1:45pm EST - The update and devblog are live! Game on!

1:00pm EST - Our update stream is live! twitch.tv/rustafied

12:00am EST - Rust’s monthly update drops today and brings with it some exciting new features, fixes, and more!

The patch is expected at normal time (2pm EST / 7pm BST) and forces a map wipe across the board. Our update stream goes live at 1pm EST.

Party System

The new party system is going live with today’s update, giving players an easier way to group up and coordinate. You can now form parties right from the main menu and then hop into a server together, spawning within roughly 100 meters of each other on that first join — a big quality-of-life boost for playing with friends.

There are a couple of ways to set up a party: use the party.inviteparty <steamID> console command or, if you’re already on a server, just hit “Invite Friend to Team” and pick someone from your friends list. Invites pop up in-game, through the in-game Discord overlay, and even on Steam itself, making it simple to connect no matter where your buddy sees it first.

Deployable Snapping

Deployable snapping is landing with today’s update, making base decorating and organizing way smoother. This new feature lets you snap deployables like furnaces, planters, shelves, workbenches, fridges, beds, TCs, and more neatly together or to walls, with both simple and advanced snapping modes available.

Certain deployables of the same type will now automatically line up if placed close enough, and there’s a new menu option to switch snapping behavior. It’s a huge upgrade for setting up tidy bases without endlessly nudging things around. Whether you’re stacking shelves or lining up your cooking stations, this should save a ton of headache and make your bases look cleaner than ever.

Outpost Spawning

Outpost spawning is going live with today’s update. This new feature lets you unlock the ability to respawn at Outpost by completing a mission from the NPC there. Once unlocked, you’ll be able to use Outpost as a spawn point, but keep in mind there’s a hefty cooldown — currently set at 30 minutes.

It’s a handy way to have a safe fallback location on the map, especially if your main base is under siege. Just note that fresh spawns won’t have this option by default — you’ll need to complete the mission first to get access.

Patrol Helicopter Tweaks

Some nice improvements to patrol helicopter behavior are rolling out with today’s update. The heli will now better restrict how far it roams on patrol, with a visible flee marker and dotted line showing where it’s headed. Its flee path is more accurate too, and it’ll now reliably crash at the airfield when shot down.

Additionally, it won’t flee if the target is close to a monument or within 50 meters of its center, and overall fleeing distance is capped to around one grid. Expect a more predictable, polished heli fight next time it shows up over your base.

Ban Policy Update

A big policy shift has been implemented: for the first time, players who were banned more than 8 months ago — and haven’t reoffended — can get back into Rust by purchasing it again on a new account. This doesn’t lift bans or erase records, but it does offer long-ago cheaters a shot at redemption.

This only applies if it was a single ban over 8 months ago. If you’re a repeat cheater, banned recently, or hardware banned, you’re out of luck. Come back too soon or get caught cheating again, and it’s game over permanently. You can read the full details here.

Other Stuff

Turrets in peacekeeper mode now show a holster warning, similar to legacy safe zones
Legacy Wood walls and gates added to the Legacy Wood DLC
Two new Storage Barrel variants added to the Abyss DLC pack
Admin command debug.invis now shows an indicator when you are invisible
Spatial biome fog & post-processing tweaks on staging (desert extra yellow etc), plus volumetric clouds—though these visuals may be pushed back for more polish
Improvements to the backend of player, reporting via the F7 menu
Various optimizations to Auto Turrets
The procedural map erosion simulation is now more advanced, better blending canyons/lakes with surrounding terrain for more realistic world gen
Older (pre-2017) weapons & tools now have the same improved hand-animated camera motion as modern items, replacing the old code-based system.
Fixed a long-standing stability bug that mainly impacted pyramid bases / jungle temple style builds
Heavily refactored how missions are created internally to reduce human error & allow faster rollout of new missions (starting with the new Outpost mission).
Fixed ability to accurately free spray on blocks that have multiple wallpaper renderers
Fixed powered water purifier losing salt water when the output is nearly full
Fixed player nametags not updating if streamer mode was toggled mid game
Fixed demolish timer exploit when reskinning walls/gates
Prevented duplicate rocks in the tutorial if player has jungle rock skin
Fixed calorie & spoil rate bugs on very long server uptimes.
Snakes better handle line-of-sight targeting
Dedicated slider to adjust headshot sounds volume.
Can now reskin large objects from further away (like external walls/gates)
Wire slack keybinds, plus mouse wheel can now be bound to actions
Softcore looting restrictions now correctly respect handcuffs
“Quit” command no longer saved in console history (so you don’t accidentally re-quit after reconnecting).

Looking Ahead

There are a ton of exciting things on the horizon also! Here is a short rundown of what to expect in the coming months:

Pilot Hazmat DLC with M15 pistol skin and helmet
Lighting & Decor DLC (chandeliers, fluorescents, spotlights, and more)
Naval Update with boat building & floating cities
Livestock additions including cows and other new animals