The Hytale New Worlds Mod Contest has come to a close. Across the three categories: Experiences, World Gen V2, and NPCs, modders delivered fresh mechanics and gameplay that pushed the limitations of Hytale. Many mods showed potential to expand the game and, more importantly, provided us with a glimpse into the immense number of possibilities it offers for modding. Here are the creations that earned their place on the podium in the 3 categories!
Important: This article was originally published in June 2026, roughly a month after the contest's results were released.
This article covers the top 3 mods of each category. For the full list of winners (top 10 in each category), please visit the official contest page.
The Necromancer's Spire
At the top of the World Gen V2 category is the Necromancer’s Spire, which introduces the Necroland: a desecrated land home to unholy spirits. This mod implements a full gameplay loop in this new world, where you need to collect items and explore to even be able to enter the land. Here, there are creatures, blocks, and structures completely new to Hytale, and most importantly, the Necromancer’s Spire, a rare and massive dungeon home to the Necromancer’s Crown. Although it is still in a relatively new state, it is definitely worth trying out and keeping up with as it progresses toward becoming a high-quality adventure mod, with a planned Necromancer Boss fight.
Project Civic Core
When it comes to NPCs, Project Civic Core won first place with their introduction of “living, breathing villages.” Each village contains structures such as Town Halls, Farms, and Taverns, and is populated by various villager NPCs, each with their own role. The overall system is very well developed with a proper schedule for the villagers and a dynamic growth/expansion system. As a player, you can also impact the village by supporting or hindering its growth! All of these different interactions contribute to the liveliness of the entire village ecosystem, which is the aim of this mod.
Byte Crashers
Coming in at 1st place of the Experiences category is a 2-4 player minigame where each player plays as an Exoshell who rolls a die to move forward and potentially earn coins. Within this minigame, many more minigames exist, serving as entertaining means of competition to obtain more coins while not being stale. The ultimate goal of the game is to be the first to get 200 coins, but it's all about the process of achieving that. It’s a must-try game for people who love light-hearted party games.
Below Every Heaven
Below Every Heaven is a horror mod home to 7 (eventually) dimensions, roaming with creepy creatures. Currently, there is the world of Harlow, presented via the story called Stitched Smile (Chapter 1). Thrillseekers should craft the key, enter the story via the portal, and journey through the dimension, whether you are there for the joy of horror, exploration, or combat. Embrace the eeriness of the world in red and, eventually, you shall meet the Harlow and engage in a final boss fight, rewarding you with the treasures of this land.
Ancient Constructs
Deep within the tangled roots of the Underground Jungle hides a lost civilization with Ancient Titans. Beside these colossal giants are mindless guardians that will fight to protect these lands. The core of this mod lies not in these creatures, but in the ancient technology that powers them. Slaying the titans rewards you with a Construct Core, which will allow you to tap into these powers and empower your living experience. Worker constructs can help you perform tasks that would otherwise be tedious to do. For now, there is the Gardener Worker Construct that aids you in farming in the most efficient way possible. In the words of Fluffy Doom Studio: “Unearth an echo of the past and construct a more efficient future.”
Arcanum
Wielding a wand does not make one a wizard. Nor is it the ability to cast a few spells. True wizardry lies in the exploration of magic: an endless journey of discovery to craft the unimaginable. Arcanum interprets this from an interesting perspective through its “scientific” spell-creation system. Rather than wands or spell books, Arcanum magicians wield CADs (inspired by Mahouka), or Casting Assistance Devices that allow people to use spells that they themselves have forged or invented. With this system, spells are programs backed by logic, hardware, and mathematics in general, and you can explore countless combinations through your exploration. “Magic is not miracles. Magic is engineering”, and it's up to you to develop.
Dragon's Fantasy Scenes
The Fantasy Scenes are a collection of custom landscapes and locations, each with its own distinct atmosphere. Some worlds are desolate, some mystic, and some realistic. A few select ones are the Frostfire Ridge, my personal favorite, with beautiful, mystical skies and frost-fire burning across the grounds of the icy lands, and the Eclipsed Dunes, a desolate desert with an incredible ambiance that really drives a sense of emptiness. There are many more dimensions, all beautifully designed and definitely worth checking out.
Clay Factoria
Disclaimer: this mod has not yet been updated to Hytale Update 5.
Clay Factoria adds 3 adorable clay creatures that players can craft and utilize via the power of Gaia’s life essence. Each creature has its quirks and specialties, and can be used for automation! There are currently 3 clay automata: The Clay Trork, Clay Kweebec, and Clay Feran. The truck is powerful despite its minuscule size and can help you move items around. The Kweebec can craft stuff and interact with all processing benches. And the Feran is the farming automaton! The beauty of this mod is that you set things up and watch these tiny cuties (or leave them to do their thing) perform their programmed tasks, creating a mini-world of automation where things get done for you passively!
Arcane Relay
Here comes another mod that explores the arcane via logical systems. Unlike the previous one, however, this one uses magic as a source of engineering. Rather than through traditional systems such as physical wires, everything becomes interconnected through ancient artifacts that relay signals in creative ways. With the technologies this mod offers, such as buttons, pullers, and breakers, you can explore the possibilities for creating logical, magical contraptions. Once again, magic and science don’t have to be distinct fields, and this mod bridges those two together very seamlessly.
Final Thoughts
This mod contest has definitely sparked a lot of interest and inspired many modders to showcase their work. With how much Hytale is preaching and supporting modding while constantly pushing out amazing updates for vanilla, the future of the game is looking incredibly bright!
Be sure to check more amazing mods for Hytale on CurseForge.