Where to get it

Steam

2018 · Action-adventure · Adventure

Rust

PlayStation console exclusive

The only aim in Rust is to survive. Everything wants you to die - the island’s wildlife, other inhabitants, the environment, and other survivors. Do whatever it takes to last another night.

Released: 8 February 2018
Platforms: Linux PlayStation 4 Windows macOS
Genres: Action-adventure Adventure First-person shooter Indie Role-playing Shooter Survival
Developers: —
Publishers: —
Modes: Co-op Multiplayer
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action Survival Sandbox Open world
Country: United Kingdom
Age ratings: ESRB M
Languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese and 11 more
Copies sold: 20 million as of 2025-07-04
Time to beat: 30hmain story110hcompletionist

About

Rust is a 2018 multiplayer survival video game developed by Facepunch Studios. It was first released in early access in December 2013 and received its full release in February 2018. Rust is available on Windows and macOS. Console versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One developed in conjunction with Double Eleven were released in May 2021.

Native versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were released in June 2025. Rust was initially created as a clone of DayZ, a popular mod for ARMA 2, with crafting elements akin to those in Minecraft.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

As a multiplayer-only video game, Rust pits players against each other in a harsh, open world environment with the sole goal of survival. Animals, such as wolves, bears and big cats, act as a looming threat, but the primary danger comes from other players.

Players can choose from thousands of official, community, or private game servers. Each servers have different settings for game types ("Vanilla" or "Modded"), difficulties, player count, and various rules (day-night cycle, loot generation speed, etc.). Each server features only one massive map and accommodate up to a thousand players.

Development

Rust's development began as a clone of DayZ, a popular survival mod for ARMA 2, featuring elements derived from Minecraft. Garry Newman, the CEO of Facepunch Studios, said "Rust started off as a DayZ clone. But then we decided that we are sick of fighting zombies. And can't compete with the Arma island in terms of landmarks and towns."

R series. Facepunch released the game onto the Steam Early Access program on 11 December 2013. Following its alpha launch, Facepunch actively released updates for Rust adding mechanics like animals, hunting, armour and weapons. In February 2014, the developers removed zombies, a temporary enemy, from Rust, replacing them with red mutant bears and wolves.

Reception

Rust received mixed reviews following its alpha release, with many denoting the unfinished nature and lack of polish. PC Gamer's Andy Chalk said Rust was a great use of Early Access and even though "it's far from finished", it was ready to be played. GameSpot's Shaun McInnis said the early 2014 version was "rough around the edges" and "littered with bugs", but it entertained and had potential. Matthew Cox of Rock, Paper, Shotgun said it was smart of the developers to switch to the Unity engine in late 2014 due to the game's instability.

In Cox's review, he noted many glitches in the late 2014 version, including unresponsive animals, framerate issues and unstable servers. IGN's Mitch Dyer did not enjoy the combat, calling Rust a "semi-broken" game he felt unable to recommend. However, he complimented the experience as experience "utterly unforgettable" and often unpredictable.