What is ‘Hytale’? The new viral ‘Minecraft clone’ explained

Gamers on the internet in recent days have likely noticed many talking about and playing “Hytale,” a recently released video game that has been getting a lot of attention. 

The game has seen an explosion of players since its release earlier in the week, and is already shaping up to be one of the best selling games of the year. Many have noted its similarities to “Minecraft,” and while it has a long way to go before it’s as popular as that game, it’s already making a big impact, especially among “Minecraft” players and content creators, some of whom have taken to calling the game a “Minecraft clone”. 

What is ‘Hytale’? 

“Hytale” is an open-world sandbox game that focuses on collecting resources in the world, using those resources to craft items and decorations, and building structures. The game has players entering the world with nothing, and having to survive and thrive by building up resources, taking down monsters, and building up a world of their own creation. There is also a creative mode, which allows players to create a world of their liking without having to gather resources first. 

The closest point of comparison is “Minecraft,” which “Hytale” is very similar to. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given “Hytale’s” developer, Hypixel Studios, initially worked on a high-profile multiplayer “Minecraft” server. 

“Hytale” started development in 2015, at first independently, before Hypixel Studios was acquired by “League of Legends” developer Riot Games. Unfortunately, Riot Games canceled the project in mid-2025, but Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme purchased the rights to the game and continued development in November. 

Right now, “Hytale” is in early access, which means it’s not a fully complete game just yet and is still in active development. Some features have yet to be implemented, and bugs may be common, but the game is fully playable in its current state nonetheless.  

What Platforms is ‘Hytale’ Available on? 

“Hytale” is currently available on PC, with versions of the game available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. 

“Hytale” executive director Patrick Derbic has said in an FAQ for the game that a version for consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PS5 is likely to happen at some point, but stressed that it would be “at a later stage” as a lot of work is needed to stabilize the game’s code base before that happens. 

The game is currently not available on Steam, being available only on the “Hytale” website, but Derbic has also said that a Steam release is possible, but not a priority. 

How Much Does “Hytale” Cost? 

“Hytale” currently costs $21.99 for the standard edition of the game. 

There are two additional, more expensive tiers for purchasing “Hytale” on PC: a Supporter tier that costs $38.49 and a Cursebreaker Founders Edition that costs $76.99. These two additional tiers come with cosmetics and costumes for players, but no extra content. 

How Popular is “Hytale”?

Exact sales numbers for “Hytale” have not been made public yet, but the game appears to be very popular so far. Pre-purchase sales for the game have been said to be enough to fund at least two years of development, while PC Gamer reported that over 400,000 people watched the game on Twitch on its release day.