Rust has no direct connect box on its main menu, which surprises people coming from other games. The fastest way onto your own server is the console: press F1, type client.connect followed by your address, and you are in. The server browser works too, once the listing catches up.
Get your address
Every Rust server we host keeps a fixed IP and port.
- Open your server in the control panel
- On the Overview tab, find the connection address
- Click it to copy. It looks like
12.34.56.78:25565
That whole string, IP and port together, is what the console wants. Keep it on the clipboard.
The server also has to be running before anyone can get in. If the status next to the server name does not say running, start it from the Console tab and wait. On the first boot after a wipe, Rust generates the map, which takes several minutes on a large one, and the server answers nothing until that finishes.
The F1 console
This is the method to hand your friends. It works the moment the server is up and does not care whether the browser has listed you yet.
- Launch Rust and wait for the main menu
- Press F1 to open the console
- Type the connect command with your own address:
client.connect 12.34.56.78:25565
- Press Enter
The console closes and Rust starts connecting. A first join downloads the map, so expect anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes depending on map size. If the server runs Oxide or Carbon, it may pull plugin content on that first connection too.
Three things about the console catch people out:
- The command is
client.connect, notconnect. Typingconnecton its own does nothing at all. - Include the port. Leave it off and Rust assumes
28015, which is almost certainly not yours, and the connection quietly goes nowhere. - F1 reopens the console any time, which is handy for reconnecting after a restart.
The in-game browser
If you would rather click than type, or you want the server saved somewhere:
- From the main menu, choose Play Game
- Open the Community tab, or Modded if the server runs Oxide or Carbon
- Search for your server's name
- Select it and connect
Two things decide whether that finds anything. The name is the Server Name value on the Startup tab, and search matches only what is actually set there, so a distinctive name is worth setting. A name change takes effect after a restart, not before.
The tab matters more than people expect. A server running Oxide or Carbon advertises itself as modded and is listed under Modded rather than Community. It is reachable and listed the whole time, just not in the tab being searched, which is why this one wastes so much time.
When the browser does not show it
The browser is a listing service, not a live test, and a new server takes a while to be picked up.
It is not running. Check the status in the panel. Installing, starting, or generating a map all mean not joinable.
It is genuinely new. Fresh servers can take several minutes after first boot to appear. The console method works immediately and ignores the listing entirely.
Wrong tab. Modded servers are under Modded.
The search does not match. Check the Server Name field on the Startup tab, and remember the change needs a restart.
Filters are hiding it. The browser keeps filters between sessions, so a filter for a wipe schedule or region your server does not advertise hides it even from an exact-name search. Clear them and search again.
The console sidesteps every one of these, which is why it is what to send someone who is stuck.
Connection errors
Steam Auth Timeout. Rust could not verify your Steam session. Close Rust and Steam completely, reopen Steam, and try again. This is on the client and nothing the server controls.
Incompatible Version. Your client and the server are on different builds. Rust force wipes and updates on the first Thursday of each month, and an older server cannot accept updated clients. Restart the server from the panel to pull the current build, then reconnect.
A timeout, or the attempt just hangs. Confirm the server is running and that you used the full IP:PORT. A wrong port is by far the most common cause: the console sits there trying to reach an address where nothing is listening.
You connect and are dropped instantly. On a server with plugins, a misbehaving plugin can kick players as they join. Watch the Console tab in the panel while connecting, since the log names the plugin.
You are banned from this server. Bans are per server. If you banned yourself while testing, clear it from the player manager, or run unbanid with the SteamID in the panel console.
Inviting people
Send two things: the connect command with your address filled in, and which tab to look under if they prefer the browser. Pasting this into Discord is usually enough:
Press F1 in Rust and paste this:
client.connect 12.34.56.78:25565
They need nothing but the game. No account with us, no mod list, nothing installed in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Do my friends need to buy anything? No. They need Rust. Slots are set by you on the Startup tab.
There are several ports, which one do I use?
The one on the connection card is the game port, and that is the one for client.connect. The others belong to the query and RCON services and are not for connecting.
Can I join without the console? Yes, through the browser once the server has been listed. The console is simply faster and works sooner.
The console says it cannot resolve the address. Usually a typo or a stray space in the middle. Copy it fresh from the panel and paste rather than retyping.
The server shows as offline or 0/0. Give it a minute after starting. If it persists it is probably still generating the map, and the Console tab in the panel shows how far along the boot is.
Still not connecting after checking the port? Contact support with your server name and the exact message Rust shows, and we will look from our side. No server yet? See our Rust server hosting plans.