Update your Hytale serverWhy client and server have to match exactly - and what to do on patch day

Published on October 4, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

Why updates are urgent in Hytale

When a connection is established, Hytale compares an identifier of the protocol version on client and server. If it differs even slightly, the server rejects the connection. Hypixel explicitly calls this a current limitation: when an update is released, servers have to catch up immediately, otherwise players with the new client can no longer get in.

For the future, Hypixel has announced a tolerance that allows client and server to be a few versions apart. Until then: a server that does not catch up effectively locks out everyone whose launcher has already installed the update after every patch. Because Hytale is in early access, such updates come more often than with finished games.

With us: automatic

On our servers, we apply new Hytale versions automatically. Worlds, configuration and mods are kept - only the server files and the game content are replaced. You do not have to enter a command for this.

Automatic does not mean in the same second, though. Between the release of a new client and the server catching up, there can be a short window in which joining fails. On a patch day, that is normal and not a defect. Patience is the right first step there, not changing settings.

Hytale comes with its own update commands, for example /update status, which shows the current version. That is handy for a quick check of whether the server is already up to date. More commands are in Hytale server commands.

What you prepare yourself

We take care of applying the update; the work around it is up to you:

• A copy before major updates. The Hytale server automatically backs up the world on the server. Before a major update, a copy somewhere else is still worth it - download the universe folder and the JSON files via SFTP. How is explained in Create a backup.
• Let your fellow players know. An update means a restart, and that always comes at a bad time for a running session.
• Keep your mod list in view. Write down which mods you use so that you can look for new versions specifically after the update.

Mods after an update

The biggest construction site after a Hytale update is mods. The server itself is up to date afterwards, but a mod may not be yet. In the worst case, it prevents the start; in the milder case, individual content does not work.

1. Watch the console after the update. Error messages at startup usually name the affected mod.
2. Take the affected mod out of the mods folder for the time being and restart.
3. Check the mod's page for a version for the new Hytale state.
4. When updating, delete the old file first, then upload the new one - otherwise the server reports a duplicate plugin.

More on mod errors: Install mods and plugins.

The client has to keep up too

The version check works in both directions. If a fellow player's client lags behind, they can no longer get onto the updated server. The Hytale launcher normally installs updates on its own; restarting the launcher helps if it has not done so yet.

Pre-release versions are a special case: besides the regular version, Hytale also distributes pre-release states. Anyone who has switched the launcher to such a channel plays a different version from the server and is turned away. For playing on the server, the launcher belongs on the regular version.

Separating version errors from other causes

Not every failed join after a patch day is a version problem. Three questions help narrow it down:

• Can nobody get in at all? Then the server may not have caught up yet or does not start because of a mod. Check the console.
• Can some get in and others not? Then it is down to the affected players' clients - restart the launcher, check the channel.
• Did it already fail before the update? Then the update is not the cause. The checklist in Fix connection problems will help.

The basics of connecting via the address made of IP and port are in Join a Hytale server.

Checking after the update

Once the server is back up, a short walk-through is worth it: does the world load completely, do the mods work, are permissions and whitelist correct? Configuration and game progress are kept during an update, but it is still worth checking. Major updates sometimes change game mechanics or add new settings, which you will find in config.json - see Hytale server settings.

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