How To Set Up A Hytale Server in 9 Steps

Hytale has always carried that, “What if the Minecraft server scene got rebuilt from the ground up?” energy, part sandbox, part adventure RPG, and absolutely destined for community-run worlds. Hypixel Studios has been building Hytale with creators in mind, and the dedicated server tooling reflects that: modern networking (QUIC), first-class authentication, and a server structure that’s meant to scale beyond a single sleepy survival world.

If you’ve got a Liquid Web VPS (or dedicated machine) and you want to host your own Hytale universe, here’s the setup for Java 25, Assets.zip, OAuth device auth, and QUIC over UDP on port 5520 by default.

What’s different about hosting Hytale?

Before we touch commands, three things matter more than they do in “older-gen” game servers:

It’s Java 25: this isn’t a “whatever Java you have lying around” situation. The manual is explicit: Hytale servers require Java 25 (Temurin/Adoptium recommended).
It uses QUIC over UDP: if you open TCP ports like you would for a typical game server, you’ll be staring at a “server’s up but nobody can join” mystery all night.
It authenticates: your server needs to authenticate (device login flow) before it can properly accept player connections in authenticated mode.

That’s the vibe: less duct tape, more “platform.”

Step 0: Pick the right Liquid Web server size

The server can run on 4GB RAM minimum, but Hytale’s resource usage swings hard based on how people actually play:

CPU gets hit when your world has lots of entities (NPCs/mobs) or a busy player hub.
RAM climbs with view distance and players exploring in different directions (more world loaded at once).

If you’re hosting a few friends, start at 4–8GB. If you’re planning mods, higher view distance, or a real community, 8–16GB is where life gets easier.

Step 1: Prep your Liquid Web VPS (Ubuntu recommended)

SSH into your Liquid Web server and update it:

sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade
sudo reboot

Install a few baseline tools you’ll want for server life:

sudo apt -y install curl wget unzip tmux htop

Step 2: Install Java 25 (required)

Install Java 25 (Temurin/Adoptium recommended per the manual). Once installed, verify:

java --version

You’re looking for output along the lines of:

openjdk 25.0.1 ... LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Temurin-25.0.1+...

If this doesn’t show Java 25, stop here and fix that first, Hytale won’t cooperate without it.

Step 3: Create a clean Hytale server directory

I like /opt for game servers because it keeps things organized and backup-friendly:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/hytale
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /opt/hytale
cd /opt/hytale

Step 4: Get the server files + assets.zip

You’ve got two legit paths, depending on whether this is a “test it tonight” server or a “keep it updated for months” server.

Option A: Hytale downloader CLI (best for real servers)

The manual describes an official CLI that downloads server + assets via OAuth2 and is built for staying current. Download and extract hytale-downloader.zip, then follow the included QUICKSTART.

Common commands from the manual:

./hytale-downloader (download latest release)
./hytale-downloader -print-version
./hytale-downloader -patchline pre-release (if you’re running that channel)

Option B: Manual copy from your launcher (fastest for testing)

Copy these two things from your launcher install:

The Server folder
Assets.zip

Launcher install locations from the manual:

Windows: %appdata%\Hytale\install\release\package\game\latest
Linux: $XDG_DATA_HOME/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest
macOS: ~/Application Support/Hytale/install/release/package/game/latest

On your VPS, you want (at minimum) HytaleServer.jar, HytaleServer.aot, and Assets.zip together in the server directory.

Step 5: Open the firewall (UDP, not TCP)

Hytale uses QUIC over UDP. Default port is 5520/udp.

If you use UFW on Ubuntu:

sudo ufw allow 5520/udp
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

If you plan to bind to a different port later, you’ll open that UDP port instead.

Step 6: Start the server (use the AOT cache)

From your server folder (where the JAR and Assets.zip live), run:

java -XX:AOTCache=HytaleServer.aot -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip

That AOT cache isn’t fluff. The server ships with HytaleServer.aot specifically to reduce the “JIT warmup” boot overhead.

After first launch, authenticate your server in the console:

/auth login device

You’ll see a device authorization prompt with a URL and a code. Complete it in your browser, and once it succeeds, your server is authenticated and can accept player connections in authenticated mode.

Heads-up from the manual: there’s a 100 servers per game license limit to reduce abuse, so if you’re spinning up lots of instances, you’ll want to look into the “Server Provider” route described in their docs.

Step 8: Change port (optional)

Default bind is 0.0.0.0:5520. To use a custom port:

java -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip --bind 3500

Then open it:

sudo ufw allow 3500/udp

Step 9: Run it like you mean it (systemd)

If you want the server to survive SSH disconnects, restarts, and normal admin life, make it a service.

Create:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/hytale.service

Paste (update paths if yours differ):

[Unit]
Description=Hytale Dedicated Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
WorkingDirectory=/opt/hytale
ExecStart=/usr/bin/java -XX:AOTCache=HytaleServer.aot -jar HytaleServer.jar --assets Assets.zip
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5
LimitNOFILE=100000

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable + start:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable hytale
sudo systemctl start hytale
sudo systemctl status hytale

Logs when something goes sideways:

journalctl -u hytale -f

Mods, worlds, and the stuff you’ll actually touch

Once it’s running, you’ll see the server lay out its world like a proper game platform:

mods/ → drop .zip or .jar mods here
universe/ → worlds + player data live here
logs/ → if it breaks, this is where the truth is
config.json, permissions.json, whitelist.json, bans.json

One important operational detail from the manual: configuration files are read on startup and may be overwritten by in-game changes, so if you’re editing configs manually, do it with the server stopped.

Performance tuning: the one setting that sneaks up on you

View distance is the RAM monster.

The manual recommends capping maximum view distance to 12 chunks (384 blocks) for performance and gameplay balance, and it specifically warns that Hytale’s defaults can be heavier than what longtime Minecraft admins expect.

If your server starts “feeling fine” at three players and then melts at 12, view distance is one of the first levers to pull.

The quick “Why can’t anyone join?” checklist

If players can’t connect:

Did you open UDP, not TCP?
Are you using the correct port (5520/udp by default)?
Did you complete /auth login device so the server is actually authenticated?
Are client and server on the exact same protocol version? (The manual notes strict matching right now, updates can force servers to update immediately.)

Ready to level up your gaming experience?

A VPS gives you the power to craft your perfect server, whether it’s building in Eco, surviving in Project Zomboid, or exploring in Unturned. Gain control, reliable performance, and strong security to keep every session running smoothly.

Liquid Web’s VPS hosting offers top-tier hardware, 24/7 expert support, and high uptime to keep your game server running seamlessly. And if you’re looking for robust power and control, our gaming hosting is a great fit.

Whether you’re hosting a small group of friends or managing a large gaming community on Discord, Liquid Web has the VPS package to keep your gameplay smooth and reliable.