After years of development setbacks and the crushing blow of a full cancellation under Riot Games, Hytale is finally making a triumphant albeit slightly cautious return. Hypixel Studios has announced that Hytale will enter early access on January 13th, 2026, with pre-purchases opening December 13th, 2025. The announcement follows a surprising buyback of the game by its original founders, reigniting hopes that the long-awaited sandbox RPG can finally fulfill its potential.
Once touted as a potential Minecraft rival, Hytale spent seven years in development under Riot Games before being officially canceled earlier this year. However, in a dramatic turn of events, the game’s original creators reacquired the IP just weeks ago, promising a return to the original vision first seen in the 2018 trailer.
"Two weeks ago, we, the original founders, repurchased Hytale, months after it was canceled," wrote CEO Simon Collins-Laflamme. "We revived the project, and we are returning to a four-year-old legacy build that had been abandoned."
Since then, Hypixel Studios has moved fast with a heavy load which includes, reassembling a 50-person team, including 40 rehires and new members and merging more than 300 GitHub branches into a single functioning build.
While early access is cause for celebration among longtime fans, Hypixel’s leadership has been remarkably candid about the game’s current state. "The game isn’t good yet," Laflamme admitted in a post on X, adding, "The first impression will be rough, but the path ahead matters more." If you are curious about some of the gameplay, check out this long video with over 16 minutes of it.
Even the modest $20 early access price tag reflects this honesty. Content Lead Polina Logado reinforced the transparency, calling the release an "alpha" and asking players to be patient and understanding during the early stages.
At launch, Hytale will offer creative tools and modding support, although not at the level the team hopes to reach in the long run. The development team views this early release as a collaborative step forward, particularly for server owners, modders, and creators eager to shape the game’s ecosystem. Here is a quick look at the creative mode players will be able to use.
Despite the rollback to a legacy build, the momentum and hype behind the project appears strong and Hypixel Studios seems genuinely committed to building the game the community always believed in. We will have to wait to see how that rolls out with due time.
What are your thoughts on the announcement? Do you think it is too early for early access? Do you think this will help or hurt Hytale? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! As always, stay tuned to Gamefragger.com for more video game news!