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

12:00am EST - It’s update time and there are some great new features coming in along with a fresh DLC!

Our update stream goes live at 1pm EST. The update is expected at normal time (2pm EST / 7pm BST).

Hardcore Game Mode Refresh

Hardcore just got a serious overhaul, and it's making the mode feel a lot more raw and unforgiving. This month’s refresh brings a bunch of new restrictions and tweaks aimed at pushing survival and scavenging to the forefront. Here’s what’s changed:

No guns in the tech tree or at vendors
Guns can’t be researched or crafted (but you can still repair them without a BP)
Fog of war on the map, with location shown only if you’ve got a compass in your belt
Sleeping bags have a 15-minute cooldown, beds are 10 minutes (max 5 total)
Ammo now costs 5x more to craft
Upkeep costs are doubled
Safe zones are completely disabled

If you’re looking for a stripped-down, high-stakes version of Rust, this update takes Hardcore to the next level.

New Server: AU Hardcore
In honor of these changes, we’re opening a new Hardcore server, AU Hardcore, with the update today. Find it on the official list, or use the direct connect below:

connect auhardcore.rustafied.com

New Menu

The full overhaul of Rust’s ESC menu is going live, and it brings a ton of polish, speed, and usability improvements. Whether you’re browsing servers, shopping skins, or just tweaking your settings, everything is now cleaner, faster, and more intuitive.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what’s new:

Top Navigation Tabs - Clear tabs make getting around easier than ever:
- Main/News: Shows Rust updates or session info if you're in-game
- Play: Server browser with filters and ability to preview maps
- Store: Browse featured, limited, and general skins by category
- Inventory: Browse your inventory items with clean skin previews
- Options: Fully separated and cleaned up for better usability
Always-Visible Social Panel
Now docked at the bottom of the menu, making it easier to check friends and manage your party.
Improved Store Interface
Skins and DLC now include way more detail and a nicer layout.
New Skin Viewer
Inspect any skin (owned or in the store) in full 3D, complete with a sleek, polished preview system.
Gesture Wheel Overhaul
Drag-and-drop gestures directly into your wheels and preview them before you commit.
Better Settings UX
The settings menu has been totally restructured to make it easier to find what you need across graphics, controls, and gameplay.

It’s a big quality-of-life boost that makes interacting with Rust’s menus feel a lot more modern.

Faster Loading

One of the quieter but most impactful changes this month: loading into servers is now way faster. Thanks to some backend improvements, players are seeing up to 65% faster load times — a huge boost that should make reconnects and wipes a lot less painful.

Atmospheric Revamp

A major visual upgrade goes live today, and it’s all about boosting the vibe of Rust’s world. The atmospheric revamp brings in new weather, fog, and lighting tweaks that make each biome feel more distinct — and a whole lot more immersive.

Biome-Specific Fog and Color Grading - Each biome now has its own unique fog and color tone. Deserts look warmer and drier, forests feel deeper and richer, and snow-covered areas pack in that cold, crisp vibe.
Volumetric Clouds (Optional) - Fancy new volumetric clouds are in. They’re off by default but can be enabled in experimental settings if you want that extra sky drama.
Weather Effects and Ambience - Transitions between weather types are smoother, and the general ambiance has been touched up. Combined with the new fog and grading, the world feels a lot more alive.
Performance-Friendly Design - These upgrades are built with performance in mind. The old weather systems are still there if you prefer to keep things light.

All in all, it’s a big step up for Rust’s visuals — especially for those long solo roams when the lighting just hits right.

Pilot DLC

A new DLC is flying in with the update today, and it’s all about that high-altitude flair. The Pilot Hazmat pack brings an aviation-inspired set of skins to deck out your base and loadout in true Top Gun fashion. Here’s what’s included:

M15 Pistol
A remodel of the Semi-Auto Pistol with a clean pilot-themed design. Comes with glow-in-the-dark iron sights for that tactical nighttime pop.

Pilot Hazmat Suit
A full hazmat reskin styled like a pilot’s flight suit. Sharp visuals already in preview, with some tweaks still likely before release.

Flight Control Code Lock
A custom code lock with aircraft-style paneling and a slightly smaller indicator light. Still easy to see in the dark.

Black Box
A small wooden box reskin styled after a flight recorder. Mostly non-glowing with some subtle accent lighting.

Salvaged Ejector Seat
A throne-style chair reskin themed as a jet ejector seat. Currently using the Ice Throne model on staging but expected to get its final look soon.

If you’re into aviation aesthetics, this one’s looking like a solid pickup. Look for it on the Rust Item Store close to the update!

Metal Detector Tweaks

Some nice quality-of-life improvements for the metal detector system are going live today. Weapons inside backpacks can now end up buried after the backpack despawns, adding a bit more immersion (and surprise) when you’re scanning the ground. Even better: weapons dug back up will keep their original condition — no durability loss here.

This update also fixes item ownership bugs on recovered loot and cleans up issues where multiple buried items had the same expiry times. Overall, treasure hunting just got a bit smoother — and less buggy.

Fixes

There are a number of solid fixes going live this month:

Fix player nametags being visible through ceilings
Fixed twig roof gibs flying excessively far
Improved rain - no longer sometimes partially clips through ceilings
Possibly fixed the ancient rare bug that makes doors unable to be picked up until a lock is placed and removed from them.
Fixed crafting menu search results being lost after closing and reopening the menu
Fixes memory leaks related to Rust+'s camera renderer and Nexus mugshot savings
Fixed flickering issue when viewing a prefab
Fixed fishing village red door to be always openable
Various fixes and updates for different gameplay elements like watch towers, LR300 mesh, codelock skins, and restart toasts in primitive mode
Move server restart chat messages to toasts
Log results after single scene run and fix extra timers in results for benchmarking
Fixes to Attack Heli headlights
Fix flashlight and laser sight attachment effects getting stretched when toggled during inspect animation or by unequipping/equipping the weapon
Prevent deployables placed on top of rugs on tugboats from parenting to the rug. Ensure they parent to the boat instead
Fix issues canceling loading into servers
Fix scene lists duplicate entries in AssetSceneManifest at runtime
Fix errors unloading scenes in editor because no asset scenes are loaded (can't unload last scene)
Tweaked propane tank world model lod, was culling too early
Fix the player becoming stuck in a specific place when reskinning the legacy wall to specific variant
Fix coconut armour head, torso and pants ingredients differing from default wood armour
Hitting the following static objects no longer flag the player as hostile bbq chair, drumkit, hobo barrel, vending machines, water catcher, workbench 1, xylophone, clan table, repair bench, food crate 1 and 2, crate basic, mine cart, food crate normal, medical crate, underwater crates

Other Stuff

Homebrewed 3 Twitch Drops begin today!
Weapon stats update when changing attachments
Admin convar `global.god` (godmode) now displays GameUI when godmode is active
Updated medical syringe animation
Timer can now be added to mute command
New modding prefabs
Add heat source to Small Oil Refinery to make it behave like the furnace/campfire when its on
Optimizations to Auto Turrets