How to use the troubleshooter
Pick the problem that sounds most like yours, then answer each question with a tap, or with the number keys on a keyboard. Every answer shows up in your path at the top. Tap any step to go back and change it.
Type your server’s port in the port box and every command updates to match, so you can copy and paste them as they are.
When you reach a fix, “Copy my diagnosis” puts your answers and the fix on your clipboard, ready for Discord. “Copy link” saves your exact path, so a friend opens the same page you see.
How Hytale connects
Hytale uses QUIC, a modern network protocol that runs over UDP. The server listens on UDP port 5520 unless you change it with --bind. TCP is never used, so TCP rules in a firewall or router do nothing.
Hytale does not read SRV records yet. A domain name only works when it points straight at the server’s IP with an A record, and players type the port unless it is 5520.
Before anyone can join, the server must be signed in to a Hytale account with /auth login device. One game license can sign in up to 500 servers.
Hosting at home: three gates
Players have to pass three gates to reach a server at home: the firewall on the server PC, the port forward on your router, and your internet provider.
The first two you can open yourself with the commands above. The third you cannot: if your provider uses CGNAT, your home has no public IP of its own, and nothing you set on the router will let players in.
Behind CGNAT, ask your provider for a public IPv4 address, or host the server on a VPS or with a game server host.
After every Hytale update
Right now the game and the server must be on exactly the same version. When Hytale updates, players get the new version from the launcher, and the server has to update too before they can join.
With the start.sh or start.bat launcher scripts, type /update download and then /update apply --confirm in the server console. Set AutoApplyMode to WhenEmpty in config.json and it updates by itself when nobody is online.