Your character is your avatar in the world of Orbis. It’s how other players see you, how you represent yourself in multiplayer, and in some small way, it’s your identity. Hytale’s customization system offers more options than most voxel games, and we have the details from the official blog post.
Let’s talk about what’s actually confirmed.
The My Avatar Menu
Character customization begins in the My Avatar menu. According to the official blog, here’s what you can customize:
Physical Features
- Skintone — Full customization of your character’s skin color
- Eye color — Choose from various eye colors
- Hairstyle — Multiple options, from short haircuts to long flowing styles
- Facial hair — Beard and mustache options for those who want them
The blog shows examples of short hairstyles and longer styles, noting that “longer hairstyles demonstrate how models created in Hytale Model Maker can be used to enhance a character’s look.”
Layered Clothing System
Hytale uses a multi-layered clothing system that lets you freely mix and match options:
- Shirts — One-size-fits-all torso covering
- Overtops — Jackets and other outer layers worn over shirts
- Hats and accessories — Can be applied regardless of hairstyle choice
- Color customization — Variety of color options for hair, clothing, and accessories
Armor and Gear Integration
One important detail from the blog: “Character customization is designed to work alongside Hytale’s gear system.”
When you equip armor or other equipment, these pieces are “layered on top of the look that you’ve defined for your character.” This means:
- Your custom appearance isn’t hidden by armor
- You can mix and match clothing styles with different armor tiers
- “Extra degree of creative freedom” comes from this combination
The blog confirms that armor will be covered in a future post, but the system is designed to let your customized character remain visually distinct even when fully geared.
Thematic Variety
The customization system supports multiple aesthetic themes:
Fantasy Options
Hytale’s adventure mode takes place in a “magic-rich fantasy world,” and customization reflects this:
- Youthful explorers
- Grizzled veterans
- Farmers
- Magic users
- Artisans
The blog shows a “gritter end” scavenger character as an example of the fantasy aesthetic range.
Modern and Costume Options
Beyond fantasy, the system includes:
- Stylish modern clothes — Everyday clothing options
- Themed costumes — For roleplaying and minigames
Artist Conor ‘Stein’ Goodman explains the philosophy:
“There are two sides - the fantasy side, and the feeling of being yourself - playing with your friends and wearing everyday clothing. There’s also cosplay and roleplaying. We want people to be able to build a saloon or a spaceship and have a set of costumes they can choose from.”
Color Philosophy
The art team follows specific guidelines for cohesive aesthetics:
- Fantasy — Darker, more saturated tones
- Modern — Lighter, brighter colors
- Fun/cute — More pastel colors
This ensures customization items from different themes still look good together.
Server Customization
Server operators have the ability to override character appearances for players on their server. This allows creators to define themed looks for their minigames—for example, a western-themed server might require period-appropriate outfits.
Facial Expressions and Emotes
Customization goes beyond just appearance:
- Facial expressions — Characters can show different emotions (some occur naturally during gameplay, like gritting teeth when swinging a sword)
- Emotes — Manually triggered expressions and animations
The blog shows an idle animation demonstrating “a range of avatar expressions.”
Multiple Playable Races
The blog ends with a significant teaser:
“We’ll have more to share about alternative playable races in the future. If you’ve watched our announcement trailer, you may have already caught a glimpse of some of them.”
This confirms that humans are just one option among several playable races. The exact races haven’t been fully detailed in public posts, but the teaser suggests substantial variety.
The Design Process
The blog includes insight into how customization options are created:
- Research phase — Artists study references (e.g., desert clothing for Zone 2)
- Sketching — Concepts are drawn out
- Scaling — Everything must fit the character model and work with animations
- Lore integration — Details inspired by Hytale’s backstory tie assets into the world
For example, a Zone 2 costume incorporates golden bangles inspired by Feran shackles and bright colors reflecting Zone 2’s cacti.
What We Still Don’t Know
There’s plenty we’re still waiting to learn:
- Body proportions — Can you adjust height, weight, build?
- Full race list — What playable races are available at launch?
- Sliders vs. presets — Fine control or pick-from-options?
- More cosmetic slots — How many accessories can be worn simultaneously?
- Progressive unlock — The December 2025 model-making post mentions “many avatar customization features will unlock progressively” during early access
What This Means for Players
Character customization in Hytale means more than just picking a skin. The layered clothing system, armor integration, and multiple aesthetic themes give players meaningful ways to express themselves.
For multiplayer, this is significant. When everyone can look distinct, social interactions feel more meaningful. You recognize the player you teamed up with yesterday. You remember the clan with matching outfits. You feel like an individual, not just another generic avatar.
The Bottom Line
Hytale’s character customization system is designed with both adventure mode and minigames in mind. The fantasy options support the RPG elements, while modern and costume options support creative server concepts.
The armor layering system ensures your customization choices remain relevant throughout the game. The multiple playable races (when fully revealed) will add even more variety.
Combined with the Model Maker and Blockbench plugin for custom character creation, Hytale offers one of the most comprehensive character systems in the voxel space.
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