According to Eurogamer.net, Hytale will finally launch into Early Access on January 13, 2026 after years of development struggles that saw former publisher Riot Games abandon the project earlier this year. The sandbox RPG was rescued by original co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme through negotiations with Riot, giving the game that’s been in development since 2015 another chance at life. Pre-purchasing opens December 13, 2025, but the development team is actually warning fans to approach with caution. In a surprising move of transparency, the official Hytale social media account explicitly stated this is “true early access” that’s “still very much unfinished and will be buggy for a while.” The team even told potential buyers “if you don’t feel comfortable pre-ordering, please don’t” while committing to eventually deliver the game they’ve always wanted to make.
Radical honesty or damage control?
This level of upfront honesty about a game’s unfinished state is pretty unusual in gaming. Most Early Access launches come with polished trailers and promises of near-complete experiences. But here’s the thing – Hytale’s developers are basically admitting they’re releasing what amounts to a public beta. They’re setting expectations so low that anything better than “completely broken” might feel like a win. Is this brilliant community management or a sign of how rough things still are behind the scenes?
From Riot rescue to public testing
Let’s be real – Hytale’s development journey reads like a gaming industry cautionary tale. Announced back in 2015 with Riot Games’ backing, it generated massive hype as a potential Minecraft competitor with deeper RPG elements. Then radio silence for years, followed by Riot pulling the plug entirely. The fact that co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme managed to reacquire the project suggests there was still something worth saving. But now we’re looking at a game that‘s been cooking for over a decade finally hitting Early Access. That’s an eternity in game development terms.
What this means for players
For the dedicated Hytale community that’s stuck around through all the delays and drama, this announcement is probably bittersweet. On one hand, they’ll finally get to play something. On the other, the developers are basically telling them “manage your expectations, this is gonna be messy.” The transparent approach might actually build more trust than the usual hype cycle. Players know exactly what they’re signing up for – an unfinished, buggy experience that will (hopefully) improve over time. The question is whether enough people will still care after all these years to provide the feedback and funding needed to finish the game properly.
The state of Early Access
Hytale’s approach raises interesting questions about what Early Access should actually mean. We’ve seen so many games languish in perpetual Early Access hell that maybe this brutal honesty is exactly what the model needs. No sugarcoating, no overpromising – just “here’s where we’re at, warts and all.” If more developers were this transparent, maybe players would have fewer disappointments. Then again, will this strategy actually work commercially? Only January 2026 will tell if honesty is the best policy when selling unfinished games.
