How to Create a Hytale Server Guide

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Creating a Hytale game server is an easy process that can be done from either a dedicated server or your home computer. Alternatively, you can choose a Hytale server host that will fit your needs.

Option #1: Renting a Hytale server (see example control panel below!)

Renting from a professional game server provider is the fastest and easiest way to get online. Survival Servers handles hardware, network, DDoS protection, and updates for you.

Control panel.gif
Hytale game server.png

With a rented Hytale server from Survival Servers you get:

  • Custom control panel (start/stop/restart, config editor, backups)
  • High-clock dedicated hardware (no VPS)
  • NVMe SSD storage
  • DDoS protection configured for UDP/QUIC traffic
  • Full FTP / SFTP file access
  • Multiple worldwide locations and the ability to switch locations at any time

Option #2: Host Your Own Hytale Server

Want to run your own Hytale server at home or on your own hardware? This guide will walk you through everything step by step.

What You'll Need

Computer Requirements

What Minimum Recommended
RAM 4 GB 6-8 GB
CPU Modern 64-bit processor Quad-core or better
Storage 10 GB free space 20+ GB SSD
Operating System Windows 10/11 or Linux (64-bit) Same

Software Requirements

  • Java 25 - This is required to run the server. Download it free from Adoptium

To check if Java is installed correctly, open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Linux/Mac) and type: 

java --version

You should see something like: 

openjdk 25.0.1 2025-10-21 LTS

Step 1: Get the Server Files

There are two ways to get the Hytale server files:

Method A: Copy from your Hytale game installation (easiest for beginners)

  1. Install and run the Hytale Launcher on your computer
  2. Navigate to your Hytale installation folder:
    • Windows: %appdata%\Hytale\install\release\package\game\latest
    • Linux: ~/.local/share/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest
    • Mac: ~/Application Support/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest
  3. Copy the Server folder and Assets.zip to wherever you want to run your server

Method B: Use the Hytale Downloader tool (best for keeping updated)

  1. Download the Hytale Downloader from the official download site
  2. Extract and run the downloader - it will prompt you to authenticate with your Hytale account
  3. The downloader fetches the latest server files and makes updating easy when new versions release

Step 2: Start the Server for the First Time

  1. Create a new folder for your server (example: C:\HytaleServer)
  2. Place the server files (Server folder and Assets.zip) in this folder
  3. Open Command Prompt or Terminal in that folder
  4. Run this command:
java -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

On Linux/Mac, use forward slashes: java -jar Server/HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

The server will start up and create all its configuration files. You'll see text scrolling in the window as it loads.

Step 3: Authenticate Your Server

Before players can join, you need to link your server to your Hytale account:

  1. In the server console, type: /auth login device
  2. You'll see a code and a link appear
  3. Open the link in your web browser and enter the code
  4. Log in with your Hytale account
  5. Once approved, you'll see "Authentication successful!" in the console

Your server is now ready to accept players!

Step 4: Set Up Port Forwarding (Required for Friends to Join)

Important: Hytale uses UDP port 5520 by default. This is different from many games that use TCP.

If you're hosting at home:

  1. Find your computer's local IP address (usually starts with 192.168)
  2. Log into your router's admin page (usually http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1)
  3. Find the Port Forwarding section
  4. Add a new rule:
    • Protocol: UDP (not TCP!)
    • External Port: 5520
    • Internal Port: 5520
    • Internal IP: Your computer's local IP
  5. Save the settings

If you need help with your specific router, PortForward.com has guides for most router models.

Firewall Settings

You may also need to allow the port through your firewall:

Windows:

  1. Open Windows Defender Firewall
  2. Click "Advanced settings"
  3. Click "Inbound Rules" then "New Rule"
  4. Select "Port" > "UDP" > enter "5520"
  5. Allow the connection and give it a name like "Hytale Server"

Linux (ufw): 

sudo ufw allow 5520/udp

Step 5: Allocate More RAM (Optional but Recommended)

By default, Java might not use enough memory. To give your server more RAM, use these flags when starting:

Your Available RAM Command to Use
4 GB java -Xms3G -Xmx3G -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip
6 GB java -Xms5G -Xmx5G -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip
8 GB java -Xms7G -Xmx7G -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

Tip: Always leave about 1 GB for Windows/Linux to use.

Create a Start Script (Makes Life Easier)

Instead of typing the command every time, create a script file:

Windows - Create start.bat: 

@echo off
java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip
pause

Linux - Create start.sh: 

#!/bin/bash
java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar Server/HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

Then make it executable: chmod +x start.sh

Double-click the script to start your server!

Understanding Your Server Files

After running the server, you'll see these folders and files:

File/Folder What It Does
Server/ Contains HytaleServer.jar (the server executable)
Assets.zip Game assets required by the server
config.json Main server settings (server name, max players, etc.)
universe/ Your world saves and player data
mods/ Put mod files here to add them to your server
logs/ Server logs for troubleshooting
bans.json List of banned players
whitelist.json List of allowed players (if whitelist is enabled)
permissions.json Player permissions and ranks

Important: Always stop your server before editing configuration files!

Step 5: Changing any Server Settings

You can find your server.json in the root directory as well as a server.json in the /universe/worlds/Orbis/server.json - more details here:

  • [Hytale Advanced Server Configuration]

Quick Reference

Task Command
Start server (basic) java -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip
Start with 4GB RAM java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip
Use a different port java -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip --bind 0.0.0.0:25565
See all options java -jar Server\HytaleServer.jar --help

Tips for Better Performance

  • Lower view distance - The default view distance uses a lot of RAM. Consider reducing it in your config if you have performance issues
  • Use an SSD - Solid state drives help the server load chunks faster
  • Monitor your resources - Watch CPU and RAM usage while players are online to understand what your server needs
  • Keep Java updated - Always use Java 25 as recommended by Hytale

See Also


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