Hytale First Impressions
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Hytale launched in early access on January 13th, 2026 after a tumultuous development history - of which I won't recount here, as it's been widely covered. If you are interested in the game and want to read as much coverage on the game as possible, I would suggest starting with this Wikipedia
article which covers it all. At first blush Hytale seems like a Minecraft mod, in fact it started out as one, but getting into the game you start to see that there is much more to it and even at such an early stage in development, the game is showing tons of promise.
Many have compared Hytale to Minecraft and rightfully so. It's a blocky survival game where you gather materials, build new things and progress through a series of different stages of technology and power. However there is a depth to the game that is closer to Terraria than Minecraft. Even in exploration mode, there are a myriad of different creatures, enemies and npcs to find and an environment that is both fantastical and somewhat realistic at the same time. There is also a depth of progression more similar to Terraria that is really interesting. Lots of various resources are required to continue through the chain of crafting, with many different worktables used to make specific categories of things.
World generation is still in it's infancy but it is already showing the beauty that is prevalent throughout the game. Biomes are interesting and varied, with some definite improvements required (and planned by the developer), especially in the case of pre-generated structures. Even so, wandering the world you will find outposts inhabited by Ogres, dilapidated villages and ruined temples to explore - only a small set of examples.
So far, in my few hours of playtime the coolest structure I've come across was a underground home inhabited by an Ogre mage. Who was friendly (but not communicative) with me, up until I wandered into his home one night while he was sleeping. He didn't like that very much and unfortunately it became a me or him situation. The home was the interesting part though, generated with defined rooms: a bedroom, a bath area, living area and a storage area. All with loot for me to "borrow" and after our unfortunate encounter and lots of furniture for me to repurpose.
There is something really special about getting in at the ground floor of a videogame, getting to see the game evolve and grow over time. With Hytale I think this is going to be one of those rare instances where it is going to turn into something very special.
As I continue to put time into the game I will update this post with more thoughts. However after only two hours or so, I can confidently say that there is lots here and lots more to come. It's a bright future indeed.
Update - Jan 25
After having the oppurtunity to put another 10 or so hours into Hytale, I'm confident in my buy-in to early access. This game is far from perfect, there are bugs and strange behaviour (especially around enemy AI and some environmental stull like lava), but it's a charming and unique take on the survival crafting genre. Enemey and resource types are diverse and the various biomes are fun to explore. It will be really exciting to see where this game goes in the future. After being out for only a few weeks, there have been multiple content updates and the developers are obviously very committed. It's one to keep an eye on for sure.