Fix Hytale lag, rubberbanding, and high ping with client-side network fixes (QUIC adapter settings) and server-side performance tuning (view distance, RAM, CPU, UDP/5520 firewall).

TL;DR quick checklist

If it only happens on one server: it’s usually distance, server load, or server settings.
If it happens on every server: it’s usually your network, Wi‑Fi packet loss, or Windows adapter settings (QUIC).

Step 1: Is it network lag or FPS?

Network lag / high ping symptoms

Rubberbanding (you snap back), delayed actions, delayed block placement, “teleporting” players
World takes ages to load or times out

FPS / performance symptoms

Your camera feels choppy but other players are smooth
Inputs feel “laggy” visually, but you don’t rubberband

✅ If you’re rubberbanding, treat it as network/server lag first.

Step 2: Quick fixes for players (do these first)

Use Ethernet if you can (Wi‑Fi packet loss looks like ping spikes).
Pause anything heavy: cloud sync, Steam downloads, Windows Update, streaming.
Restart your router/modem (power off for 30 seconds).
Disable VPNs and “gaming boosters” while testing.
Try a server in a closer region.

Hytale Server List

Step 3: Client-side diagnostics (optional but useful)

Run these from Command Prompt while connected (or right after a spike):

ping -n 50 <server-ip>
tracert <server-ip>
pathping <server-ip>

Notes:

Some hosts block ICMP so ping can fail or show weird results.
If you see packet loss on your first hop (your router), it’s your local network.

Server-side fixes (for server owners)

Step 5: Make sure networking is correct (UDP / port 5520)

Hytale servers use QUIC over UDP. The default listen address is usually 0.0.0.0:5520.

If you’re hosting behind a router or firewall:

Forward/allow UDP 5520 (or your custom port)
Do not assume TCP forwarding helps here

Windows Firewall rule (example)

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Hytale Server" -Direction Inbound -Protocol UDP -LocalPort 5520 -Action Allow

Step 6: Fix “server lag” that feels like high ping

Even if a player’s ping looks normal, an overloaded server can cause rubberbanding and delayed actions.

6.1 The biggest lever: view distance

View distance is usually the #1 driver of server RAM usage and overall load.
If you’re getting spikes:

Lower view distance first
Reduce entity density if your world/mods add lots of entities/NPCs
Avoid many players exploring in different directions simultaneously on small hardware

6.2 Watch for memory pressure and garbage collection

Symptoms of memory pressure often look like:

CPU spikes (GC churn)
Increasing rubberbanding over time
Longer world load times

Practical approach:

Set a sensible JVM heap (e.g. -Xmx) and leave headroom for the OS
Monitor RAM/CPU during peak players
If you’re swapping/pagefile thrashing, performance will fall off a cliff

6.3 Don’t edit live config

If your server rewrites configs or reads them only at startup:

Stop the server before editing
Apply changes, then restart cleanly
Verify changes took effect after boot

Step 7: Mods/plugins can cause spikes

If you’re running mods or plugins:

Test once with mods/plugins removed
Re-add them one at a time to find the culprit
Keep an eye on anything that spawns lots of entities or runs frequent tick logic

Step 8: Restart strategy (when lag increases over time)

If performance degrades slowly:

Schedule restarts during low traffic
Track whether spikes correlate with backups, world-gen, or peak concurrency
Check logs around the spike times

What to collect (so you can solve it fast)

For players

Your location + server region
tracert / pathping output (if possible)
Whether Ethernet vs Wi‑Fi changes it
Whether a USB Ethernet dongle fixes it (strong QUIC/adapter clue)

For server owners / hosts

Server bind/port config
Player count during spikes
CPU %, RAM usage, disk I/O, and whether the machine is swapping
View distance and any entity-heavy settings/mods
Relevant log snippet around the spike window

Categories

Hytale Lag and High Ping Fix (Client + Server)