Hytale, the Long-Awaited ‘Minecraft Killer,’ Is Here After a Decade of Anticipation

I’m diving into the blocky world of Hytale, a game that’s been in the works since 2015, to see how it carves out its own identity in the realm of survival sims. With its early access launch just behind us, let’s recap the first 24 hours of this highly anticipated title.

Hytale’s journey has been anything but straightforward. Initially backed by Riot Games, the game faced a major setback in June 2025 when Riot decided to cancel the project, leaving its future uncertain. However, in a surprising turn of events, Simon Collins-Laflamme, the game’s original creator, managed to buy back the IP from Riot and reignited development. Just two months later, Hytale is now available in early access, making Riot’s earlier decision seem even more puzzling.

While the game is still a work in progress, purchasing it now reveals a central hub filled with buildings marked “Under Construction” and the absence of the much-anticipated Adventure mode, which is yet to be introduced alongside Survival and Creative modes. However, players will find a familiar gameplay style reminiscent of Minecraft, enhanced with higher-quality graphics, a more intricate crafting system, and a hint of creature collection. So, how’s the launch been?

Pretty impressive! Within its first day, Hytale became the most-watched game on Twitch, attracting 420,000 viewers across numerous streams. More importantly, Collins-Laflamme shared on social media that pre-orders have been so successful that they’ve secured funding for an additional two years of development.

The game has already seen its first hotfix, addressing issues like crashes caused by character eyebrows, a bug preventing Norwegian players from launching the game, and a glitch with buckets. As expected in early access, the developers are clear that players should anticipate some bugs and issues. In a blog post celebrating the pre-release, the team emphasized this point.

Currently, Hytale is available only on PC, with plans to expand to PS5 and Xbox. The game supports modding, and players are already getting creative, with one standout example being the successful import of Doom into Hytale using color-changing blocks to render it.

The Exploration mode is the primary way to experience the game right now, featuring a procedurally generated world filled with diverse biomes and intricate structures to discover. Players can build homes (I’ve crafted a cozy log cabin!), cultivate crops, and create increasingly useful tools, all while playing solo or with friends. Digging down reveals expansive underground areas to explore and mobs to battle. There’s also the early framework of the game’s narrative, where players can teleport to a hub area after finding the Forgotten Temple, interact with NPCs, and embark on quests to catalog various creature species for new crafting options.

The upcoming Adventure mode promises to introduce more RPG elements, which should help set Hytale apart from its inspirations. For now, the focus is on exploring the rich landscapes and engaging with the diverse mobs that inhabit them.