Can't Connect to Your Hytale Server? Causes and Fixes

First things first: is it running and linked?

The first time, a Hytale server has to be linked to a Hytale account that owns the game, and then download the whole game (about 3 GB). Until that's done, nobody can join. On NapNodes, when you start the server the panel shows a card with the link and the code: open the link, sign in with your Hytale account and confirm. The code expires after 15 minutes; if you miss it, “Request another code”.

If the card says “Your Hytale server isn't linked”, click “Link to my account” and do it again. On a server running on your own PC, you do the same by typing “auth login device” in the server console; so it isn't forgotten on restart, the credentials have to be saved to disk (“auth persistence Encrypted”). On NapNodes that's already done: it stays linked even after a restart. The whole process is in how to link a Hytale server to your account.

And check the status: if it says “Offline”, click “Start”. Free servers stop on their own after 20 minutes with nobody on; start them from the panel when you're going to play.

The checks, in order

1. The address, with its port

   This is the most common mistake. Hytale doesn't use SRV records: the address is always written with the port after a colon (address:port). In the panel, “Address to play” → “Copy” gives you the whole thing; paste it as is when you add the server in the game. Each server has its own port: don't assume it's 5520.

2. The same version

   The game and the server have to be on the same version. Hytale updates often: if your game updated and the server hasn't yet, you can't join. NapNodes servers check every hour for a new version and apply it as soon as nobody is on; if someone is playing, they wait. If you're in a hurry, “Restart” from the panel. If you're the one who can't join because you're on an older version, update the game from the launcher. Why it happens is in the Hytale updates guide.

3. The whitelist

   If you turned on the whitelist, only people with permission can join. Add the player from the server console with “whitelist add” and their Hytale name. Since Update 6, the whitelist is part of the permissions, in permissions.json (how it works): if you edit it by hand, do it with the server stopped, or it may get overwritten when it shuts down.

4. Your network

   Hytale runs over UDP (the QUIC protocol), not TCP. A VPN, an antivirus or the firewall on a work or student-housing network can block that traffic: try without the VPN and with the antivirus paused for a moment. If a friend can join and you can't, the problem is your connection, not the server.

5. It connects, but the world won't load

   If you get in but the world never finishes loading (your friends can see you, you can't do anything) and the rest of your internet works fine, Hytale support puts it down to some Intel and Realtek network drivers on Windows that handle QUIC badly. To confirm it, try another connection, such as a USB network adapter. If that's it, in the adapter properties (“Configure” → “Advanced”), turn off “Priority & VLAN” and try again; if that isn't enough, “Recv. Segment Coalescing” (IPv4 and IPv6).

6. Your computer's clock

   Joining goes through Hytale accounts, and a clock that's set wrong can make it fail. Set the date and time to automatic and try again.

If the server is at your home

On top of all the above, the port (UDP 5520 unless you changed it with “--bind”) has to be open in the computer's firewall and forwarded on the router, as UDP. Opening it as TCP doesn't help. If your provider uses CG-NAT (it happens with many fibre and 4G/5G connections), nobody can reach it from outside even if you open the port: you'd need to ask your provider for a public IP, or use a rented server.

If nobody can join

If no player can join, look at the last lines of the panel's console. If they mention authentication or that there are no server credentials, link it again (first section). If the server doesn't even start, follow the Hytale server not starting guide. Sometimes the Hytale account servers are slow or down: then it fails on every server at once and all you can do is wait a few minutes.

If none of that shows up, copy the last lines of the console and open a ticket in the panel's “Help”: with that, it's quick to see what's wrong.

Frequently asked questions