Hypixel Studios has given sandbox fans a concrete day to start playing Hytale, early access arrives on January 13, 2026, with pre-orders opening on December 13, 2025. The studio and co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme have been blunt about what players should expect. As Simon wrote on X, “This is true early access, meaning it’s still very much unfinished and broken, but you have my and the team’s commitment to make Hytale the game we’ve always wanted it to be. The game isn’t good yet; eventually, it will be. If you don’t feel comfortable pre-ordering or participating in Early Access, please don’t.”
If you wish to pre-purchase the game, pre-orders open December 13, 2025.
If you don’t feel comfortable pre-ordering, please don’t. This is true early access, meaning it’s still very much unfinished and will be buggy for a while, but you have the team's commitment to make Hytale…— Hytale (@Hytale) November 28, 2025
The early access build will ship with Exploration mode and Creative mode. Exploration promises caves, biomes, dungeons, creatures, and other environments to poke at, while Creative gives players the world-building tools and mod-ready systems Hypixel says are in a “decent state” for creators and server hosts to start making content day one. Mini-games and the full Adventure mode are slated for later updates and will not be available at launch.
Hypixel’s move follows the studio founders regaining rights to Hytale after a period under Riot Games. The original team was largely rehired, and the project was returned to its legacy engine so the developers could prioritize building a playable experience sooner rather than chasing perfection. That focus on rapid iteration is part of why the studio is pushing early access now. Developers say they want modders and server owners contributing from the start, and Simon explicitly invited creators to step in early to help shape the game’s future.
There’s already footage out showing some of the Creative and Exploration features; one of the longer developer demos is available on YouTube.
For readers tracking the recent crop of early access launches, Hytale joins other games taking the same route to gather community feedback while continuing development. Console PC Gaming previously covered other early access arrivals such as PIONER launching in early access on December 16, which highlights how studios are using early access as a public testbed for larger systems. Fans who have followed Hytale since its 2015 reveal will note how much has changed behind the scenes. The return to the legacy engine and rehiring of original developers is a clear attempt to speed progress and rebuild trust after the title’s earlier cancellation and rights transfer.
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Hytale
Developed by Hypixel Studios
