12:00am EST – Rust Christmas is just about here! Get ready for the skies to light up with gifts as the festive season rolls in. Presents, stocking surprises, and holiday cheer will be raining down on Newmans all the way into the new year!

Update today

The holiday fun kicks off today with a client and server update scheduled to go live at the usual time—2pm EST / 7pm GMT. No wipe is required for this one, so you can jump right into the festivities without losing your progress.

Fresh Xmas DLC!

A fresh batch of holiday cheer has arrived with the new Xmas DLC: Season Beatings – Assorted Giftwraps. This festive skin pack lets you deck the halls with style, offering themed options for every surface of your base. Expect plaster-moulded ceilings, Xmas tile flooring, and fully wrapped walls in assorted giftwrap designs. It’s the perfect way to turn your raid bunker into a cozy winter wonderland.

Ice sculptures

Ice sculptures are making a frosty return this Rust Xmas! First introduced last year, these let you unleash your inner artist by carving a block of ice into any shape using melee tools. Crafting one costs 500 wood and 100 metal, and once placed, you can start chipping away to create your own festive masterpiece. Expect these to be available on the item store for the duration of the holiday event—so get sculpting while you can!

Gingerbread building skin

The festive Gingerbread building skin is expected to make its return this Christmas season. First introduced a couple years back, this sweet-themed skin is available to everyone and applies to wood tier structures. As with all building skins, it’s purely cosmetic—no changes to durability or hitboxes. It'll be available for the duration of the Xmas event, so feel free to deck your base out in frosting and candy canes while it lasts.

Gingerbread mines

Gingerbread mines are back for the holiday event, bringing a festive twist to dungeon crawling. About a dozen of these gingerbread houses spawn across a standard-sized map, functioning much like the Halloween portals. Walk through the front door, then another inside, and you’ll be teleported into a gingerbread-themed mine packed with loot and enemies.

Inside, you’ll face off against 2 to 6 gingerbread people armed with candy canes—and occasionally an MP5. They drop standard scientist loot along with festive goodies like small presents, snowball guns, and snowballs. When you’re done, just head back through the entry door to return topside. Keep an eye out for these while roaming the map—they’re well worth the visit.

Example loot from mines:

smg body
2x small pres.
sheet metal
15x scrap

2x tech trash
2x small pres.
sheet metal
15x scrap

3x tech trash
2x med pres.
sheet metal
15x scrap

21 hqm
tesla coil
small pres.
med pres.
2x metal pipe
15x scrap

2x tech trash
smart alarm
med pres.
small pres.
semi auto body
15x scrap

rifle body
strengthened glass window
2x metal pipe
2x medium pres.
15x scrap

Decorations at monuments

During the Rust Christmas season, several key monuments get a festive makeover. Keep an eye out for holiday decorations scattered around fishing villages, Bandit Camp, and the Compound. From lights to seasonal props, these areas help set the mood while you're out roaming the map—or just doing some shopping.

Presents!

If you've played through a past Rust Christmas, this one will feel familiar. Once the event is active, every in-game day a festive jingle will play—and not long after, presents start spawning near every player. Smack them a few times (they’ve got 30 HP) and you’ll break them open to collect small or medium presents.

These can be unwrapped for a quick reward or upgraded into higher-tier presents for even better loot. It's a simple but rewarding bit of holiday cheer that keeps on giving as you play.

Small Present

Possible Contents
~100 to 200 stone
Candy canes
~3 to 4 chocolate bars
1 snowball
~5 to 15 scrap
~200 to 400 wood
Candy cane club, wrapping paper and 1 snowball
~25 to 35 LGF and 2 snowballs
~25 to 50 metal frags
~Eoka and 9 to 11 handmade shells
Reindeer antlers

Upgrade to medium
10

Medium Present

Possible Contents
1000 stone
Pipe shotgun and 10 handmade shells
150 LGF
Small stocking
Salvaged cleaver
Pookie bear
Snowball Gun and 4 snowballs
Star tree topper
~3 to 4 short ice walls
Decorative baubles
Sled
Tree lights

Upgrade to large
5

Large Present

Possible Contents
250 Crude Oil
60 HQM
Super stocking
Supply signal
Revolver and 20 pistol bullets
Custom SMG and 20 pistol bullets
Pump shotgun and 12 buckshot
Flame turret
Holosight, Weapon lasersight, Silencer, Flashlight

Santa’s Sleigh

Airdrops get a cheerful overhaul during the Rust Christmas event. Instead of the usual rumble of the C130, you’ll hear sleigh bells as Santa and his reindeer soar overhead, dropping giant gift-wrapped airdrops that trail sparkles across the sky. Beyond the festive flair, these holiday drops also come packed with extra presents—making them even more worth chasing down. Keep your eyes (and ears) on the sky!

Stockings

Stockings make their return this holiday season, and you’ll want to hang them by the chimney—or campfire—with care. These festive deployables slowly fill with loot over time, and you’ll know they’re ready when sparkles begin twinkling from the top. There are two types (small and super), and while they take a while to build up, the rewards inside are well worth the wait.

Small Stocking

~250 wood
~150 stone
~25 metal frags
Eoka + ~10 shells
Reindeer antlers
Candy cane club
~5 Chocolate Bars
Coal
Santa Hat

SUPER Stocking

~250 wood
~150 stone
~50 metal frags
Eoka + ~10 shells
Waterpipe shotgun + ~10 shells
Medical Syringe
Coal
Snowball gun
4 snowballs

Other Xmas goodies!

Rust Christmas brings a whole sleigh-full of seasonal goodies to mess around with. From buildable Ice Walls and rideable Sleds to Snowball Guns, festive Lights, Snow Machines, and placeable Snowmen, there’s no shortage of ways to get into the holiday spirit. Whether you’re decorating your base or diving into a snowball fight, there’s plenty to keep things merry and chaotic out in the wilds of Rust.

Sleds

A fan-favorite holiday activity is sliding back into Rust—sledding! Sleds let players zoom down snowy hills for some fast-paced, festive fun. Just like boogie boards, you place one on the ground, hop on, and you'll start sliding right away. They work best on snow-covered terrain and can be picked back up with a hammer when you're done. You’ll find them tucked inside medium presents, so keep those unwraps coming!

Ice Walls

Two frosty favorites are back this Christmas: Ice Walls! These chilly barricades come in both short and tall variants, each capped with icy spikes to keep enemies at bay—or at least slow them down. They’re craftable with stone (300 for the short, 1500 for the tall), and best of all, they’re default blueprints—no workbench needed. Perfect for festive defenses or just adding a bit of winter flair to your base.

Snowball Gun

The Snowball Gun—officially called the “Blizzard Blaster”—returns as a holiday favorite, bringing rapid-fire frosty fun to the battlefield. It works like a nerfed grenade launcher: load in a single snowball, and you’ll get 50 rounds of snowy ammo to blast away with. It’s all fun and fluff until someone gets pelted in the face.

You won’t find a crafting recipe or shop listing for this one—it drops exclusively from Christmas event loot. So keep unwrapping those presents and let the snowballs fly!

Craftable Christmas Tree

Just like in years past, players can craft their very own Christmas Tree to bring some holiday spirit into their base. For just 500 wood and 30 cloth, you'll have a festive tree ready to decorate. Interact with it like a loot box to deck it out with ornaments like Baubles, Candy Canes, Pinecones, and Gingerbread Men. It’s the perfect centerpiece for any holiday hideout.

Advent Calendar

The Advent Calendar returns as a fun way to celebrate the season day by day. Available as a default blueprint, this festive deployable lets you claim one free present each real-life day during the event. Just place it down in your base and check in daily to collect your goodies—it’s a simple way to keep the holiday cheer flowing all week long.

Cost
100 wood
20 cloth
Workbench level 1

Holiday Sale

To spread a bit of extra holiday cheer, all VIP packages are 20% off now through January 1st, 2026. Just use code RUSTMAS2025 at checkout to claim your discount. Don’t miss your chance to snag some perks while the sale lasts!

See you next year!

With the holidays in full swing, development winds down as the team takes some well-earned time off. As a result, there won’t be another update or forced wipe until January 1st. Until then, enjoy the festive chaos, soak up the seasonal content, and have a wonderful holiday and a happy new year!