How to change what world your Hytale server is running

Loading a different save on your Hytale server is done by switching the active world folder. Hytale stores each world as its own folder under universe/worlds/, and the server chooses which one to load using the Defaults.World setting in the main config.json. This is useful if you want to swap between multiple worlds, upload a world from your PC, or keep an old save while testing a new one.

Before you start: take a backup so you can roll back if you pick the wrong world. Use our guide here: How to backup your Hytale Server.

1. Stop your server.

   Do not change worlds while it is running, or it can save into the wrong world folder.

2. If you want to use an existing world or upload one instead of the Hytale server generating a new one, you'll want to Files, then open universe/worlds/. Make sure the world folder you want is already here. If it is not, upload it from your PC, the best way is upload it as a zip then unzip it on the file manager. In this guide, we're going to just make a new world but here's the folder you would upload to and see what saves you have on the server:

   

3. Go back to the server root (top level), then open the main config.json.

   

4. Find the Defaults section and change the world name to match the folder you want to load.

   Example (this loads the default world folder):

   "Defaults": {
     "World": "default",
     "GameMode": "Adventure"
   }

   Example (this loads a world folder called survival):

   "Defaults": {
     "World": "survival",
     "GameMode": "Adventure"
   }

   IMPORTANT: The value must match the folder name exactly, including capital letters.

5. Save the file, then start the server again.

   The server will now load the world you selected.

   

If the server generates a brand new world: the world folder you set probably does not exist, or the name does not match. Double check the folder name under universe/worlds/ and try again.

If the server will not start: you likely broke JSON formatting in config.json (usually a missing comma). Undo your last change and save again.