Hytale's new $100k mod contest is the first of "many more," with the studio scouting it for new talent

In the weeks (days, actually) that followed the release of Hytale, we saw simple texture packs, full-blown conversion mods, and everything in between drop alongside its rapid official patches. Now, Hypixel lead Simon Collins-Laflamme and the Hytale studio have gone full Mr. Beast mode, promising to pay out $100k big ones to up to 65 winners who wow the team and the Hytale community with the most inventive mods.

Hytale lead Collins-Laflamme recently took to Twitter/X to announce the start of a competition that he hopes will be viewed "like esports, but for modders." I presume he means something like a televised (sorry, streamed) Game Jam for the best Hytale mods, but there's no talk of that just yet.

CALLING ALL MODDERS: Here's your chance to win up to $10,000 for your Hytale mods!

The Hytale New Worlds Modding Contest starts NOW, with $100k in total prizes spread across 65 winners🔥

Compete in the contest's three different categories - Worldgen V2, NPCs, and Experiences -… pic.twitter.com/17px4B6UGc

- CurseForge (@CurseForge) March 3, 2026

"This Hytale New Worlds modding contest is the first step. There will be many more," he says. And given how many Hytale modding videos contest partner Curseforge has put out recently, I can imagine it. It's one of the best building games of a generation, and with its increasingly crazier mods getting solid traction on social media, this is a great way to keep the momentum of its solid launch going strong.

The first Hytale modding contest focuses on three categories: World Gen V2, NPCs, and Experiences. "We chose World Gen V2 and NPC… very intentionally," Collins-Laflamme added. "These are areas where we know extraordinary talent exists, and honestly, we're scouting."

Given the Hypixel founder's very public conversations with various mod teams on Twitter shortly after Hytale's launch, hearing him say "don't be surprised if we reach out,"  to modders, he's doing well to stoke the fires of some (hopefully) friendly competition.

Now that we know this isn't a one-and-done sort of Hytale modding battle royale with a silver platter of cash prizes, Collins-Laflamme's comments about "more modding tools" dropping over the coming months make sense.

So what can we expect in this contest? Down in the comments, we see a few examples of Hytale wizardry in motion. One entry, Arcanum, "turns magic into a programmable system" where "spells are constructed from nodes and logic." Now, I don't know what that means, but given Hytale launched with little in the way of magic at all, seeing the example video showcase a revolver raining fireballs down on an unsuspecting zombie, it's safe to say that my interest is piqued. Though I do have to ask: why the revolver? Hytale staves exist, my guy.

Another one linked a ten-page design doc for a "weapon system" with "rhythm mechanics" that "transforms support gameplay into an active, skill-based rhythm game," which sounds like something I wish Monster Hunter would attempt with its Hunting Horn weapon so that I can properly bonk monsters on the noggin in time to some sweet jazz.

Want to get involved? Submissions are open from March 3 to April 28 via Curseforge. What happens after that date is anyone's guess, honestly. I'm not seeing the esports hype. Collins-Laflamme's comments likely just relate to the cash prizes being comparable to a decent esports competition, but I do think there's an appetite to see this sort of stuff on a stream somewhere.