Dedispawn for all! The future of HTB Labs is a smoother hacking experience and more content releases

In the year 2026, one word will come to the minds of everyone hacking on HTB Labs: Seamless. Starting January 15th, Free and VIP users will have access to a dedicated instance (dedispawn) when playing our Machines, which means every user will be the only player on the Machine, improving reliability and reducing performance issues during peak times.

This change also simplifies our infrastructure, allowing us to scale the platform more efficiently.

Which is essentially code for us being able to release MORE content and features. It is another step in giving this community more to engage with, and supported by new features in the time to come. 

Plus, a move to remove wait time, reliability issues, and grant everyone a more predictable experience just seemed the right way forward. A move that will give you a more consistent experience, so you can hack in peace. 

There is some information you’ll want to know, since this change is very likely to impact how you use HTB Labs going forward. So, let’s dig into that now. 

Critical info about the switch to dedicated instances 

There are going to be some questions you might have or actions you might need to take. Here is a breakdown of what someone in each plan should know moving forward. 

Free users on HTB Labs

Dedispawn will be enabled on the 15th of January, with the first new Machine to be released on the 17th. 

To access the weekly release of new Machines, free and VIP users must use Release Arena. If you’re confused about what in tarnation a RelEaSe ArEna is, no worries. We have you covered in the next section.

Lastly, free users can now download both a Release Arena VPN and a free VPN key simultaneously. 

VIP users on HTB Labs

As part of this update, VIP Machine Servers will be switched off permanently on January 15. Both Free and VIP users will move to a single access for the dedicated instances, reducing platform fragmentation and ensuring everyone benefits from the same level of stability. 

Note: This change applies only to Machines, not to Pro Labs environments.

It is required that from the 15th of January VIP users download new VPN keys from the Connect menu. As stated before, the VIP servers will be shut down, so your current keys will expire. 

For the newly released Machines, VIP users will also utilize Release Arena to access new content.

VIP+ users on HTB Labs

Well, actually, nothing changes for you! VIP+ servers will act as normal, but you can also utilize Release Arena if you feel inclined. 

You will still have continued access to incredible content and service.

• Access to VIP+ servers if the general servers are full

• Access to all Sherlocks, Challenges, and Machines (with writeups and adventure mode) 

• Unlimited Pwnbox

So, you can kick back and relax. We will be thinking up new ways to cook for you soon. 

Release Arena, who? 

If you haven’t heard of Release Arena, we usually have a section on all of our Seasonal blogs about it. Release Arena provides dedicated instances on the latest release. 

If you’re wondering how to use it, check this out:

Which is also a fun aside in all this, everyone is on the same playing field for Seasons going forward. All users will get instant access to Saturday releases without a wait for boot-time, a huge boon for those looking to hunt for first bloods.

The future is a smooth playing experience

In even the most unsure times, the best thing that you can hope for is a stable Machine connection. We are all in that together. 

Learning with HTB Labs should be the best experience out of the box anyone can ask for. We are simplifying infrastructure to do more and reducing downtime for you in one fell swoop. 

Faster instance availability, predictable performance you’ll love to see, and quicker rollouts for the content to come. That is our intention for upgrades like these. 

A place with fewer errors and interruptions to stop you from doing what you came here to do, just hack. 

Boot up your first Machine now