---
title: "Geo Routing & Server Clusters for Hytale - Hylist"
description: "Send every Hytale player to their closest server with Hylist geo routing and server clusters. One address, one CNAME, no plugin, automatic load balancing."
canonical_url: "https://hylist.io/help/geo-routing"
last_updated: 2026-10-30
---

> Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://hylist.io/llms.txt)

# Geo Routing & Server Clusters for Hytale
Hylist geo routing is the easiest way to send every player on your Hytale server to the node closest to them. Give players one address, and Hylist routes each connection to the right region and the least busy node. No plugin, no proxy to host, one DNS record.

## In short
- **Geo routing** sends each player to the cluster nearest to them, based on continent, country or IP range.
- **Clusters** group your game server nodes and balance players across them, skipping offline nodes.
- Players use **one address** (e.g. `play.yourserver.com`) worldwide.
- Setup is **one CNAME record** to `director.hylist.io`. No plugin, and no extra latency once the player is in: Hylist only directs the join.
- Clusters on every plan, geo routing from **Growth**. See [pricing](https://hylist.io/pricing).

## Why ping decides whether players stay
A player in Sydney connecting to a server in Frankfurt sits at roughly 250-300ms of round-trip latency before your server does any work. Combat feels delayed, blocks pop back, and players leave for a server that feels smoother. Running servers in more regions fixes that, but only if players actually end up on the right one. Separate IPs per region and "pick your region" channels rarely work: most players just join whatever address they saw first.

Geo routing removes that choice. Everyone connects to the same address, and Hylist sends them to the closest region automatically.

## Why use Hylist geo routing
### Lower ping, automatically
Every player lands on the server closest to them. No region picker, no separate IPs per continent, no "which server should I join?" in your Discord.

### One address for the whole world
Advertise a single address like play.yourserver.com. Hylist decides per connection which node the player should reach.

### No plugin, no proxy to host
Routing happens at Hylist's edge with a single CNAME record. Hylist only directs the join and never sits in the connection, so gameplay traffic goes straight to your node. Nothing to install and no proxy machines to maintain.

### Built-in load balancing
Clusters spread players across nodes by fewest players or round robin, skip offline nodes, and let you drain a node before maintenance.

### Analytics included
Every routed join shows up in your telemetry dashboard: countries, client versions and join trends, so you can see where to add your next region.

### Minutes to set up
Create a cluster, add your nodes, add a few rules and point one DNS record at Hylist. Most setups are live in under 15 minutes.

## How it works
1. A player connects to your hostname, e.g. `play.yourserver.com`, which is a CNAME to `director.hylist.io`.
2. Hylist looks up the player's location from their IP address.
3. Your geo rules for that hostname are checked in priority order, lowest number first.
4. The first matching rule picks a cluster. If nothing matches, the hostname's default cluster is used.
5. The cluster picks an online node using its strategy, and the player is handed off to it. From then on the player is connected directly to your node; Hylist does not keep the connection open.
6. The join is recorded in your telemetry dashboard.

## Server clusters
A cluster is a group of game server nodes that serve the same players, usually one cluster per region. Each node has an address, port and optional region label. Hylist tracks whether each node is online and how many players it has.

### Lowest players
New players go to the node with the fewest players, so load evens out on its own.

### Round robin
Connections rotate across nodes in turn. Node weights let bigger machines take a larger share.

### Health checks
Offline nodes are skipped automatically, so a crashed node does not turn into failed joins.

### Draining
Drain a node to stop new players reaching it while current players finish, then restart it safely.

## Geo rules
Rules belong to a hostname and point to a cluster. Four match types are available:

| **Match type** | **Example value** | **Use it for** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Continent | `EU`, `NA, SA` | Broad regional routing |
| Country | `US, CA`, `BR` | Country-specific nodes |
| CIDR | `10.0.0.0/8` | Specific networks or IP ranges |
| Fallback | (any) | Catch-all for everyone else |

Example: priority 0 sends `EU` to your EU cluster, priority 1 sends `NA, SA` to your US cluster, and everyone else uses the hostname's default cluster.

## Who it is for
### Global networks
Run nodes in Europe, North America and Asia behind one address. Players everywhere get the low ping they would get from a local server.

### Growing servers adding a second region
Add a US node next to your EU server without asking players to change addresses. Existing players keep connecting the same way.

### Minigame and lobby networks
Group identical lobby or game nodes in a cluster so new players always land on the least crowded one.

### Events and launches
Spin up extra nodes for a launch weekend, add them to the cluster, then drain and remove them when traffic drops.

### Country-specific communities
Send players from specific countries, or specific IP ranges like a partner network, to a dedicated node.

### Zero-downtime maintenance
Drain a node so it stops receiving new players, update it, and bring it back while the rest of the cluster carries the load.

Running a single server in one region? Start with free [player telemetry](https://hylist.io/help/telemetry) to see where your players come from, then add a region where it pays off.

## Set it up in 4 steps
1. **Add a telemetry hostname.** In your server's Telemetry Dashboard, add a hostname like `play.yourserver.com`. See the [telemetry guide](https://hylist.io/help/telemetry) for details.
2. **Point DNS at Hylist.** Create a CNAME record from `play` to `director.hylist.io`. On Cloudflare, set it to DNS only (grey cloud). Most providers update within 5-15 minutes and the hostname turns "Active".
3. **Create clusters.** Under "Clusters", create one cluster per region, pick a strategy and add each node's address and port.
4. **Add geo rules.** On the hostname, add rules that send continents, countries or IP ranges to the right cluster, and set a default cluster for everyone else.

Set the hostname as the public address on your Hylist listing so visitors see one clean address instead of a raw IP.

## Plans
| **Plan** | **Clusters** | **Nodes** | **Geo routing** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Starter (free) | 1 | Up to 2 | - |
| Growth | Unlimited | Up to 5 | Up to 5 rules |
| Professional | Unlimited | Up to 20 | Unlimited rules |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited rules |

[Compare plans](https://hylist.io/pricing)

## Frequently asked questions
### What is the easiest way to send Hytale players to their closest server?
Use Hylist geo routing. Point one CNAME record (for example play.yourserver.com) at director.hylist.io, group your regional nodes into clusters, and add geo rules by continent, country or IP range. Every player connects to the same address and is routed to the nearest cluster automatically, with no plugin and no proxy to host.

### Does geo routing add latency?
Only on the join. Hylist directs the player once, which can add a small one-time delay while connecting. After that the player is connected directly to your node and Hylist is out of the path, so there is zero extra latency during gameplay. Because players reach a node close to them, their ping is usually much lower than with a single region.

### Do I need to install a plugin or run my own proxy?
No. Geo routing and clusters work at the DNS and edge layer. Your game servers do not need any changes beyond being reachable on their address and port.

### What happens if a node goes offline?
Hylist health-checks every node. Offline nodes are skipped and new players are sent to the remaining online nodes in the cluster. If no geo rule matches a player, the hostname's default cluster is used.

### Can I route by country or IP range instead of continent?
Yes. Rules can match continents (EU, NA, AS, ...), ISO country codes (US, DE, BR, ...), CIDR IP ranges, or act as a catch-all fallback. Rules are evaluated by priority, lowest number first.

### Which plan do I need?
Starter includes one cluster with up to 2 nodes. Geo routing starts on Growth ($4.99/mo, up to 5 nodes and 5 rules). Professional ($14.99/mo) raises that to 20 nodes and unlimited rules, and Enterprise is unlimited. Paid plans come with a 7-day free trial.

### Does it work with Cloudflare DNS?
Yes, as long as the CNAME record is set to DNS only (grey cloud). Cloudflare's HTTP proxy does not carry game traffic.

[Set up geo routing in your dashboard](https://hylist.io/dashboard/servers)

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