Revived survival RPG Hytale already has a release date after springing back to life, but the owner is reminding everyone the game 'isn't good yet'

A sword-armed hero and frosty dragon from Hytale — (Image credit: Hypixel Studios)

Hytale has had a rough go of it, but things are finally looking up. It looked like curtains when Riot canceled the game after seven turbulent years in development, but earlier this month the original owner bought the game back in hopes of realizing the "original vision" that predates Riot's involvement. Developer Hypixel has been moving quickly, showing off new gameplay a single day after the buyback, and now, announcing its early access release date: January 13, 2026.

The announcement, like the last few bits of news from the developer, comes with a warning to manage your expectations. Before releasing that gameplay footage it showed off, the studio clarified it was "raw and broken," and when a $20 price tag was announced, CEO Simon Collins-Laflamme said he was pricing it as low as was feasible because he didn't "think the game is good yet."

With the release date announcement, Laflamme has reiterated in a post on X that "the game isn't good yet" though "eventually, it will be," adding "if you don’t feel comfortable pre-ordering or participating in early access, please don’t … The first impression will be rough, but the path ahead matters more." The game's content lead, Polina Logado, reposted the announcement with the caption, "Be aware it’s alpha release! We are doing our best to fix and improve things!"

Hytale early access date is now set for January 13, 2026.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… https://t.co/XkmdCe6PicNovember 28, 2025

It's an awfully sheepish tone, but I suppose it tracks given Hytale's messy development was more public than most—besides, hotly anticipated voxel RPGs have burned players before. Even accounting for the apparent reduction in scope, Hytale is an ambitious riff on Minecraft. Regardless of how the launch goes, it certainly seems preferable to seven years of dev time going down the drain.

Justin first became enamored with PC gaming when World of Warcraft and Neverwinter Nights 2 rewired his brain as a wide-eyed kid. As time has passed, he's amassed a hefty backlog of retro shooters, CRPGs, and janky '90s esoterica. Whether he's extolling the virtues of Shenmue or troubleshooting some fiddly old MMO, it's hard to get his mind off games with more ambition than scruples. When he's not at his keyboard, he's probably birdwatching or daydreaming about a glorious comeback for real-time with pause combat. Any day now...

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