Hytale’s most ambitious Pokémon-inspired mod yet
A new fan-made project is pushing Hytale far beyond its usual sandbox format. Called PokeWorlds Online, the multiplayer server project recreates the feel of classic Pokémon adventures inside a game better known for first-person, Minecraft-style exploration.
Footage shared by the project’s creator shows a surprisingly familiar role-playing loop. Players can place creatures into a storage box, equip items, inspect statistics and explore tall grass before triggering a randomly generated battle. Apart from its interface, the presentation looks remarkably close to Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
The long-term aim is to build a multiplayer Pokémon game within Hytale. The footage does not yet demonstrate the planned massively multiplayer experience, and the project remains firmly in development.
More details are available through the project’s PokeWorlds Online account. Its plans include familiar regions, additional Pokémon, custom regions and original Fakemon. The creator has also acknowledged that completing such a large project will require an enormous amount of time, and that finishing it is not guaranteed.
A game engine hiding inside a sandbox
The project’s appeal is not limited to its Pokémon-like presentation. Its creator wants to demonstrate that Hytale can function as a flexible game engine, rather than merely serving as a framework for content that resembles the base game.
That ambition fits Hytale’s broader design. Hypixel Studios’ sandbox game entered early access on 13 January 2026. The studio began as a team running custom Minecraft servers before Riot Games acquired it in 2020. Riot cancelled the game in June 2025, but its original creator later bought the rights back and resumed development.
One of Hytale’s central features is the ability to create and share mods using in-game tools. Previous projects have even recreated Minecraft, Doom and Windows 95 within the game. Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme appeared surprised by the PokeWorlds Online footage, responding to the post with a GIF.
The project’s creator replied that making the founder react was especially satisfying, while also encouraging other developers to build games with 2D, isometric and 3D presentation styles, original assets, distinct mechanics and entirely new worlds.
The legal problem behind the experiment
There is an obvious complication: the project currently uses recognisable Pokémon-related assets and concepts. Nintendo has a well-established reputation for protecting its intellectual property, including taking action against emulators and fan-made projects.
The creator appears to have anticipated that possibility. If Nintendo objects, the plan is to remove franchise-related assets and replace them with original designs and Fakemon. That would change the project substantially, but it could also give PokeWorlds Online a path to continue as an original multiplayer creature-collecting game.
Why arcade fans should pay attention
PokeWorlds Online is a useful reminder of how quickly accessible creation tools can blur the line between a sandbox game and a complete genre platform. A familiar creature-collecting RPG, a voxel world and online multiplayer are being combined in one experimental project.
For more coverage of creative game projects, browse the RETROCADE Arcade Blog or explore our arcade video collection. If you are interested in building a dedicated setup for your own projects, our DIY arcade kits, arcade parts and arcade machine buying guide are useful places to start.
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