Hytale has released its inaugural update, featuring a variety of bug fixes and enhancements to improve gameplay. The development team at Hypixel emphasized their commitment to frequent patches to refine the early access title. New content includes additional NPCs in underground areas, alongside tweaks to combat, crafting, and environmental effects.
Hytale, the highly anticipated sandbox game from Hypixel Studios, entered early access recently, and its developers have wasted no time in rolling out improvements. Published on January 17, 2026, the first update addresses numerous issues across multiple systems, as detailed in the official patch notes.
The team stated, "Welcome to the first Hytale update! Today, we are releasing new content alongside a range of fixes and quality-of-life improvements. We are committed to maintaining a rapid patching cadence to address issues and improve the game as quickly as possible."
Key additions include dinosaurs and other NPCs populating underground jungles, though these come with placeholder behaviors for now. Players are advised to generate new unexplored areas to encounter them, due to environmental changes in the biome. Other environmental updates feature proper atmospheric effects and creature spawns in the Devastated Lands sewers, volcanic effects beneath volcanoes, and the removal of an invisible filler block in the Forgotten Temple.
Combat and creature mechanics have seen refinements: all NPCs now have knockback resistance, fire-themed NPCs are immune to fire damage (despite visual effects persisting), skeletons no longer drown, Kweebecs resist cactus and bramble damage, and livestock avoids climbing onto chicken coops. Predatory wildlife like foxes will only attack if provoked first.
Crafting and inventory tweaks make progression smoother; the base backpack no longer requires a Tier 2 Workbench, and converting hides to leather now takes under 10 seconds. Fixes also cover world generation, audio-visual effects, UI, customization, balance, and commands.
Eurogamer's preview praised the release, with writer Matt noting, "This week's early access release feels like a splendid start; a flexible, well-featured - and already enjoyable - foundation with plenty of polish and attention to detail." The studio's support for modding positions Hytale to build a vibrant community similar to Minecraft's.
For the complete list of changes, visit the official Hytale website.
