How to Install a Hytale Server on Linux VPS

1. Introduction

What is Hytale?

Hytale is a sandbox game developed by Hypixel Studios, released in early access on January 13, 2026. It combines exploration, construction, combat, and content creation in a rich procedural universe. The dedicated server allows hosting persistent multiplayer games.

Main Features

Procedural worlds with diverse biomes
Mod system and advanced customization
Modern QUIC over UDP network protocol
Support for x64 and arm64 architectures
Management of permissions and multiple worlds
Integrated authentication system via Hytale account

Typical Use Cases

Private server among friends (5-10 players)
Public community server (20-50 players)
Custom mini-games server
Creative server with mods

Documented Version

Hytale Server: v1.0.0 (January 2026)
Required Java: OpenJDK 25 LTS (Temurin)

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2. Prerequisites

Hardware Configuration

Resource	Minimum	Recommended	Performance
RAM	4 GB	8 GB	16 GB
CPU	2 vCores	4 vCores	6+ vCores
Storage	10 GB SSD	20 GB SSD	50 GB NVMe
Bandwidth	100 Mbps	1 Gbps	1 Gbps
Supported Players	5-10	10-30	50+

💡 Tip: CPU speed (core frequency) is more important than the number of cores for Hytale.

Required Software

Software	Version	Required
Debian / Ubuntu	12+ / 22.04+	✅
Java (OpenJDK)	25 LTS	✅
unzip	Latest	✅
UFW (Firewall)	Latest	Recommended

Network Ports

Port	Protocol	Usage	Required
5520	UDP	Hytale Server (QUIC)	✅
22	TCP	SSH (administration)	✅

⚠️ Important: Hytale exclusively uses UDP via the QUIC protocol. Do not open the port in TCP.

Required Server Files

File	Size	Description
`HytaleServer.jar`	~50 MB	Server executable
`Assets.zip`	~3.2 GB	Game resources (textures, sounds, models)

3. Step-by-Step Installation

Step 1: System Update

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

ℹ️ This command updates the package list and installs the latest available versions.

Step 2: Install Java 25

Add the Adoptium repository and install OpenJDK 25:

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install -y wget apt-transport-https gnupg

# Add Adoptium GPG key
wget -qO - https://packages.adoptium.net/artifactory/api/gpg/key/public | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/adoptium.asc

# Add repository
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/adoptium.asc] https://packages.adoptium.net/artifactory/deb $(lsb_release -cs) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/adoptium.list

# Install Java 25
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y temurin-25-jdk

Verification Point:

java --version

Expected result:

openjdk 25.0.1 2025-10-21 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Temurin-25.0.1+8 (build 25.0.1+8-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Temurin-25.0.1+8 (build 25.0.1+8-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)

Step 3: Create a Dedicated User

For security reasons, create a non-root system user:

sudo adduser --system --group --home /opt/hytale --shell /bin/bash hytale

💡 Best Practice: Never run a game server as root.

Step 4: Prepare Directory Structure

# Create directories
sudo mkdir -p /opt/hytale/server
sudo mkdir -p /opt/hytale/backups

# Set permissions
sudo chown -R hytale:hytale /opt/hytale

Step 5: Download Server Files

Use the official hytale-downloader tool to download server files directly to your VPS:

# Connect as hytale user
sudo su - hytale
cd /opt/hytale/server

# Download the tool
wget -q https://downloader.hytale.com/hytale-downloader.zip

# Extraction
unzip hytale-downloader.zip

# Set execution permissions
chmod +x bin/hytale-downloader

# Download server files (HytaleServer.jar + Assets.zip)
./bin/hytale-downloader --server

ℹ️ The tool will prompt you to authenticate with your Hytale account during the first download.

Verification Point:

ls -lh /opt/hytale/server/

Expected result:

-rw-r--r-- 1 hytale hytale  50M jan 15 10:00 HytaleServer.jar
-rw-r--r-- 1 hytale hytale 3.2G jan 15 10:05 Assets.zip
drwxr-xr-x 2 hytale hytale 4.0K jan 15 10:00 bin/

Step 6: Firewall Configuration

# Enable UFW if necessary
sudo ufw enable

# Open SSH port (if not already done)
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

# Open Hytale port (UDP only)
sudo ufw allow 5520/udp

# Reload rules
sudo ufw reload

# Check status
sudo ufw status verbose

Expected result:

5520/udp                   ALLOW IN    Anywhere

4. Configuration

Startup Script

Create the file /opt/hytale/server/start.sh:

sudo -u hytale nano /opt/hytale/server/start.sh

Script content:

#!/bin/bash
#
# Hytale Server Startup Script
# OuiHeberg - Installation Guide
#

cd /opt/hytale/server

# JVM Configuration
JAVA_OPTS="-Xms4G -Xmx6G"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -XX:+UseG1GC"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -XX:+ParallelRefProcEnabled"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions"
JAVA_OPTS="$JAVA_OPTS -XX:+DisableExplicitGC"

# Server Startup
java $JAVA_OPTS -jar HytaleServer.jar \
    --assets Assets.zip \
    --bind 0.0.0.0:5520

Make the script executable:

sudo chmod +x /opt/hytale/server/start.sh
sudo chown hytale:hytale /opt/hytale/server/start.sh

JVM Optimization based on number of players

Players	VPS RAM	JVM Parameters
5-10	6 GB	`-Xms3G -Xmx5G -XX:+UseG1GC`
10-20	8 GB	`-Xms4G -Xmx6G -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200`
20-40	16 GB	`-Xms8G -Xmx12G -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=200`
50+	32 GB	`-Xms16G -Xmx24G -XX:+UseZGC`

⚠️ Important: Always leave 1-2 GB of RAM available for the operating system.

Server Configuration (config.json)

After the first startup, edit /opt/hytale/server/config.json:

{
  "Version": 3,
  "ServerName": "My Hytale Server",
  "MOTD": "Welcome to our server!",
  "Password": "",
  "MaxPlayers": 20,
  "MaxViewRadius": 16,
  "LocalCompressionEnabled": false,
  "Defaults": {
    "World": "default",
    "GameMode": "Adventure"
  },
  "ConnectionTimeouts": {
    "JoinTimeouts": {}
  },
  "RateLimit": {},
  "Modules": {},
  "LogLevels": {},
  "Mods": {},
  "DisplayTmpTagsInStrings": false,
  "PlayerStorage": {
    "Type": "Hytale"
  }
}

Important Settings:

Parameter	Recommended Value	Description
`ServerName`	Your Name	Name displayed in server list
`MaxPlayers`	20	Maximum number of simultaneous players
`MaxViewRadius`	16	Render distance (32 = high, consumes a lot)
`Password`	`""`	Blank = public server, otherwise password required
`GameMode`	`Adventure`	Default mode: Adventure, Creative, Survival

💡 Optimization: Reducing MaxViewRadius from 32 to 16 significantly reduces RAM and CPU consumption.

Systemd Service (Automatic Startup)

Create the file /etc/systemd/system/hytale.service:

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

Content:

[Unit]
Description=Hytale Dedicated Server
Documentation=https://support.hytale.com
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=hytale
Group=hytale
WorkingDirectory=/opt/hytale/server
ExecStart=/opt/hytale/server/start.sh
ExecStop=/bin/kill -SIGINT $MAINPID
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
SyslogIdentifier=hytale

# Security
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

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

5. First Use

First Startup

sudo systemctl start hytale

Monitor real-time logs:

sudo journalctl -u hytale -f

Expected Output:

[INFO] Starting Hytale Server v1.0.0
[INFO] Loading Assets.zip... (1-2 minutes)
[INFO] World generation complete
[WARN] Server requires authentication
[INFO] Use command: /auth login device
[INFO] Server online on port 5520

Server Authentication

Access the server console:

sudo -u hytale screen -S hytale

Or via systemd:

sudo systemctl stop hytale
sudo -u hytale /opt/hytale/server/start.sh

In the console, type:

/auth login device

A code will appear:

===================================================================
DEVICE AUTHORIZATION
===================================================================
Visit: https://accounts.hytale.com/device
Enter code: ABCD-1234
===================================================================

Go to https://accounts.hytale.com/device
Enter the displayed code (e.g., ABCD-1234)
Authenticate with your Hytale account

⚠️ Important: The code expires after 15 minutes. Authentication is mandatory for players to connect.

Player Connection

Players can connect via:

Direct IP: your-public-ip:5520
Domain: play.yourdomain.com:5520

6. Maintenance

Service Management Commands

Action	Command
Start	`sudo systemctl start hytale`
Stop	`sudo systemctl stop hytale`
Restart	`sudo systemctl restart hytale`
Status	`sudo systemctl status hytale`
Real-time Logs	`sudo journalctl -u hytale -f`
Full Logs	`sudo journalctl -u hytale --no-pager`

Server Update

# Stop the server
sudo systemctl stop hytale

# Backup before update
sudo -u hytale cp -r /opt/hytale/server /opt/hytale/backups/server-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Download new files
sudo su - hytale
cd /opt/hytale/server
./bin/hytale-downloader --server --update

# Restart
exit
sudo systemctl start hytale

Automatic Backup

Create a backup script /opt/hytale/backup.sh:

#!/bin/bash
#
# Hytale Backup Script
#

BACKUP_DIR="/opt/hytale/backups"
SERVER_DIR="/opt/hytale/server"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
RETENTION_DAYS=7

# Create backup
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/hytale-$DATE.tar.gz" \
    -C "$SERVER_DIR" \
    config.json \
    universe/ \
    mods/ \
    --exclude='*.log'

# Delete old backups
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "hytale-*.tar.gz" -mtime +$RETENTION_DAYS -delete

echo "Backup completed: hytale-$DATE.tar.gz"

Make it executable and schedule it:

sudo chmod +x /opt/hytale/backup.sh
sudo chown hytale:hytale /opt/hytale/backup.sh

# Add to cron (daily backup at 4am)
echo "0 4 * * * hytale /opt/hytale/backup.sh" | sudo tee /etc/cron.d/hytale-backup

Restoration

# Server shutdown
sudo systemctl stop hytale

# Restore from backup
cd /opt/hytale/server
sudo -u hytale tar -xzf /opt/hytale/backups/hytale-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.tar.gz

# Restart
sudo systemctl start hytale

Monitoring

Monitor server resources:

# Java process memory usage
ps aux | grep HytaleServer

# Real-time CPU and RAM usage
htop -p $(pgrep -f HytaleServer)

# Disk space
df -h /opt/hytale

7. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Solution
`Incorrect Java version`	Java < 25	Install Java 25 via Adoptium
`Assets.zip not found`	Missing file	Place Assets.zip in `/opt/hytale/server/`
`Port 5520 already in use`	Another active instance	`sudo lsof -i :5520` then `kill PID`
`OutOfMemoryError`	Insufficient RAM	Increase `-Xmx` or reduce `MaxViewRadius`
Players unable to connect	Firewall / authentication	Check UFW + `/auth login device`

Diagnostic Commands

# Check if server is listening
sudo ss -ulnp | grep 5520

# Check error logs
sudo journalctl -u hytale --since "1 hour ago" | grep -i error

# Test UDP connectivity (from another server)
nc -vzu your-ip 5520

# Check Java version
java --version

# Check permissions
ls -la /opt/hytale/server/

Common Errors in Logs

Error: GC overhead limit exceeded

# Increase allocated RAM
-Xmx8G instead of -Xmx6G

Error: Unable to bind to address

# Check if no other process is using the port
sudo fuser -k 5520/udp

Error: Authentication required

# Restart authentication
/auth login device

8. Resources

Official Documentation

Resource	URL
Official server manual	https://support.hytale.com/hc/en-us/articles/45326769420827-Hytale-Server-Manual
Hytale official site	https://hytale.com
Authentication	https://accounts.hytale.com/device
Adoptium (Java 25)	https://adoptium.net

Community

Platform	Link
Official Discord	https://discord.gg/hytale
Reddit	https://reddit.com/r/hytale
Official Forums	https://forums.hytale.com

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Summary of Commands

# === COMPLETE INSTALLATION ===

# 1. System update
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# 2. Install Java 25
sudo apt install -y wget apt-transport-https gnupg unzip
wget -qO - https://packages.adoptium.net/artifactory/api/gpg/key/public | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/adoptium.asc
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/adoptium.asc] https://packages.adoptium.net/artifactory/deb $(lsb_release -cs) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/adoptium.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y temurin-25-jdk

# 3. Create user
sudo adduser --system --group --home /opt/hytale --shell /bin/bash hytale

# 4. Prepare folders
sudo mkdir -p /opt/hytale/{server,backups}
sudo chown -R hytale:hytale /opt/hytale

# 5. Firewall
sudo ufw allow 5520/udp
sudo ufw reload

# 6. Download server files
sudo su - hytale
cd /opt/hytale/server
wget -q https://downloader.hytale.com/hytale-downloader.zip
unzip hytale-downloader.zip
chmod +x bin/hytale-downloader
./bin/hytale-downloader --server
exit

# 7. Create start.sh and hytale.service (see above sections)

# 8. Start
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable hytale
sudo systemctl start hytale

# 9. Authentication
# In the console: /auth login device
# Then validate on https://accounts.hytale.com/device

Guide written by OuiHeberg — Last updated: January 15, 2026

How to install a Hytale server on Linux VPS

How to Install a Hytale Server on Linux VPS

1. Introduction

What is Hytale?

Main Features

Typical Use Cases

Documented Version

2. Prerequisites

Hardware Configuration

Required Software

Network Ports

Required Server Files

3. Step-by-Step Installation

Step 1: System Update

Step 2: Install Java 25

Step 3: Create a Dedicated User

Step 4: Prepare Directory Structure

Step 5: Download Server Files

Step 6: Firewall Configuration

4. Configuration

Startup Script

JVM Optimization based on number of players

Server Configuration (config.json)

Systemd Service (Automatic Startup)

5. First Use

First Startup

Server Authentication

Player Connection

6. Maintenance

Service Management Commands

Server Update

Automatic Backup

Restoration

Monitoring

7. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Diagnostic Commands

Common Errors in Logs

8. Resources

Official Documentation

Community

Summary of Commands

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