Hytale Launches With Record Player Surge And Creative Tools

Gamers and industry watchers alike have been buzzing about the arrival of Hytale, the much-anticipated sandbox adventure game that has finally entered Early Access. Released earlier this week, Hytale is already making waves in the gaming community, drawing comparisons to the iconic Minecraft and igniting debates about its unique twists and potential to become the next big name in the genre. According to PC Gamer, more than 400,000 people tuned in to watch the game on Twitch on its release day—a testament to the excitement and curiosity surrounding its debut.

The roots of Hytale stretch back to 2013, when Simon Collins-Laflamme launched the Hypixel server for Minecraft. Hypixel quickly grew into one of the world’s most popular Minecraft servers, famed for its inventive minigames like Bed Wars and Murder Mystery. These modes didn’t just captivate Minecraft players; they inspired adaptations across platforms, with the Roblox version of Bed Wars nearing 11 billion visits and Murder Mystery 2 on Roblox boasting almost 23 billion. The creative spirit and technical ambition of Hypixel would eventually set the stage for something even bigger: a standalone game that could push the boundaries of what a sandbox adventure could be.

Announced in 2018, Hytale immediately sparked comparisons to Minecraft thanks to its blocky aesthetic and sandbox mechanics. But as fans quickly noticed, Hytale was never just a clone. Its development began independently in 2015, and after Hypixel Studios was acquired by Riot Games, the project seemed destined for greatness. However, in a dramatic twist, Riot Games canceled Hytale in June 2025, citing the game’s ambitious scope and its incomplete development status. The story didn’t end there—Simon Collins-Laflamme reacquired the rights in November 2025, determined to see his vision through. Now, just two months later, that vision is finally in players’ hands.

So what sets Hytale apart from its famous predecessor? At its core, Hytale is an open-world sandbox RPG, blending resource collection, crafting, and base building with a structured narrative and quests. Players enter the world with nothing, tasked with surviving, thriving, and building up their own corner of the universe. The game’s procedurally generated worlds are filled with dungeons, hostile creatures, and opportunities for exploration. While minigames—a hallmark of the original Hypixel server—aren’t officially available in Early Access, players are encouraged to create their own, with a dedicated team working to bring official minigames online in the future.

One of Hytale’s standout features is its robust Creative mode. While Minecraft’s Creative mode is beloved for its open-ended building, Hytale takes things a step further. The game boasts advanced tools like scripted brushes for terrain creation, over 100 spawnable models, prefabs, and measuring tools—all designed to empower creators right out of the box. According to Hypixel Studios, these features would typically require mods in Minecraft, but in Hytale, they’re built in from day one. The result? Players can bring their wildest visions to life with fewer barriers and more creative freedom than ever before.

Community is at the heart of Hytale’s design. As an MMO, the game is expected to support large parties—potentially up to 100 players, drawing on the legacy of the Hypixel server. But the real game-changer is modding. Unlike Minecraft, where mods are supplementary and often require external downloads, modding is woven into the fabric of Hytale. Everything from content to server-side features can be modded, and even players with little technical know-how are encouraged to experiment. Built-in tools like an Asset Editor, a Blockbench plug-in for creating models and animations, and an Asset Graph Editor make it easier than ever to customize and expand the game. As Hypixel Studios puts it, "Making modding advanced and accessible allows adventures in Hytale to be more personalized than ever."

Combat and crafting are two more areas where Hytale carves its own path. Drawing on RPG elements, combat in Hytale is broader and more varied than in Minecraft. Recent gameplay footage showed characters wielding dual daggers that allow for longer jumps, with weapons featuring charge meters for powerful attacks. Magic is expected to play a significant role, infusing the game with a fantasy flavor absent from Minecraft. As for crafting, Hytale executive director Simon Collins-Laflamme explained on social media that the system is "more comparable to games like Valheim/Terraria instead of grid crafting. So it’s very different and allows us to go in a different direction." In these games, progression is tied to defeating bosses and unlocking new materials—a significant departure from Minecraft’s crafting grid.

And some features simply won’t make the jump from Minecraft. Collins-Laflamme was clear: "We will not have things like Redstone, for example." Instead, Hytale leans into adventure and creativity, ensuring its gameplay loop remains distinct and fresh. As he put it, "Minecraft is one of the greatest games of all time; it has perfected many designs that no one appreciates. Hytale is going in a very, very different path; we are more going into adventure aspects as a core game (with modding in mind)."

Despite being in Early Access (and thus still a work in progress), Hytale is fully playable, with some features yet to be implemented and the occasional bug to be expected. It’s currently available for PC users on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and can only be purchased via the Hytale website. The standard edition costs $21.99, with premium tiers—Supporter and Cursebreaker Founders Edition—offering cosmetics and costumes for $38.49 and $76.99 respectively. While the game isn’t available on Steam just yet, executive director Patrick Derbic has said that a Steam release is possible in the future, though it’s "not a priority." Console versions for Nintendo Switch and PS5 are in the cards, but will come "at a later stage" after the game’s code base has been stabilized.

Sales numbers remain under wraps, but the buzz is undeniable. Pre-purchase sales alone have reportedly funded at least two years of development, and the surge of players and viewers suggests Hytale is well on its way to becoming a best-seller. While Minecraft continues to dominate with over 200 million monthly active users in 2026, Hytale’s fresh approach, creator-first philosophy, and RPG-infused gameplay make it a compelling new contender for the sandbox crown.

With its ambitious scope, deep creative tools, and a story of resilience behind its release, Hytale is proving it’s much more than just another Minecraft clone. As players dive into its worlds and begin shaping their adventures, one thing is clear: the sandbox genre just got a lot more interesting.