytale requires the client and server to match exactly. The game uses a protocol hash for compatibility, and if your server isn’t updated, players on the newest Hytale patch won’t be able to connect.

This guide covers:

Updating a hosted server on LOW.MS
Updating a self-hosted server (Windows / Linux / macOS)

Before you update (do this every time)

Stop the server
Take a backup of your world/save data (click Cloud Backup in LOW.MS)
Make sure you know where your save data lives

Hytale’s dedicated server stores world and player data in the universe/ folder. Your server config and lists (bans, whitelist, permissions) live alongside it. These are the files you care about backing up before you replace the game binaries:

universe/ (world + player save data)
config.json
permissions.json
whitelist.json (if used)
bans.json (if used)

Tip: Configuration files are read on startup and may be written to while the server is running. Stop the server before editing or replacing anything.

Update on LOW.MS (hosted server)

LOW.MS makes updates simple: you can update through the panel, and your save data stays intact (still take a backup first via the cloud backup).

Option A: Panel update (recommended)

Stop your server
Create a Cloud backup (recommended)
In the LOW.MS panel, click on 'Updates' and install the latest update.
Start the server again
Join and confirm players can connect

If you updated Hytale on your PC and suddenly get an “incompatible version” error, this is the fix.

Option B: Manual update via file manager (advanced)

Use this if you’re updating a custom build or you prefer full control.

Stop the server and take a backup of universe/
On your PC, download the latest server package (see “Self-hosted” below)
Upload and overwrite only the game binaries:
- Replace the Server/ folder
- Replace Assets.zip (if your setup uses it in the server folder)
Do not delete/replace:
- universe/
- config.json, permissions.json, whitelist.json, bans.json
Start the server

If something goes wrong, restore universe/ from your backup.

Update a self-hosted Hytale server

The official Hytale Server Manual describes two ways to obtain server files:

Copy them from your Hytale launcher install (quick testing, annoying to keep updated)
Use the official Hytale Downloader CLI (recommended for production)

Below are both update methods.

Method 1: Update using the official Hytale Downloader (recommended)

1) Download / extract the Hytale Downloader

Grab hytale-downloader.zip and extract it somewhere convenient (for example, your server folder).

2) Check your current game version (optional but useful)

From the folder containing hytale-downloader:

./hytale-downloader -print-version

3) Download the latest server files

Download to a zip file:

./hytale-downloader -download-path game.zip

If you want to use the pre-release channel:

./hytale-downloader -patchline pre-release -download-path game.zip

4) Extract and replace the server binaries

Stop your server
Extract game.zip
Copy these into your server directory (overwriting existing files):
- Server/
- Assets.zip

Do not overwrite or delete your:

universe/
config.json, permissions.json, whitelist.json, bans.json

5) Start the server and verify

Start the server as normal (example):

java -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets PathToAssets.zip

If players still can’t connect, double-check that your client and server are now on the same patch.

Method 2: Update by copying from your Hytale launcher install (manual)

This works, but it’s more tedious because you need to repeat it every patch.

1) Locate the launcher install files

The official locations are:

Windows: %appdata%\Hytale\install\release\package\game\latest
Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest
macOS: ~/Application Support/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest

Inside that latest folder, you should see:

Server/
Assets.zip

2) Stop server and replace binaries

Stop the server
Copy Server/ and Assets.zip into your dedicated server folder (overwrite existing)
Leave universe/ and your JSON config files untouched
Start the server

Verify the update worked

Server boots without errors
Players can join without “incompatible version” / protocol mismatch
Your world is still present (because universe/ was preserved)

Troubleshooting

Players get “incompatible version”

Hytale requires an exact match between client and server protocol versions. Update the server immediately using the steps above.

Server won’t start after updating

Confirm Java is installed and is Java 25:
```
java --version
```
Temporarily move your mods/ folder out of the server directory to rule out mod/plugin incompatibility after a patch, then restart.

World missing after update

Your world/save data lives in universe/. If that folder was deleted or overwritten, restore it from your backup.

Categories

How to Update Your Hytale Server

Keep your Hytale server on the latest version so players can connect. Includes LOW.MS panel steps and a self-hosted update guide using the official Hytale Downloader.