Hytale, a highly-anticipated sandbox game by Hypixel Studios, has been gaining strong community traction in recent months, with some players believing it to be competing against Microsoft’s best-selling Minecraft franchise.
Hytale started as a passion project from former Minecraft modders at Hypixel. The game drew attention from Riot Games and was purchased in 2020. Unfortunately, that deal was cut short when Riot canceled it last June. The game was then bought and revived by its original founder, Laflamme, bringing it back to the market. It was a great decision.
In development for almost ten years, Hytale is a self-funded game with zero investors. It is created by a passionate group of developers who once shaped popular Minecraft servers.
One of the biggest appeals for Hytale compared to Minecraft is in its expansive modding potential. Unlike Minecraft, which relies heavily on third-party tools and community efforts, Hytale’s modding support is official and built into the game. To add to that, Hypixel isn’t taking cuts from modders and leaves potential profits and everything else in the hands of its passionate community.
This makes Hytale the perfect platform for creative players who want to go all out with their imagination without having to download extra applications. Even players who are not well-versed in modding can easily dip their toes into Hytale’s systems, as they are intuitive. Even better, the game’s full launch will only expand these modding options further.
Hytale’s plans don’t just stop there. Once Early Access launches, the studio plans to hire world designers for the game, offering a plethora of expansive new content for players to enjoy in the long run. They also plan to expand into explorable worlds in new and alternate dimensions featuring NPCs, quests, stories, and more gameplay systems.
As of writing, Hytale is already slowly working its way to the top, all thanks to its massive community that has been patiently waiting for its launch day to arrive. The developers are expected to draw more than a million users on their Early Access launch on January 13, 2026.
If their prediction proves accurate, Hytale could set a new gold standard for sandbox games. It’s one that was supposedly dead and abandoned, and now it’s back with the potential to stand alongside the shoulders of the giants. While Hytale does not need to compete directly with Minecraft or Roblox, it already has a loyal player base, and the green flags are clear. In the next few years, Hytale could become a household name in sandbox gaming.
And this is only the beginning.
Hytale launches on January 13, 2026, for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is priced at $19.99 USD for the Standard Edition, with other tiers like the Supporter Edition at $34.99 and Cursebreaker Founder's Pack at $69.99. You can download the game from their official website here.
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