Hytale is Finally Here. So Now What?
Hytale entered Early Access on January 13, 2026, delivering a playable version of the long-awaited sandbox RPG after years of delays, a full cancellation, and a last-minute revival by its founders.
Here’s the TL;DR...
Turbulent History: Hypixel Studios kicked off development in 2015; Riot acquired it in 2020, canceled in June 2025 over scope creep, then sold it back to founder Simon Collins-Laflamme in November 2025 for a rapid Early Access push.
Launch Triumph: Peaked at 2.8 million concurrent players on day one, with pre-sales funding two years of development; modders hit 1 million downloads in 48 hours.
Current State: Exploration and Creative modes shine with fluid combat, parkour, and building tweaks, but Adventure mode and social features await; first update added dinosaurs January 17.
Road Ahead: Team eyes 10-year support with deeper RPG elements, minigames, full world gen, and modder tools to evolve beyond Minecraft roots.
What Is Hytale, and Why Did Fans Wait a Decade?
Hytale mixes sandbox building with RPG progression in a procedurally generated world of biomes, dungeons, and creatures. Players craft gear, fight mobs, and erect bases, all backed by robust modding from day one.
The project started in 2015 under Hypixel Studios, creators of the massive Minecraft server. A 2018 trailer exploded to 31 million views, promising better combat, visuals, and tools.
Riot Games snapped it up in 2020, injecting millions but sparking endless rewrites—from C#/Java to C++, then a new engine in 2024.
How Did Riot Games Cancel Hytale After 10 Years?
Riot pulled the plug June 23, 2025. Director Aaron “Noxy” Donaghey blamed ballooning ambitions: “Our technical ambitions grew more complex, and even after a major reboot of the game engine, the team found that Hytale still wasn’t as far along as it needed to be.”
Hypixel Studios shuttered. Fans launched #SaveHytale, but hope faded—until Simon Collins-Laflamme negotiated a buyback.
What Sparked Hytale’s Miracle Revival in 2025?
Collins-Laflamme repurchased the IP November 17, 2025, sans publisher strings. He pledged a “10-year personal funding commitment” alongside core team vets.
They ditched the troubled new engine for a four-year-old “legacy” build. In eight weeks, 50 devs merged 300+ branches, fixed cameras, combat, and rendering, then squashed thousands of bugs.
Pre-purchases opened December 13 at $19.99 for Starter Edition. Collins-Laflamme warned: “This is true early access... unfinished and buggy.”
Riot even tweeted launch day congrats.
Which Features Define Hytale’s Early Access Build?
Launch packs Exploration Mode for survival antics: punch-free starts with stick tools, collapsing trees for logs, and three-block parkour jumps.
Combat pops with daggers, shields, charge attacks, and finishers against goblin bombers or lava toads. Building gets roofs sans stair hacks, though alignment glitches linger.
Creative Mode and modding tools rolled out immediately, partnering with Blockbench and CurseForge. Multiplayer supports all modes via custom launcher—no Steam yet.
Update 1 hit January 17: dinosaurs in underground jungles, knockback tweaks, new eyes/hair, and fixes galore like crop yields and server auth.
How Has the Community and Critics Embraced Hytale?
Day one smashed 2.8 million concurrent players—Collins-Laflamme confirmed it live as “Simon.”
Mods flew: 1 million downloads, including Windows 95 and Hytale in Hytale.
IGN calls it “Minecraft 2”: fluid, performant, with “magical moments” despite missing direction. PC Gamer digs biomes and NPCs; Eurogamer finds it “enjoyable” sans full progression.
Critics note fiddly building and sparse goals, but creators like Martyn Littlewood log 10-hour sessions.
What Major Updates and Expansions Await Hytale?
Adventure Mode looms: quests, bosses, story cinematics. World Gen v2 restores Orbis; minigames empower server owners.
Social upgrades—friends, guilds, voice chat—prototype now. Automation, controllers, and visuals get buffs.
Consoles and mobile? Planned post-core polish. Modders get in-game installs; community worlds expand.
Collins-Laflamme: “Listen and interact with the community.”
Hytale’s Early Access proves raw potential in a Minecraft-adjacent package, backed by fervent fans and a founder betting the farm. Launch metrics secure stability; rapid patches signal momentum. If Hypixel delivers on RPG depth and tools, this phoenix rises as gaming’s next endless playground—watch servers and mods multiply the magic.
Hat Tips
Hytale is finally here! / Hytale.com / January 13, 2026
Hytale Early Access: January 13, 2026 / Hytale.com / November 28, 2025
Hytale Patch Notes – Update 1 / Hytale.com / January 17, 2026
Hytale / Wikipedia
Why Riot Canceled Hytale And How It Came Back To Life / GameSpot / January 14, 2026
Hytale Early Access Review So Far / IGN / January 14, 2026
Simon confirms that 2.8 million people are currently playing Hytale / Reddit / January 14, 2026
Article Compiled and Edited by Derek Gibbs on January 19, 2026 for Clownfish TV D/REZZED.
Really solid coverage of Hytale's rough launch journey. The detail about proper roof building withoutstair hacks is actually huge for anyone who's been playing Minecraft for years. Those workarounds became second nature but were always kinda jank. Building mechanics that just work out of the box could legitimatly change how people approach creative mode.