How to Host a Rust Server: Hosted or Self Hosted for Free (2026)

There are two ways to host a Rust server, because Rust has no co-op or listen server mode. Host it with us and it is online about a minute after checkout, vanilla or with Oxide or Carbon, updating itself on every restart. Or host it yourself for free with Facepunch's RustDedicated server (SteamCMD app 258550) on a PC with 8 to 12 GB of free RAM, forwarding UDP ports 28015 and 28017 and leaving it on for the whole wipe. This guide covers both, plus a way to get a hosted server paid with credits.

Which way should you host Rust?

There is no in game host button. Every multiplayer world, from three friends to a 200 player monthly, runs on a dedicated server, and Rust worlds are built around wipes that last a week to a month, so the server has to stay up the whole time.

How much RAM does a Rust server need?

Memory runs out first, because RAM use climbs as bases grow and the entity count rises through a wipe. Every plugin adds a little more. Size it by map first, players second:

Rust simulates most of the world on one main thread, so a fast CPU core matters more than many cores. At home, use an SSD or NVMe drive, since every autosave writes the whole world and a slow disk freezes the server while it saves. If you play on the same PC, 32 GB of system RAM is the realistic minimum. More in Rust server requirements and how much RAM a game server needs.

Option 1: Host a Rust server with GamezServers

1. Pick a plan from the table above. A private server for a few friends on a 3000 map is fine on Starter. For a public listing, a 4000 map or more than a handful of plugins, take Standard. New customers get 50% off the first month, so Standard is about 15 USD to start.
2. Pick vanilla, Oxide or Carbon. Vanilla is Rust as Facepunch made it. Oxide and Carbon run plugins. You can switch type later from the panel.
3. Split the bill if you like. Choose Split with friends at checkout to share it between 2 and 10 people, each paying their own share by card with a 1 USD fee per share. Standard split four ways is roughly 8.50 USD each. Your server starts as soon as you pay your share. Checkout also offers a Mumble voice server for your group, free for 30 days.
4. Pay and open your server. It appears under Your servers as Setting up, then Online. The address at the top of the control panel looks like 203.0.113.10:28015. Click it to copy. The first start generates the map, so give it a few minutes before the first join.
5. Set the map. In the panel's settings, Map size takes a value between 1000 and 6000 (3000 to 3500 suits most groups) and Map seed any whole number. Left empty, Rust uses its default seed 1337. Custom map link loads your own .map file instead of a generated one. Changing any of them generates a new map.
6. Make yourself the owner with the console commands below, then share the address.

The panel has Save world, Broadcast, Player list, Kick player, Ban by Steam ID, Make admin and Set time of day buttons, plus Reload plugins on Oxide and Carbon servers. Server browser tags (such as weekly, eu or pve) help players filter for you. Billing is monthly with no contract, and you can cancel any time from the dashboard. See billing and cancellation and the control panel guide.

Option 2: Make a Rust server on your own PC

RustDedicated is free, runs on Windows and Linux, and downloads through SteamCMD without a Steam account. Facepunch lists 12 GB of free RAM and 15 GB of SSD space as a baseline. Every player still needs their own copy of Rust.

Step 1: Install SteamCMD

• Windows: download the SteamCMD zip from Valve, extract it to a folder such as C:\steamcmd and run steamcmd.exe once so it updates itself.
• Linux (Debian or Ubuntu): install the steamcmd package from your distribution, or download Valve's Linux tarball and run ./steamcmd.sh.

Step 2: Download the Rust server

The server is app ID 258550:

steamcmd +force_install_dir C:\rust-server +login anonymous +app_update 258550 validate +quit

On Linux, use a path like ~/rust-server. Run the same command again whenever Rust updates, because players cannot join a server on an older version.

Step 3: Create a start script

Rust is configured mostly through launch options. On Windows, create start.bat in the server folder:

RustDedicated.exe -batchmode +server.port 28015 +server.queryport 28017 +server.level "Procedural Map" +server.seed 1234 +server.worldsize 4000 +server.maxplayers 50 +server.hostname "My Rust Server" +server.identity "myserver" +rcon.port 28016 +rcon.password "change-this" +rcon.web 1 -logfile server.log

On Linux, the same options work with ./RustDedicated at the start of the line.

• -batchmode: runs without a window, which every dedicated server needs.
• +server.seed and +server.worldsize: together they decide the map. World size ranges from 1000 to 6000. 3000 suits a small group and uses less RAM, 4000 to 4500 is the classic community size.
• +server.maxplayers: the player cap.
• +server.identity: the folder your save and config live in, here server/myserver/.
• +rcon.password: always change it. RCON gives full control of the server.

The first start takes several minutes while the map generates. The server is ready when the console shows Server startup complete.

Step 4: Open the ports

Forward them to the server's local IP and allow RustDedicated through your firewall. Players at home can join on your local IP. Our port forwarding guide covers the router side. If your provider uses CGNAT, forwarding will not work at all, see how to tell if you are behind CGNAT.

How do you make yourself admin on a Rust server?

Find your SteamID64 (the 17 digit number starting with 7656, shown on your Steam profile URL or any SteamID lookup site), then run this in the server console, or the panel's console on our servers:

ownerid 76561198000000000 "YourName"
server.writecfg

server.writecfg saves it to users.cfg so it survives restarts. Reconnect and you have admin powers. Use moderatorid for moderators you trust with fewer powers. Oxide permission groups are covered in how to make yourself admin on a Rust server.

How do friends join a Rust server?

1. Launch Rust and wait for the main menu to load.
2. Press F1 to open the console.
3. Type client.connect followed by the address, for example client.connect 203.0.113.10:28015, and press Enter.

After a few minutes the server also appears in the Community tab, or the Modded tab when plugins are installed, where people can find it by name and add it to Favorites. The F1 command always works in the meantime. If it still does not show, see Rust server not showing in the server browser.

How do you set up server.cfg?

Anything you would type in the server console can go in cfg/server.cfg inside your identity folder, one setting per line without the +. At home that is server/myserver/cfg/server.cfg. On our servers it is server/rust/cfg/server.cfg in the Files tab, and the name, description, map, tags, save interval and website link are already panel settings.

server.description "Weekly wipe Thursdays. 2x gather. No racism. Discord: example"
server.url "https://example.com"
server.headerimage "https://example.com/banner.png"
server.logoimage "https://example.com/logo.png"
server.tags "weekly,vanilla"
server.saveinterval 300

• server.description: the text players read in the browser before joining.
• server.headerimage and server.logoimage: image links shown on your listing.
• server.tags: labels the browser uses for filters, such as weekly, biweekly, monthly, vanilla or pve.
• server.saveinterval: seconds between world saves. Lower values cause lag spikes on busy servers.

Restart the server to apply the file.

What are the catches with hosting for free?

• It has to stay on all wipe. If your PC sleeps, the server is down for everyone, including you.
• Electricity. A PC running around the clock at 150 W uses about 108 kWh a month, roughly 18 USD at 0.17 USD per kWh. A gaming PC under load uses more.
• RAM climbs through the wipe. A server that is fine on day one can run short by the last week.
• Upload speed. Rust sends a lot of data per player, and home upload is often the first limit, well before RAM.
• Monthly force wipe. You update the server and any plugin framework yourself. See how to update a Rust server on force wipe day.
• Your home IP is visible to every player on a public server, including people you have just raided.

Are there free Rust server hosts?

Not really. Rust needs 8 to 16 GB of RAM per server, which is too expensive to give away, so free Rust hosting offers are rare and usually too small to run a real map. Be careful with any that ask you to download software, see is free game server hosting safe.

What you can do is pay with credits. Every GamezServers account gets a share link from the dashboard, which earns 5 cents for every person who clicks it (once a day per person) and 10 USD in credits for every person who clicks it and subscribes. Credits come off your bills automatically, and once they cover a server you can get it with credits alone and no card. Two people subscribing through your link cover a month of the 8 GB plan. Credits have no cash value outside GamezServers. See how game server credits work and free game servers.

How do you add Oxide or Carbon plugins?

Rust plugins run only on the server, so players never download anything. You need one framework, never both:

• Oxide (uMod): the classic choice with the biggest plugin library at umod.org. Plugins go in oxide/plugins, and their settings appear as JSON files in oxide/config after the first load.
• Carbon: a newer, faster framework that runs most Oxide plugins. Plugins go in carbon/plugins, settings in carbon/configs.

On our servers, pick the Oxide or Carbon type, upload .cs plugin files with the file manager (or SFTP for a big batch) and they compile and load on the fly. At home, download the Rust build of Oxide from umod.org and extract it over your server folder, or install Carbon from carbonmod.gg. Reload a plugin without restarting with oxide.reload PluginName.

Popular first plugins for friend servers: Gather Manager, Stack Size Controller, NTeleportation, Kits, Remover Tool and Better Chat. Step by step: how to install Rust plugins with Oxide or Carbon.

How do you wipe a Rust server?

Facepunch releases a big update on the first Thursday of every month, and old maps do not load on the new version, so every server wipes then. Many communities also wipe weekly or every two weeks.

Stop the server and delete the .map and .sav files in your identity folder (server/rust on our servers). Delete the player.blueprints files too for a blueprint wipe. Change the seed at the same time if you want a fresh map, then start the server and a new map generates. How to wipe a Rust server lists every file for map, blueprint and full wipes.

Backups, updates and upgrades

• Backups: on our servers, press Backup before every wipe and before installing plugins. Each server keeps 3.
• Updates: our servers update Rust and Oxide or Carbon on every restart, so force wipe day is a restart. The framework can lag Rust by a few hours on that day, so plugins may not load until it catches up. At home, run SteamCMD again and reinstall Oxide or Carbon, because the update overwrites their files.
• Sleep when empty: our servers stop after 4 days with nobody online, and anyone with access starts them again in one click. A sleeping server does not show in the browser, so turn it off in Settings for a public server.
• Upgrading: if memory runs high late in a wipe, pick a bigger plan in Settings. The price is prorated and the new RAM applies after a restart.

Common problems

• Server does not show in the browser: give it a few minutes, then check the query port 28017 is forwarded as UDP. client.connect works in the meantime.
• Version mismatch after an update: the game updated and the server did not. At home, run SteamCMD again. On our servers, restart.
• Plugins stopped loading after an update: at home, reinstall Oxide or Carbon. On our servers, wait for the framework to catch up and restart.
• Server will not start after setting a custom map: the map link is broken. It must be a direct download link to a .map file.
• Lag late in the wipe: RAM use climbs as bases grow. Give the server more memory, or reduce the world size next wipe.
• The address changed: most home connections get a new public IP now and then. Send friends the new one.

FAQ

Is the Rust dedicated server free?

Yes. RustDedicated is free on Steam as app 258550 and downloads through SteamCMD with an anonymous login.

How much does it cost to host a Rust server?

With us, from 19.99 USD a month for 8 GB to 39.99 USD for 16 GB, with 50% off the first month for new customers. The bill can be split with up to 10 people.

Can you play Rust with friends without a server?

No. Rust has no co-op or listen server mode. Every multiplayer world runs on a dedicated server.

What ports does a Rust server need?

UDP 28015 for the game and UDP 28017 for the server browser. TCP 28016 only if you use RCON remotely.

How many players can my Rust server hold?

Our plans have 50, 100 and 200 slots. Most friend groups never get close, so map size and plugin count matter more.

Do I have to wipe my Rust server?

The map has to wipe on the first Thursday of each month when Facepunch updates the game. Blueprint wipes and extra wipes are up to you.

Can I use custom maps?

Yes. On our servers, put a direct download link to your .map file in the Custom map link setting and restart. Changing the map is a map wipe.

Can I run a Rust server and play on the same PC?

Yes, with enough memory. 32 GB of system RAM is the realistic minimum for both at once.

See Rust server hosting to pick a plan and run the wipe your way.