Hytale just got a price tag, and it’s surprisingly affordable for a game that’s been in development limbo for over seven years. Hypixel Studios announced three pricing tiers for the long-awaited Minecraft competitor, with the standard edition starting at just $19.99. The Supporter edition runs $34.99, while the premium Cursebreaker Founders Pack costs $69.99. What makes this announcement remarkable isn’t the prices themselves but founder Simon Collins-Laflamme’s brutal honesty about why they’re set so low: the game isn’t good yet.
Collins-Laflamme bought Hytale back from Riot Games [finance:Riot Games, Inc.] just days ago after the publisher cancelled development and shut down Hypixel Studios in June 2025. Now personally funding development for a team of 50 people, he’s pricing the game as aggressively low as possible despite taking considerable personal risk. The current build runs on code from over four years ago, and charging more didn’t feel right when he openly admits he doesn’t think the game is good yet. It’s refreshingly honest, and it sets realistic expectations for the early access launch coming in the next few days.
Three Tiers, Mostly Cosmetic Differences
The Standard edition at $19.99 gets you the base game with full early access. The Supporter edition at $34.99 includes additional cosmetics like capes and hats along with recognition in the credits. The Cursebreaker Founders Pack at $69.99 offers exclusive cosmetic items and special founder status, but critically, none of the premium tiers provide gameplay advantages or early access to features.
This pricing structure deliberately avoids pay-to-win mechanics or tiered access that fragments the player base. Everyone gets the same game on the same day regardless of which version they buy. The higher tiers exist purely for players who want to support development through cosmetic rewards and credit recognition. It’s a consumer-friendly approach that respects players while giving superfans options to show extra support.
Regional pricing won’t be available at early access launch, though Collins-Laflamme stated it might arrive during early access or with the full 1.0 release. The decision to skip regional pricing initially stems from wanting to get the game out as soon as possible without additional complexity. The base $19.99 price already undercuts Minecraft’s $29.99 PC price, making it accessible to most markets even without regional adjustments.
Why So Cheap
Collins-Laflamme explained his pricing philosophy in a series of posts on X. He’s taking considerable personal risk after repurchasing the game and hiring 50 talented developers. He said he was all in, and he’s delivering on that promise. The game is unfinished and runs on a build from over four years ago. Charging more didn’t feel right when he doesn’t think the game is good yet.
Times are tough in the current economy for a lot of people, and he wants everyone to have a fair chance to be part of what comes next. The aggressive pricing reflects both the game’s incomplete state and a genuine desire for accessibility. He’s not going to recoup what he put into this for a long time, but building a player base and community matters more than maximizing early revenue.
This stands in stark contrast to many early access launches that charge full price for incomplete products. By pricing Hytale at $20 and openly stating it’s not good yet, Collins-Laflamme sets honest expectations while removing the financial barrier for curious players. It’s a gamble that the game’s potential will win over enough people to sustain long-term development.
The Riot Games Saga
Understanding Hytale’s current situation requires context about its tumultuous history with Riot Games. Hypixel Studios was founded in 2015 by creators of the massively popular Hypixel Minecraft server network. Hytale was officially announced in December 2018 with a trailer that went viral during a period of pessimism in the Minecraft community. The reveal promised a Minecraft-like voxel game with an official modding API, adventure mode, and deeper RPG systems.
Riot Games acquired Hypixel Studios in April 2020, providing substantial funding to expand the team and scope. What seemed like a perfect partnership gradually became problematic. The team embarked on an ambitious engine rewrite to support cross-platform play and expanded features. Development dragged on for years with increasingly sparse updates. Mission creep and rising technical ambitions created obstacles that eventually made the project unsustainable for Riot’s strategic priorities.
In June 2025, Riot cancelled Hytale development and shut down Hypixel Studios. The announcement devastated fans who had been following the project for over seven years. But Collins-Laflamme wasn’t ready to let his creation die. He publicly stated he’d put down $25 million of his own money, presumably earned from selling Hypixel to Riot in the first place, to finish the game. He reached out to Riot about buying back the intellectual property and studio assets.
The Buyback and Resurrection
On November 17, 2025, Collins-Laflamme announced the acquisition was complete. Hytale is saved, he wrote on the game’s website. Riot wanted what’s best for players even though continuing development didn’t make sense for their business. Over 30 former developers who know the game inside and out were rehired immediately, with more expected to follow. Fellow co-founder Philippe Touchette joined as co-funder to help finance the venture.
The financial details remain undisclosed, but Collins-Laflamme previously stated he offered Riot ten times what Hytale’s true market value is. Whatever the final price, it represents a massive personal investment with no guarantee of return. The newly independent team is committed to funding Hytale for the next decade, returning to the original vision that excited millions when first announced.
The decision to abandon Riot’s engine rewrite and return to the older but more complete build from four years ago enables a much faster path to early access. Instead of continuing to rebuild systems from scratch, the team is polishing what already existed and getting it into players’ hands. It’s a pragmatic choice that prioritizes actually launching over chasing perfect technical foundations.
What to Expect From Early Access
Collins-Laflamme has been transparent about early access quality. The game is roughly constructed and will require considerable work to refine. It won’t be perfect on day one, but together with the community, they’ll shape it into something truly special. This is a very early access launch with solid foundations and significant potential, but players should expect rough edges and incomplete features.
The early access release date will be announced by the end of next week, which puts the actual launch sometime in late 2025 or early 2026. Current development priorities include testing across different hardware to determine minimum specs, fixing major crashes, improving security, testing the launcher, and completing legal work. Pre-orders, name reservation, and account creation will begin alongside the date announcement.
Hytale launches on Windows PC first. Linux and Mac ports will be attempted but aren’t guaranteed for early access. Other platforms like consoles will come much later, likely not until full release. This phased approach focuses resources on getting one version working well rather than spreading development thin across multiple platforms simultaneously.
Modding as Core Feature
One of Hytale’s most anticipated features is official modding support with a dedicated API. This differentiates it from Minecraft, which has thriving but unofficial mod communities working around limitations. Collins-Laflamme held a live chat on Discord discussing modding strategy and status, demonstrating the priority placed on creative tools.
A creator program will launch before early access, giving content creators and modders resources to start building community content immediately. The official modding API means creators won’t need to reverse-engineer game systems or worry about updates breaking their work. This could enable a mod ecosystem that surpasses what’s possible in Minecraft if executed properly.
The emphasis on modding and creative freedom returns to the original 2018 vision that excited so many people. During the Riot years, communication about modding became sparse as the engine rewrite complicated tooling development. Now with the focus back on launching a playable product, modding support returns as a core pillar rather than a distant promise.
Can It Succeed
Hytale faces enormous challenges despite the optimistic relaunch. The game was announced in 2018 with a 2021 target release that slipped to 2023, then never arrived. Seven years of hype and disappointment have left many former fans skeptical about whether it can deliver. The Minecraft landscape has also changed dramatically since 2018, with the base game receiving substantial updates and competition from other voxel games like Vintage Story.
The aggressive $20 pricing helps overcome skepticism by lowering the barrier to trying it. Players who remember the excitement from the 2018 trailer might give it a shot for twenty bucks even if they’re no longer convinced it will be great. Building a large early access player base quickly matters because community feedback will shape development priorities and modders need audiences for their creations.
Collins-Laflamme’s brutal honesty about the game’s current state is either refreshing or concerning depending on your perspective. On one hand, setting realistic expectations prevents the kind of No Man’s Sky backlash that happens when games over-promise and under-deliver. On the other hand, admitting your game isn’t good yet before asking people to pay for it is an unusual sales pitch that might drive away players who prefer waiting for 1.0.
The Minecraft Comparison Problem
Every voxel game gets compared to Minecraft, and Hytale will face particularly intense scrutiny given its origins from Hypixel server creators. Minecraft has had over a decade to polish systems, add features, and build the largest gaming community on the planet. Competing with that requires offering something substantially different or better, not just being a Minecraft clone with official modding.
Hytale’s RPG systems, adventure mode with handcrafted content, and deeper combat mechanics could provide that differentiation. The 2018 trailer showed varied biomes, dungeons, boss fights, and NPC interactions that felt more like an action RPG than pure sandbox survival. If early access delivers on those promises despite the rough state, it could carve out a distinct identity rather than just being Minecraft with mods.
Success also depends on whether the community embraces modding as enthusiastically as Collins-Laflamme hopes. Minecraft’s mod scene thrives despite technical limitations because of passionate creators and large player audiences. Hytale needs to cultivate that same creative energy with better official tools. The creator program launching before early access suggests they understand this dependency.
FAQs
How much does Hytale early access cost?
Hytale early access has three pricing tiers: Standard edition costs $19.99, Supporter edition costs $34.99, and Cursebreaker Founders Pack costs $69.99. The higher tiers include cosmetic items like capes and hats but no gameplay advantages.
When does Hytale early access release?
The early access release date will be announced by the end of the week of November 25, 2025. The actual launch is expected in late 2025 or early 2026 based on current development status.
What happened between Hytale and Riot Games?
Riot Games acquired Hypixel Studios in 2020 but cancelled Hytale development in June 2025 and shut down the studio. Founder Simon Collins-Laflamme bought back the game and studio assets in November 2025, resuming development with rehired team members.
Why is Hytale so cheap?
Founder Simon Collins-Laflamme priced Hytale at $19.99 because he openly admits the game isn’t good yet. It runs on code from over four years ago and needs substantial work. He wanted pricing as low as possible to make it accessible during tough economic times.
What platforms will Hytale be available on?
Hytale launches on Windows PC first. Linux and Mac versions will be attempted but aren’t guaranteed for early access. Console versions will come much later, likely not until full 1.0 release.
Does Hytale have regional pricing?
No regional pricing is available at early access launch. It might be implemented during early access or with the full 1.0 release, but wasn’t prioritized to avoid delaying the launch.
What is the difference between Hytale pricing tiers?
All three tiers provide the same game with no gameplay advantages. Higher tiers include exclusive cosmetics like capes, hats, and other visual items, plus credit recognition. The Cursebreaker Founders Pack offers the most exclusive cosmetic content.
Will Hytale have official modding support?
Yes, official modding support with a dedicated API is a core feature. A creator program launches before early access, and the modding tools are designed to be more accessible than Minecraft’s unofficial mod scene.
Conclusion
Hytale’s $19.99 early access pricing represents one of the most honest product launches in recent gaming memory. Simon Collins-Laflamme bought his creation back from Riot Games with personal funds, rehired the original team, and is now telling potential customers the game isn’t good yet before asking them to pay for it. That transparency is either admirable or alarming depending on whether you believe in the vision and team’s ability to deliver. The aggressive pricing removes financial barriers while setting realistic expectations for an early access launch that will require patience and community involvement to reach its potential. Seven years after the viral 2018 announcement that generated massive hype, Hytale finally has a path to players’ hands. Whether it can recapture that initial excitement and carve out space in a gaming landscape dominated by Minecraft remains the billion-dollar question. For twenty bucks and the promise of official modding support, enough curious players will probably give it a shot to find out. Just don’t expect perfection on day one. The founder already told you it’s not good yet.