The sandbox gaming world has a massive new arrival with Hytale officially entering Early Access on January 13, 2026. While fans have spent years comparing it to Minecraft, the actual release has revealed a major difference in how the two games handle wildlife. Hytale currently features 61 unique animal mobs, which already surpasses the roughly 53 passive and neutral mobs found in Minecraft. This variety makes the world of Orbis feel incredibly alive, but it also makes the survival aspect of hunting feel much more personal.
The detail in Hytale is what really changes the game for many players. In Minecraft, animals like cows and pigs have a very simple, blocky look and disappear in a puff of smoke when defeated. In Hytale, the animations are much more expressive. Animals have high-resolution faces, and watching a creature like a Bison or a Deer actually close its eyes and leave a physical body behind makes hunting feel a lot heavier. The addition of baby animals like calves and chicks that follow their parents around only adds to the guilt of clearing out a herd for meat.
Because of this, many players are choosing to skip the slaughterhouse entirely and become “Hytale vegans.” The game offers a robust farming system that makes this a very viable way to play. You can grow crops like lettuce and eggplant, which can be harvested and used at a Chef’s Stove. One of the most popular early-game meals is the Wild Berry Salad, made from quick-growing lettuce and berries found in the wild. It provides great healing and hunger satisfaction without requiring you to harm the local wildlife.
Beyond just the animals, Hytale is filled with unique NPC races that make the world feel populated. You will run into the tree-like Kweebecs, the mysterious Faun, and various tribes of Elves. These characters have their own cultures and often interact with the animals around them, such as Kweebecs riding the giant Tetrabirds. This level of world-building makes every encounter feel like part of a real ecosystem rather than just a collection of digital resources to be harvested.
The competition between these two giants is only just beginning. While Minecraft still has more total entities if you count its long list of monsters and bosses, Hytale has launched with a level of polish in its creature design that is hard to ignore. As the game continues to grow throughout 2026, it will be interesting to see if players stick to their peaceful farming roots or if the need for high-level crafting materials eventually forces them back into the hunt.
