Updating a Dedicated, Windows-based RUST Server
This quick guide will walk you through all the steps required to update a Windows-based RUST server.
On the first Thursday of every month, Facepunch releases a new game update for the RUST community. Each update requires players and servers to update their versions of the game in order to play. As a RUST server owner, you must update your server once this server update becomes available. Players will be unable to join your server because of a mismatch in versions of the game’s software, so the sooner you update the better for your server population.
Many server owners use the monthly update as an opportunity to wipe their servers as well. Map wipes and blueprint wipes are both options that a server owner can decide to perform as per their server’s play style.
This guide will cover the following steps:
- How to login to SteamCMD
- How to set the update directory for your RUST installation
- How to update your RUST Dedicated server
Pre-Requirements for Updating
- SteamCMD for Windows must be installed
- A Windows-based RUST dedicated server installation
Step 1. Login to SteamCMD
- Locate your steamCMD installation. If you’ve followed our Host a RUST Dedicated Server guide, you will find your SteamCMD installation on your C:\ drive.
- Double Click the SteamCMD executable to run SteamCMD (can be seen as the highlighted file in the screenshot above).
- A console window will open and begin to look for updates. Once updating has finished (if updates were found), you will be entered into the SteamCMD prompt.
- Login anonymously using the following command:
login anonymous
If you’ve successfully logged in to Steam, your console should look like the screenshot below:
Step 2 – Set Update Directory for RUST Dedicated Server
- Locate the RUST Server installation. If you’ve followed our Host a RUST Dedicated Server guide, your server will be located at C:\steamcmd\rust_server\.
- You will recognize your server’s installation directory by the presence of the RustDedicated.exe executable (see the above screenshot).
- Next, set the installation location for the update by entering the following command into SteamCMD:
force_install_dir C:\steamcmd\rust_server\
- The above command tells SteamCMD where the RUST server root is located in order to compare versions.
- Please note: If you have named your directory something different, please use that name in place of “rust_server” in the command above.
Step 3 – Update RUST Dedicated Server
- Start the update process by entering the following command into SteamCMD:
app_update 258550 validate
- SteamCMD will now start downloading the latest version of the RUST Dedicated server.
- Important note: 258550 is the app id for RUST–if you do not specify this exact ID you will get an error.
- Allow the update to run until complete. The update process may take a while depending on server capabilities and network bandwidth.
- If you have updated a modded server, you MUST install uMod (oxide) after completing the update. The update will have written over the oxide files and a new version of uMod will be needed to match the new version of the Rust server. See our guide on How to Install uMod (Oxide) to a RUST Server if you need assistance installing uMod.
What to do if you cannot connect after updating
Verify that your server is running the most up-to-date version. Enter the following into the server console:
version
The version data will provide the protocol number, which is an important piece of information to look at when troubleshooting connection issues. Both the server and the client must have matching protocols in order for the connection to work. If a player is connecting with a protocol that is a larger number than the server, this indicates that the server needs to be updated to the latest version. Likewise, if the server’s protocol is a larger number than the protocol of a connecting player, this indicates that the player needs to update their client.
Next Steps
Once your server update has completed and you’ve installed the newest version of uMod (if your server is a modded server), your server is ready for players to connect. If you come across any issues with the steps in this guide or need extra assistance, please reach out to us on our discord and we will be happy to help!
