Join friends and troubleshoot missing invitations

The October 21 hotfix addresses 20-second failed joins after packet loss, rare failures during certificate renewal, late host connection details and stalls while friends join and load chunks. If a join still fails, record the installed client/server versions and exact message; Kingy has not tested these repairs.

▶WATCH VIDEO · 0:00Hytale | Early PvP Gameplay Duel/FFALoad YouTube player

The 0.7.2 note distinguishes a world crash that disconnects every player while loading an old goblin-spawn-beacon cave chunk from the earlier joining failures. It also fixes a Linux crash in worlds using RocksDB chunk storage. Record the full host/client versions and preserve the world before retesting; the notes do not promise restoration of already damaged data.

Hotfix 0.7.1 (October 13) fixes three Chapter I joining problems: LAN and internet joins to a Windows host timing out about 30 seconds in, offline mode after switching avatar presets, and the server refusing a reconnect as "already logged in" after your IP address changes. Older 0.6.x notes below are kept as history.

Server Discovery and the Social Sidebar arrived in Update 5. Online Play now describes whether friends can join and offers Copy Network Report for diagnostics. Hotfix 0.6.4 improves automatic forwarding and rejoining; 0.6.5 repairs social recovery after a timeout.

Hotfix 0.6.6 retries automatic port forwarding after a failed join and tries other connections when a router does not respond. Update before repeating that test; these fixes do not establish that every network setup will connect.

These are Kingy’s diagnostic checks, not a guaranteed repair. Keep the exact symptom and installed build together so a missing invitation is not mistaken for a failed connection.

1. Compare the game build and branch on both machines.
2. Read the host’s Online Play status.
3. Test a fresh invitation after the social list has loaded.
4. Record whether a different friend can join the same host.
5. If it persists, retain the exact error and network report for official support. Review the report before sharing it publicly.

For an existing dedicated server, ask its operator to check whether RequireJoinPermission is enabled. The official API describes direct, group and wildcard grants that can satisfy the join requirement. An administrator’s broader access can therefore differ from a guest’s.

This is documentation-based diagnosis, not a tested repair. The API page does not identify its release version; confirm the installed server’s behavior separately.

1. Keep the refused guest’s exact error and the client/server build numbers.
2. Have the operator inspect that account’s effective join permission and group membership. Request only the access intended for that guest.
3. After an authorized correction, retest with the ordinary guest account and record the result. If it still fails, retain the refusal and configuration context for support.

Check the operating system’s selected output device, then choose the matching device in Hytale’s Audio settings. A monitor or controller may have become the default. Restart after applying a device change if needed.

Older footage · checked Oct 25, 2026 · before Hytale Update 7 (Chapter I), October 12

0:15–0:35 · 20 sThe Output Device row in Settings › Audio

This is for hosts who control a dedicated server’s startup command. Single-player Worlds-menu backups and hosting-provider dashboards are separate interfaces. Kingy has not run this configuration or verified a restore.

This section does not establish archive contents, retention, recovery or downgrade compatibility. Keep the original world intact until restoration has been tested on a separate copy.

1. Inspect the installed server’s options with java -jar HytaleServer.jar --help. The official manual documents --backup, --backup-dir and --backup-frequency; the interval is in minutes.
2. Check the existing startup script before changing it: the supplied wrappers already enable backups with a backups directory and a 30-minute interval. Avoid adding conflicting copies of those options.
3. For a custom launch command, retain its existing assets and other arguments, then configure --backup --backup-dir backups --backup-frequency 30. Use your intended writable destination and interval.
4. Restart during a planned maintenance window. Kingy recommends checking for a newly written, timestamped backup in the configured destination after the interval; flags alone do not prove that a usable backup exists.