This article explains what you need to host a Hytale dedicated server and how to size hardware for small friend servers vs larger communities.
Hytale is still being optimized and requirements can change over time. Always monitor real usage and scale accordingly.
(Official client benchmarks & requirements were published Dec 1, 2025; the official Server Manual was updated Jan 12, 2026.)
Quick summary (TL;DR)
Official minimum to run the dedicated server
- Java: Java 25
- Memory: 4 GB RAM minimum
- CPU/RAM drivers: CPU usage rises with high player/entity counts; RAM rises with large loaded world area (high view distance, players exploring independently)
- Architecture: x64 and arm64 supported
- Networking: UDP 5520 by default, QUIC over UDP (not TCP)
LOW.MS Testing outcome
| Server type | Players | View distance | Suggested RAM (start) | Suggested CPU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friends (vanilla) | 2–4 | 384 | 6 GB | 2–4 strong cores |
| Friends (vanilla) | 5–8 | 384 | 8 GB | 4 strong cores |
| Community | 8–16 | 384 | 12–16 GB | 4–6 strong cores |
| Modded / heavy exploration | 8–16 | 384+ | 16 GB+ | 6+ strong cores |
- 4 players = 4 GB
- 6 players = 6 GB
- 10 players = 8 GB
We will continue to update this as we get more data in.
Official minimum requirements (dedicated server)
The official server manual states the dedicated server can run on any device with:
- At least 4 GB of memory
- Java 25
- x64 or arm64 CPU architecture support
It also notes that:
- CPU load increases with high player or entity counts (NPCs, mobs)
- RAM increases with the size of the loaded world area (especially higher view distance and players spreading out)
Recommended starting point (practical guidance)
The official docs give a minimum (4 GB) but resource usage varies a lot by playstyle. For most servers, you’ll get a smoother experience by starting above the minimum and scaling based on real usage.
RAM (starting point)
- Small friends server (2–6 players): 6–8 GB
- Medium community (8–16 players): 10–16 GB
- Heavily modded / lots of exploration: 16 GB+
Why RAM grows:
- View distance (loaded area) is the biggest lever for memory usage.
- Players exploring separately increases the loaded area dramatically (more chunks loaded at once).
The server manual recommends limiting view distance to 12 chunks / 384 blocks for performance and gameplay on typical servers.
CPU (starting point)
Hytale is a simulation-heavy voxel sandbox, so CPU performance matters. If you’re planning capacity:
- Prefer modern CPUs with strong single‑thread performance
- For public servers, additional cores help handle background work and peak load
(Official docs don’t prescribe a specific CPU model for servers; treat this as planning guidance.)
For context, the official client recommended CPU for 1080p/60 FPS is Intel i5‑10400 / Ryzen 5 3600 (or equivalent). While server needs aren’t identical, CPUs in this tier are a reasonable baseline for small/medium servers.
Storage (starting point)
- SSD strongly recommended (NVMe preferred)
- Plan extra space for world growth + backups + mods/assets
Official game storage notes (client-side) indicate:
- Installation size around 8 GB
- Suggested free space: 10 GB minimum, 20 GB safer
- Saved worlds grow with exploration/building
Network requirements (what matters for servers)
Protocol and ports (required)
- Default listen address is 0.0.0.0:5520
- Hytale uses QUIC over UDP (not TCP)
- If you’re behind a router, forward UDP 5520 (or your custom port)
Bandwidth and view distance (official measurements)
Hytale’s official hardware requirements post includes tested multiplayer bandwidth needs by view distance (worst-case exploration scenario). These are useful indicators of how view distance affects network load.
| View distance | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| 192 blocks | 2 Mbit/s | 4 Mbit/s |
| 384 blocks | 4.5 Mbit/s | 7 Mbit/s |
| 480 blocks | 6 Mbit/s | 10 Mbit/s |
Note: The official post is written from a player/performance perspective, but the takeaway for server owners is still valid: higher view distance and faster exploration increases network throughput requirements.
View distance: the biggest performance lever
Hytale’s official hardware requirements explain why view distance is so impactful:
- When you double view distance (e.g., 192 → 384), you quadruple the amount of world around you (more blocks and NPCs simulated/loaded).
Server-side takeaway: If you’re hitting RAM/CPU limits, reducing max view distance is usually the fastest win.
LOW.MS tests
Below is a generalized view of usage data from internal pre-release testing used for capacity planning. Results will vary significantly based on build version, plugins/mods, view distance, and how players explore.
- View distance cap: 384 blocks
- Server started with explicit heap cap (
-Xmx) and monitored OS memory + CPU usage
| Scenario | Players | Mods | Player behavior | -Xmx |
Peak RAM used | Typical CPU | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla friends | 4 | 0 | Mostly together | 6G | ~4.3 GB | 15–35% | Smooth, minimal GC |
| Vanilla, spread out | 8 | 0 | Split into 2–3 groups | 8G | ~6.8 GB | 25–55% | RAM rises with loaded area |
| Lightly modded | 10 | 6 | Together + occasional exploring | 10G | ~8.5 GB | 30–65% | Higher peaks during worldgen |
| Community-ish | 16 | 10 | Multiple groups + events | 16G | ~13.5 GB | 40–85% | Consider lowering view distance |
How to interpret this
- RAM increases most when players explore independently (more world loaded at once).
- CPU spikes happen around world generation, high NPC/entity activity, and peak concurrency.
Monitoring and tuning (recommended)
The official Server Manual recommends monitoring RAM/CPU and using -Xmx to set explicit RAM limits. It notes a common symptom of memory pressure is increased CPU usage due to garbage collection.
Practical tips
- Don’t allocate 100% of system RAM to Java — leave headroom for the OS and disk cache.
- Start with a conservative max heap (e.g.,
-Xmx6G) and increase only if you see:- frequent GC spikes
- rising memory usage during play
- stutters under load
Example:
java -Xms6G -Xmx6G -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip