Connect How to play Hytale with friends (multiplayer explained, Chapter I)

Hi Hytaler,

short answer: yes, Hytale is multiplayer. You have 2 ways to play with friends:

1. Share code: you open your own single player world, your friends join with a code. Free, takes 1 minute, but the world is only online while you play.
2. Own server: a dedicated server that runs 24/7. More work, but the world is always there and it handles more players.

Everyone needs their own Hytale account. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. There is no official server browser in the game yet, Hypixel still lists "server discovery" as a future addition in the server manual.

Way 1: share code (Online Play)​

Before you start: add each other as Hytale friends. Sounds stupid, but this is the step people skip. The best connection methods and the relay fallback only work between friends. For strangers the code only has your raw addresses in it, so it fails a lot more often.

Host:

1. Load your world
2. Press ESC and click Online Play
3. Turn on Allow Other Players to Join
4. Optional: set a password (you can put it into the code or tell it separately)
5. Click Save, then Copy to Clipboard
6. Send the code to your friend in a private message

Friend:

1. Main menu, Servers
2. Join via Code, paste the code
3. Enter the password if it wasn't in the code, click Connect

You don't need to forward any ports for this. Hytale tries a direct connection itself (UPnP, STUN, IPv6, even VPN addresses like Tailscale). If nothing works it goes over an encrypted Hytale relay. That works, but the ping gets a bit higher.

Important: the code has your IP address in it and it expires after a while. Never post it in a public channel or show it on stream.

Since Chapter I (Update 7) this got better: friends on the same home network now connect directly, Online Play shows you if friends can actually join, and you can rejoin after a disconnect without restarting both games. Hotfix 0.7.1 also fixed the timeout 30 seconds after joining a world hosted on Windows. If you had that, update and try again. (patch notes, hotfixes)

Way 2: your own server​

If your group plays at different times, or you are more than a few people, get a dedicated server. Then the world stays online when you are offline. Hypixel says the same in their Joining Friends article.

The basics:

• port 5520 UDP (only UDP, TCP is not needed)
• Java 25
• at least 4 GB RAM, I would say 6 to 8 GB for a group of friends. Check the RAM calculator

Full setup is in How to start a Hytale server. For the start script you can use our start script generator. And once it runs, these are the admin commands you need for whitelist, op and bans.

Joining doesn't work? Check this​

1. Not Hytale friends. Add each other first (see above).
2. Code expired. Make a fresh one.
3. Different game version. Client and server must be on the exact same version, otherwise the connection is refused. After every patch: everyone updates. Also if one of you is on the pre-release branch and the other isn't, that won't match.
4. Firewall. Allow Hytale in the Windows firewall for private AND public networks. Some antivirus tools block it too.
5. School, work or public WiFi. These often block it. Quick test: use your phone hotspot. Outgoing UDP 3478 has to be allowed.
6. CGNAT or double NAT. Port forwarding doesn't help with CGNAT, but the relay usually still works. With double NAT you have to forward on both routers or put the provider box in bridge mode.

If you need to ask for help: Online Play has a Copy Network Report button. That report has no IP addresses in it, so it's safe to post here.

Still stuck with your own server? The can't connect guide goes through it step by step, or try the connection checker.

How do you play, share code or own server? And did the Chapter I changes fix joining for you? Let me know below

• BitaceS