How to Set Up a Hytale Server

Hytale is a sandbox RPG where players can explore procedurally generated worlds and dungeons, and fight a plethora of enemies, or even use their imagination to mold the world to their liking.

Being able to create your own dedicated server can add even more hours to your journey, as you will be able to play with your friends or use mods to expand the vanilla functions, adding a lot of replayability value. With Hytale, the possibilities are endless!

Before Starting

As of January 13th, Hytale Early Access is finally available, with full dedicated server support and modding tools from day one. This guide will cover the setup steps so you can make your own server -public or private- and start playing as soon as possible!

So, Why Run a Dedicated Hytale Server?

While Hytale can be perfectly played alone and its content more than suffices for it, playing with your friends can make for a fun experience!

Thanks to the main gameplay core from Hytale, you and your friends will be able to create buildings or explore the world together, and thanks to the mod support and advanced creation tools included in the early access, the experience can be adjusted or expanded to your liking.

With that said, here are some more reasons why you should consider running a dedicated server.

• Server-Side Modding: All mods and plugins run on the server, so players won't need to jump around any hops just to be able to join the server.
• Multiplayer Oriented: Hytale - at its core- supports exploration, creative mode, and community events. With minigames coming in the future!
• 24/7 Availability: So your world can remain online, and players can join at any time!
• Tailored Experience for Everyone: The server can be customized to your liking through a set of configurations, and this can be even expanded through its official mod support and creation tools (as mentioned before).  

Why should I choose a hosting provider?

Like with other games, Hytale supports self-hosting, meaning that you could run the game server on your PC if you wanted, but this is not ideal for most players as it requires technical setup, elevated resource usage, port forwarding through your router/pc, and exposes your home network to the public.

With a game hosting provider like Iceline Hosting, the process is as easy as: paying for your server, choosing the basic configurations, and playing! We handle the hardware, security, and uptime effortlessly for you.

Why Choose Iceline Hosting?

Our game servers can be managed through the Iceline Game Panel, a custom panel tailored for our services, easy to navigate, and with built-in options/features for each game, so you can manage your server flawlessly with just basic knowledge.

With our game panel, you will be able to:

• View real-time console logs.
• Stop, Start and Restart the server with the power buttons.
• Manage the server files (edit configuration files, upload mods/plugins, and delete files), through our file manager or through a program like Filezilla with your own SFTP Credentials.
• Install one-click tools/mods (when available post-launch).
• Schedule automated backups and restarts.
• Configure databases and sub-users.
• Transfer between locations with only a few clicks.

In addition to this, our game servers come with custom DDoS protection from Iceline Shield, and thanks to our global locations (such as the UK, USA, Singapore), ping won't be an issue!

Iceline Hosting's premium hardware ensures smooth performance on heavy tasks like world generation, even on busy servers.

Purchasing a Dedicated Server with Iceline Hosting.

Iceline Hosting offers day-one Hytale support with instant deployment, and we also have a few locations around the globe, along with some tools available through our game panel to ease the management process for you! To get started, just follow these steps:

Purchasing a server:

Go to our Hytale Game Server Hosting section, select a plan suited to your needs: You could select Starter for small groups, or a higher plan if you want to host a server for modded/large communities. Rest assured, you can upgrade your plan later on when required :)

As of January 13th, 2026, you can use HYTALE15 for a 15% discount on your first month.

Once you've selected your plan, you'll be redirected to the shopping cart, where you can log in to your account or sign up for a new one,  then pay your invoice using your preferred payment method, and that's it!

Servers are automatically deployed after a few minutes. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our team.

Basic Configuration you should do:

After the server is deployed, here are some configurations you should consider making on your server to ensure it's ready for connections.

• Change the server name and description to anything of your choice; this will work for visibility in the in-game browser.
• Adjust the max players, world settings, or seeds via config files or the Startup tab.
• Set up automated restarts to ensure the server's memory is refreshed.

That's it! When you're ready, just follow the authentication process and then use your server IP/Port to join the server. Feel free to follow this guide to learn how to connect to your Hytale server.

When everything is set, you can share this IP with your friends so they can join too :)

Setting up your own Dedicated Server on a VPS

For tech-savvy users who would prefer to have full control of the server and the resources, we also offer Game VPS plans that you could use to run your server!

Requirements:

• Java 21+ or 25 runtime (OpenJDK recommended).
• High CPU/RAM (Based on the official recommended specs, you should get at least 8-16GB RAM for small servers, and at least 4 CPU Cores to handle heavy stuff like world generation).
• 50 GB of Storage, enough for the installation and future data.
• 64-bit OS (Windows/Linux supported).

Depending on the OS you're running, please consider getting enough resources for the OS too (especially if you're running Windows). You can upgrade your server specs at any time.

Setting up the Hytale Server:

• On your VPS, download the official dedicated server installer from the official website.
• Extract the files to a folder.
• Run the Hytale downloader to authenticate the server and download the server files.
• Wait for the server download to finish.
• Extract the newly downloaded file's content to your server folder.

• Open Notepad and paste the following line:

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

• Replace the "PathToAssets" with the Windows path to your Assets.zip file. Make sure to use " if any of the folders contain spaces. See the example below:

• Save the file as run_server.bat inside the same folder as your HytaleServer.jar file.
• Navigate to the /Server/ folder and execute the run_server.bat file to start your server. This will also generate the remaining server files.
• In your server console, run the command /auth login device (to authenticate the server and allow for player connections).
• Follow the steps to authorize the device and then run /auth persistence Encrypted to avoid having to reauthenticate the next time you start the server.

• When done, stop the server (/stop in the console) and then open the configuration files (config.json) to edit the properties as needed (name, MOTD, max players...).
• Start the server again by executing the run_server.bat file.

With these simple steps, the basic setup is done, and the files are prepared to be used. Now, you only need to allow the ports/server file through the firewall.

Opening ports for your Hytale Game Server (Windows)

• In your VPS, open the Windows Firewall app.
• Click on "Advanced Settings".
• Click on "Inbound Rules" and then "New Rule".
• Select "Port" as the type of rule you want to create, and click on Next.

• Select UDP and "Specific Local Ports", then type 5520 (the default hytale port), then click on Next until you reach the "Name" step.
• Name this new rule "Hytale Server" and click on Finish.

That's it, with this, the server will be allowed through the Windows firewall and will be accessible for your players.

Additional note: While running the server on a Game VPS allows you to have full control over the resources and configuration, most of the configuration will need to be done manually, like SFTP Setup, file backups, and server updates. Read more about the differences between our VPS and game hosting plans here!

Tips for your Hytale Server

• Hytale servers favor strong CPUs for world generation, so make sure to get enough cores for the server.
• Start vanilla, add plugins (.jar files) as the modding community grows, and once you're done with the default experience :)
• For larger groups/mods: Opt for higher plans with enough resources for the future. Though this is not an impediment, as you can upgrade/downgrade anytime in the future!

Ready to Get Started?

Ready to explore Orbis your way? Secure your server at https://iceline-hosting.com/games/hytale and be online from January 13th forward!

Check back for post-launch updates as more tools and mods emerge, so feel free to keep an eye on our knowledge base.  We are excited for Hytale's return!