Rust News

[p][/p][h2]12 YEARS[/h2][p][/p][p]Servers are now wiped and Santa is packing up and clearing out the bodies, but we hope you enjoyed the Holiday Season. We're getting back to work after a couple of weeks off, which is why this blog is lighter than usual, but we're looking forward to the journey ahead in 2026![/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Last month, we celebrated Rust's 12th anniversary, marking an incredible journey. The game continues to experience year-over-year growth, which is quite remarkable for being 12 years old. Rust is now bigger than ever, and it's only going to get, much bigger this year. [/p][p]This year, Rust saw:[/p]

• [p]Highest ever peak player count of 259,646 on Steam in 2025 [/p]
• [p]Over 450,000,000 Game Sessions[/p]
• [p]Over 5,800,000 unique players[/p]
• [p]Over 700,000,000 hours played [/p]
• [p]Over 37,000,000 Drops claimed players[/p]
• [p]28,523 Workshop Submissions[/p]

[p]Here's a recap of some of the major updates we did last year:[/p][p]
Primitive We kickstarted the year with Primitive, introducing a new game mode and a whole load of new items and raiding methods[/p][p]The Crafting Update The Crafting Update added advanced cooking, farming (chickens, bees), new workbenches, Armor and more[/p][p]Premium Servers Premium Servers introduce a new server type, aiming to reduce cheating and improve fair, competitive play.[/p][p]Jungle Update One of the biggest updates of the year saw the Jungle biome added with climbable trees, deadly tigers and crocodiles, new monuments, boomerangs, blowpipes, and more![/p][p]Friends with Benefits Friends with benefits was one of many updates which saw sweeping QOL updates, introducing party system and snappable deployables to name a few[/p][p]Meta Shift Meta shift was one of several updates which made sweeping changes to progression. Introducing Blueprint fragments, custom crosshair and changes to monument puzzles[/p][p]Quality Of Life Over 400 QOL changes[/p][p]Menu Overhauls Sweeping changes to main menu, server browser and store.[/p][p][/p][p]Alongside a metric ton of improvements and bug fixes.[/p][p]Rust continues to be a labour of love from all of us at Facepunch, and we couldn't have done it without your passion and feedback. Thank you for your continued support, be it playing the game, telling friends, and engaging and communicating with us. We've very much enjoyed everything we've worked on for the game this year.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]LOOKING FORWARD[/h2][p][/p][p]What’s in store for 2026? Consistency! Continued guaranteed monthly updates on the first Thursday of every month, alongside regular fixes, quality-of-life enhancements, improvements, and exciting holiday events.[/p][p]This year, Rust Mobile will be released globally. We're very excited to see how this performs, all early indicators are showing very promising signs. If you're intresting to learn more about Rust mobile or participate in the next closed beta next, visit: [/p][p]rustmobile.com[/p][p][/p][h2]Next Month[/h2][p]Next month, on February 5th, we'll finally be shipping the Naval update. The update will include player-made boats, which will allow players to travel to the deep sea, explore new islands, and monuments with new AI encounters. This is going to be a massive update. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Looking ahead[/h2][p]Alongside next month’s Naval update, we’ve got a huge amount of content either planned or already in active development for 2026.[/p][p][/p][p]You can expect to see new monuments, including apartment complex. We’re also working on new player models and animations, which will improve both how characters look and move. The player update will unblock one of the biggest hurdles to player customisation. [/p][p]We’re expanding the ecosystem with new animals, cows and sheep, for example, alongside a proper animal breeding system. This opens up some interesting gameplay opportunities and adds more depth to the world beyond simple hunting. Bigger and better dung farms? [/p][p][/p][p]We’re also taking time to revisit older content. That includes expanding on popular features that players already love, and taking another look at less popular systems to see if they can be improved or reworked with the benefit of everything we’ve learned since they first shipped.[/p][p][/p][p]As always, plans will evolve, priorities will shift, and we’ll keep talking openly as things take shape. But there’s a lot to look forward to.[/p][p][/p][p]As with prior years, we've set aside multiple months in our internal roadmap for light or no content. These gaps are deliberate to allow us to be versatile and adaptive to community feedback, to have time to focus on and address old content, and to improve recent content. We have a lot we can keep building upon, not all content we add to Rust is supposed to become meta, but rather adding yet another way of achieving a goal. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]CHEATING[/h2][p][/p][p]Cheating continues to be one of the biggest threats to Rust, and it’s something we invest heavily in, both technically and operationally.

2025 stats:
[/p]

• [p]338,000+ total bans applied[/p]
• [p]296,000+ permanent bans applied (27% increase from last year)[/p]
• [p]42,000+ temporary bans applied (26% decrease from last year)[/p]
• [p]16,000,000+ cheat reports received (28% increase from last year)[/p]
• [p]The majority of cheaters are now removed from the game in less than 7 hours of playtime, down from 10 hours at the start of 2025[/p]

[p]In March, we released Premium Servers. To access these servers, your Rust Steam inventory must be valued at $15 or more. This includes items from the Permanent Store, such as building skins, décor packs, and hazmat skins, as well as any other tradable Rust items with an attached value.[/p][p][/p][p]Since launch, there have been several attempts by bad actors to game the system in various ways. So far, we’ve successfully countered those attempts.[/p][p]We’ve also seen strong and healthy retention across Premium Servers. They’re doing an excellent job of gatekeeping cheaters out, and I'm very happy with how this is working. At present, the $15 price point is doing its job well, and see no need to raise the barrier to entry. If you want the best cheat-free experience, premium servers are it. [/p][p]In May, we enabled server-side player culling by default across all servers. As a reminder, this is technology that stops networking players who are fully obscured by terrain and rocks, preventing or significantly limiting several high-impact cheat features such as ESP and aimbot.[/p][p]In April, we opened our HackerOne program to the public. This allows players and researchers to report security vulnerabilities and exploits in exchange for a bug bounty. We also launched a dedicated security page on our website to make submitting reports easy, secure, and straightforward. To date, we’ve paid out over $300,000 through this program.[/p][p]More recently, our anticheat partner, Easy Anti-Cheat, has begun additional efforts specifically targeting recoil cheats, often referred to as scripting. We continue to work very closely with the Epic Games EAC team, and there’s a lot of ongoing collaboration behind the scenes. We’ve got some big plans together for 2026.[/p][p]Looking ahead to 2026, we’re continuing to hire additional support staff and developers dedicated to anticheat. We’ll also be introducing a new third-party anticheat layer that we’ll be working closely with. More details on that once we’re ready to talk about it publicly, but it'll be soon.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]PERFORMANCE[/h2][p][/p][p]Performance is always an ongoing process. We’re constantly adding and improving features every single month, many of which never make the headlines and sit quietly in changelogs. There’s no magic button we can press to suddenly make Rust run faster. Instead, it’s a slow grind of small gains that add up over time.[/p][p]Over the past few years, we’ve hired several people whose sole focus is performance. A lot of this work is experimental and, frankly, tedious. Things that should/could work in theory often don’t in the real world, and it can take days to weeks just to prove something isn’t viable. Sometimes you spend a long time getting to a result that simply says “nope”.[/p][p]And, like every year, we do mess up performance from time to time. When that happens, we review what went wrong and keep adjusting our internal processes to get better at catching issues earlier. [/p][p]That said, we did ship some genuinely great improvements in 2025, the BIG ones:[/p]

• [p]Load and server connection times reduced by around 65%[/p]
• [p]Significant reductions to RAM and VRAM usage[/p]

[p]One area we’ve always hated is load times. For years, loading into Rust was easily one of the worst parts of the experience, it was embarrassing compared to other games. Long waits, inconsistent times, reconnecting after a crash or kick taking forever. It actively held the game back, and we knew it.[/p][p]As we continue to add more content and systems, performance can take a hit. We’re constantly fighting that trade-off. It’s a balance between pushing Rust forward and making sure it still runs well across a huge range of machines.[/p][p]Most players seem to understand the reality of this. Rust is a sandbox game. You can go to the largest, worst-performing monument in the game, drop a massive base next to it, have a dozen smaller teams build nearby, then throw 40 players into the area, raid while 500 players are connected to the server. Honestly, it’s a miracle Rust works as well as it does sometimes. These are exactly the kinds of situations we have to design and optimise for.[/p][p]Looking ahead, we’ve got a lot of performance work underway. Much of it is deep, underlying changes to things like render pipelines, navmesh. We’re also regularly checking in with the Rust Mobile team to see what they’ve solved there, and whether any of those solutions realistically make sense to bring back to PC.[/p][p]Performance is never “done”, but we’re committed to keeping Rust playable as it continues to grow. If we hit all performance roadmap taskings in 2026 and it works out as we hope, 2026 will be a good year. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]DLC[/p][p][/p][p]Over the past two years, we’ve grown a dedicated DLC team, I want to be really clear about what that means as I often see meme comments on socials. This is a team we’ve explicitly hired for DLC work, not people moved off existing Rust development.[/p][p][/p][p]This team does not take resources away from regular Rust development. DLC work is (95%)  separate from our core monthly update pipeline. It’s an add-on, not a replacement, and if anything, having a focused DLC team has at times helped us push more free content into the game by taking pressure off other teams.[/p][p]If you look back at 2025, you’ll probably notice a pattern. Nearly every month we shipped a new in-house DLC item, pack or skinnable. That wasn’t accidental, and it’s a pace we’re comfortable maintaining. You can expect this to continue into 2026.[/p][p][/p][p]Compared to most games, I genuinely believe we offer good value for money. That’s something we don’t want to lose as Rust continues to grow.[/p][p]One of the things we’re actively exploring is what a battlepass-style system could look like in Rust. This doesn’t mean we’re copying another game, and it doesn’t mean anything is locked in yet. If we do this, it has to feel very “Rust”, fair, respectful and good value. If you're a frequent user who purchasing DLC, this system should feel rewarding.[/p][p]As with everything we do on Rust, we’ll be listening closely to feedback and adapting as we go. We’ll talk more openly about this once we’ve got something concrete to show and discuss, which will likely be around the middle of 2026.[/p][p]We'll continue supporting the skinning community, we're not out to discontinue it with these plans. Going forward, we'll be adding one or two new skinnable item to the game monthly, working our way through the most popular items first. 

To date, we've helped payout over $32,701,869 to the community skinners![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]RUST STAGING: A REMINDER[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]The good news is, if you really want to try the naval content early, you can. Just be aware it comes with bugs, performance issues and all the rough edges we are still working through. We have fresh servers live on the Rust Staging branch that you can jump into.[/p][p][/p][p]If you want to help test, break things and give feedback, you are more than welcome. To learn how to get onto Rust Staging, check this out: [/p][p]https://rust.facepunch.com/staging[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]If demand exceeds current capacity, we'll be adding new servers.  [/p][p]Something we'll be looking at this later year is a reward system for good and accurate bug reports, a human actually reads every single bug report and flags it appropriately. Since Staging has the most bugs, we hope this system will incentivise its use. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]2025 IN NUMBERS[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Full blog and 2025 changelog recap here.[/p]

[p]We're through to the final round!

But in case you're new here, over the years, Rust has undergone some huge changes - including graphic, physics, and engine updates and rebuilds, all because we’ve wanted to make Rust what it is, and what it could be.

We're guided by the community, and agile enough to deliver or pivot when we need to, month after month. And this year - Rust's 12th year - we've added a new biome, new animals, new vehicles, weapons, and so much more. As well as third party collabs, drops on Kick, more events on Twitch, raising lots of money for Charity, and doing so much more! 

To be a finalist is an achievement in itself, but we need the community to help us win it.

Please vote for Rust in the Labor of Love category. [/p]

[h2]HAPPY HOLIDAYS[/h2][p][/p][p]From everyone at Facepunch, we'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

The Christmas Event is once again live![/p][p][/p][p]If you're new to the island, here's what you can expect:[/p][p]
As you play, you will start to hear the distinct sound of jingle bells. As soon as you do, leave the warm comfort of your base and start looking for your gifts![/p]

• [p]Two gifts are spawned per player, in a radius of about 40m from you.[/p]
• [p]Run up and bash open your present to receive your Christmas gift.[/p]
• [p]They come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. But if you have enough small presents stashed, you can 'trade up' to a medium or large gift.[/p]
• [p]The contents of each present varies, but you'll find a mix of resources, weapons, and Christmas candy.[/p]

[p][/p][p]This year, you'll still be able to find Santa hats and reindeer antlers, both of which can be worn and provide a decent amount of protection. And the lickable candy cane club is back! As well as two types of stockings.

If you hang a stocking inside your base when the jingle bells ring, the stocking will fill up with loot whether you've been good or not - no coal here!

The larger stocking has a higher chance for better items and both last around 5-10 refills.[/p][p][/p][p]The advent calendar also returns and is a craftable deployable, available to everyone during the Christmas event.

Once placed, you can claim an in-game surprise once every in-real-life day from the 16th of December.[/p][p][/p][p]The Christmas event ends on January 1st @ 19:00GMT / 14:00EST[/p][p]
Make it a December to remember![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]XMAS WALLPAPERS ITEM DLC[/h2][p][/p][p]Unrolling to the limited store this month are three festive wallpapers, specially designed to bring peace and joy to you and the grub just outside your door.[/p][p][/p][p]There’s one wallpaper each for floors, ceilings and walls. [/p][p][/p][h2]Wall - Assorted Giftwrap[/h2][p][/p][h2]Floor - Red Festive Floor Tiles[/h2][p][/p][h2]Ceiling - Moulded Plaster[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p] This one sparkles![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]RUSTMAS STORE[/h2][p][/p][p]As well as the new festive wallpapers, this year, we have brought back some items from previous festive periods for players to enjoy again - all now purchasable from the Rust Item Store.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]RUSTMAS DROPS ON TWITCH AND KICK[/h2][p][/p][p]Have you been naughty or nice this year?

Well, it doesn't matter because as part of our ongoing commitment to creators, we're pleased to unveil Drops on Rustmas - on both Twitch and KICK!

December 18th - January 1st will see 4 Category wide drops!

TWITCH DROPS[/p][p][/p][p]KICK DROPS[/p][p][/p][p]All you need to do is check out anyone streaming Rust this festive period, and you can bag yourself some sweet Christmas themed Twitch/Kick Drops to make sure you and your base look festive this December and January. [/p][p]Rustmas on Twitch and Kick starts now and ends 7PM GMT / 2PM EST on January 1st. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]RUST x CAN BE - BACKPACK & CHARMS[/h2][p][/p][p]What happens when you mix the brutal world of Rust with a heritage brand?

You get the ultimate loot bag.

We are proud to announce our collaboration with Can Be. Known for their distinct design history and high-quality craftsmanship, Can Be has taken our standard-issue in-game Military backpack and crafted it into a tangible, premium accessory.[/p][p][/p][p]It captures the DIY, scavenged aesthetic of Rust while providing the durability and practicality you expect from a top-tier fashion house that also makes products for European militaries.

Perfect for carrying your laptop and gym gear through the elements, or if you really want to stay on brand - your rock and your torch.[/p][p][/p][p]The Rust x Can Be Large Backpack launches in two colourways and includes the in-game weapon charms, available exclusively through the Can Be website.

There's also an optional collection of interchangeable Velcro patches available separately for easy customization of your backpack.[/p][p][/p][p]Each physical backpack order comes with a set of unique digital items once shipped 
These are new, in-game weapon charms – uniting the tangible and virtual world together.
A subtle but unmistakable way to personalize your weapon in game.[/p][p]Just don't get too distracted by your charm during a gunfight - it might cost you your 2x2.[/p][p]Pre-orders are now live, with orders shipping in the summer of 2026. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]RUSTMAS BASE DECORATING CONTEST[/h2][p][/p][p]We are excited to announce that the annual Rustmas Base Decorating Competition is back for 2025's festive period![/p][p]We're looking for the best Christmassy base that Rust has ever seen![/p][p][/p][h2]Winner[/h2][p]£120 worth of skins of their choosing, and two Rust DLC/Items.[/p][h2]Runner up[/h2][p]£75 worth of skins of their choosing, and one Rust DLC/Item.[/p][h2]How To Submit[/h2][p]Once you’ve completed decorating your base, be sure to take 3-4 screenshots or a video walkthrough (MTV Cribs style) and upload them to X/Twitter. Tag us (@playrust) and use the hashtag #Rustmas2025 in your post![/p][p]The winner and runner up will be announced from Rust's Official X account  on January 12th.[/p][p]Please make sure you are following the Rust X/Twitter account so we can DM you if you win. 
If we do not get a response within 1 week of the winner announcement, a new winner will be chosen.[/p][h2]Evaluation[/h2][p]Submissions will be judged based on the following:[/p]

• [p]Creativity[/p]
• [p]Design[/p]

[p]Judging will be performed by Facepunch Staff.[/p][p]Bonus points if you remove the UI and your graphics are set higher than 1 :) [/p][h2]Terms[/h2][p]This competition is run by Facepunch Studios LTD. The competition ends on January 1st 2026 23:59UTC. No more than three entries per person. The winner and runner-up will be selected based on which Facepunch thinks is the most original/creative and any decisions Facepunch makes will be final. The winner and runner up must claim their prizes within one month of the closing date (which Facepunch may exchange for an alternative of the same or greater value). Our terms of service apply to any content you make for the competition: https://facepunch.com/legal. Winning entries must pick items from the Rust marketplace with market value.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]STEAM AWARDS FINALISTS - LABOR OF LOVE[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]We're through to the final round!

But in case you're new here, over the years, Rust has undergone some huge changes - including graphic, physics, and engine updates and rebuilds, all because we’ve wanted to make Rust what it is, and what it could be.

We're guided by the community, and agile enough to deliver or pivot when we need to, month after month.

And this year - Rust's 12th year - we've added a new biome, new animals, new vehicles, weapons, and so much more. As well as third party collabs, drops on Kick, more events on Twitch, raising money for Charity, and so much more! [/p][p]
To be a finalist is an achievement in itself, but we need the community to help us win it. 
[/p][h3]If you think Rust deserves it, give RUST your vote in the 'Labor of Love' category on steam![/h3][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]STEAM WINTER SALE[/h2][p][/p][p]The Steam Winter Sale is now live![/p][p][/p][p]Enjoy 50% off Rust and the Instruments, Sunburn, and Voice Props DLC packs from now until January 5th 2026! 

Now is the perfect time to bolster your clan and gift Rust to a friend.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]UPCOMING DATES[/h2][p][/p][p]Rust's Staging Branch will wipe as usual over the festive season, meaning if you haven't yet jumped into the preview of February's update, you can access the Deep Sea content early![/p]

• [p]Staging Branch wipes on December 25th[/p]
• [p]January Patch + wipe released on January 1st @ 1900GMT[/p]

[p][/p][p]The Staging Branch in Rust is a separate version of Rust where new updates and features are tested before being released to the main game. It’s essentially the experimental build, allowing us to identify bugs, balance changes, and performance issues with help from players who opt in.

You can learn more about it here.[/p][p][/p]

Facepunch's survival sim Rust has had a busy 2025, adding its medieval-themed primitive mode at the start of the year, introducing a massive jungle biome in March, and experimenting with radical changes to its progression systems and meta through the summer and autumn. But the biggest planned patch of 2025 was the naval update, which aims to expand Rust's survivalist battles to the oceans, letting players build their own ships and exchange cannon blasts in seaborne conflicts...
Read more.