Reset Your Hytale Server World: New World, Seed and Backups
In Hytale there are two ways to start from scratch: load a world with a different name (the old one stays saved) or delete the terrain of the world you already have. The first can't go wrong; the second, without a backup, can't be undone. Here are both, how to choose the seed and how to go back to a backup if something goes wrong.
How the server knows which world to load
The server's worlds live in Server/universe/worlds, one folder per world. The one loaded when players join is the one named in Server/config.json under Defaults → World (default, out of the box). If there's no folder with that name, the server creates a new world and saves it under that name.
Players are stored separately, in Server/universe/players: their inventory and progress belong to the universe, not to each world. That's why switching or resetting a world doesn't wipe what each player is carrying.
Each world also has its own config.json (universe/worlds/<world>/config.json), with its seed (Seed) and its rules: PvP, fall damage, creatures, time (what each option does).
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A new world without losing the old one
This is the safe way: the old world isn't touched and you can go back to it whenever you like.
Make a backup
In the panel, “Backups” → create one. On a plan you can keep up to two of your own, plus the automatic daily backup made every night. The free server has no panel backups: in “Files”, compress the Server/universe folder and download it.
Stop the server
Press “Stop”. Hytale rewrites config.json while it's running, so anything you change with the server on is lost when it stops.
Change “World”
In “Settings”, under “The essentials”, the “World” setting is the name of the folder it loads. Type one that doesn't exist, for example season2. It saves by itself.
Start it
Press “Start”. In the “Console” you'll see it generating the new world; the first start takes a bit longer than usual.
Check its rules
The new world starts with the default rules. If you had turned off PvP or fall damage in the old one, set it again in “Settings”, under “The world” (with the server stopped).
With a seed of your choice
The seed is stored in each world's config.json, in the Seed field, as a number without quotes (for example "Seed": 403765340547). Changing it doesn't rebuild terrain that already exists: it only counts for what is generated from scratch. For a new world with your seed:
Create the world
Follow the steps above until you've started it once, so its folder exists in universe/worlds. Then “Stop”.
Set the seed
In “Files”, open Server/universe/worlds/<your world>/config.json and change the Seed number. Keep the trailing comma if there was one. If you don't trust your JSON, paste it into the Hytale config.json editor: it tells you which line fails and doesn't round the seed.
Delete the generated terrain
In the same world folder, delete the chunks and resources folders (the latter only if it's there). Without deleting them, the world is still the one generated with the old seed.
Start it
The server generates the terrain again with your seed.
Resetting the same world
If you want to keep the same world name but with fresh terrain (for example, so the “World” setting and anything you've noted down stay the same), you delete its terrain. This does wipe that world's builds and explored areas: without a backup, there's no going back.
Back up and stop
A backup in “Backups” (or download Server/universe on the free server) and “Stop”. With the server running, it would write the old world back when saving.
Delete chunks and resources
In “Files”, inside Server/universe/worlds/<world> (the one “World” shows in “Settings”), delete the chunks and resources folders. Its config.json stays: the world keeps its rules and its seed.
Start it
The terrain is generated again. With the same seed you'll get the same map, but with nothing built; if you want a different map, change Seed first as in the section above.
Everyone starting from zero
Because players are stored separately, in the new world everyone joins with their inventory and progress. If you all want to start with nothing, with the server stopped also empty Server/universe/players (after the backup). That step wipes everyone's inventory: let them know first.
Permissions and the whitelist don't belong to the world: they're in Server/permissions.json and don't change (how they work). Nor do the mods in Server/mods: the new world starts with them.
Going back to an old world or a backup
If you made a new world with a different name, going back means putting the old one's name in “World” again (with the server stopped) and starting it. If it comes up empty, the name doesn't match: compare it letter by letter with its folder in universe/worlds.
With a panel backup, on a plan: “Backups” → the backup → “Restore”. The whole server comes back exactly as it was at that moment.
On top of that, Hytale itself makes backups every 30 minutes in Server/backups (the last 5), on the free server too. They're for what just happened, not for days ago. To use one: “Stop”, rename Server/universe (for example, to universe-broken), extract the backup into Server with “Decompress” and check that you end up with Server/universe/worlds, with no extra folder in between, just like when uploading a world. Step by step, in the Hytale backups guide.
Old worlds and disk space
Every world you keep takes up disk, and every loaded world, memory (what uses RAM in Hytale). If you no longer want one, download it from “Files” just in case and delete it with the server stopped.
On the free server the disk is 15 GB and the game already takes about 3: with several worlds it fills up sooner. We email you at 80% and at 95%; if it fills up, the game can't save.
Frequently asked questions
How do I reset the world on my Hytale server?
With the server stopped, change the world it loads (Defaults → World in config.json; on NapNodes, “World” in “Settings”) to a name that doesn't exist and start it: a new one is created and the old one stays saved. To wipe the same world, delete the chunks and resources folders in its folder.
How do I change the seed of a Hytale server?
In universe/worlds/<world>/config.json, change the number in the Seed field and, with the server stopped, delete that world's chunks and resources folders. When you start it, the terrain is generated with the new seed.
Do players lose their inventory when switching worlds in Hytale?
No: each player's data is in universe/players, separate from the worlds. Only if you empty that folder does everyone start from zero.
Where does Hytale keep its backups on the server?
With the official launcher, in the backups folder next to config.json (on NapNodes, Server/backups): one every 30 minutes, the last 5. Separately, on a NapNodes plan, the ones in the panel's “Backups”.
Shall we set it up for you?
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Keep reading
- Hytale Server Backups: Where They Are and How to Restore One
Where a Hytale server keeps its automatic backups, how to make one on the spot with /backup and how to restore your world if it breaks or loads empty.
- How to Move Your Hytale World to a Server (and Keep Your Character)
Upload your Hytale save to a dedicated server: where the universe folder is, what to upload so you keep your character and what to do if a new world appears.
- Hytale Server Lag: Why It Happens and How to Fix It
Stuttering, terrain that loads late and mobs moving in jumps in Hytale: view distance, RAM, CPU, mods and your connection. How to tell which one it is.