What is the RUST Hardcore game mode?
The RUST Hardcore game mode is an optional game mode that can be applied to RUST servers and is explicitly designed to increase the difficulty of the overall RUST experience. Officially added as to RUST on September 1st, 2022, in the Hardcore Mode update. It is the antithesis of the Softcore Game Mode, originally released in the February 4th, 2021 update.
Since the inception of RUST, the game’s primary goal has been to survive by any means necessary. For many players, this is one of the major strengths of RUST itself; for others, however, this can be a real detractor. This game mode takes what was perceived as a challenging experience and turns that difficulty up to 11 by making a series of small changes to the standard gameplay. This is done primarily by removing advanced features that have been made to the game over the years and those that have made it easier to navigate the game world, communicate with and form teams, removing safe zones, and more.
The list below details all of the changes RUST Hardcore game mode introduces.
RUST Hardcore game mode changes:
- Disabled Rust+ Companion App and forcing complete anonymity and map information restriction on third-party player resources (encrypted maps)
- Removed the crawling feature from the Wounded system, reverting to players downed becoming completely prone and vulnerable
- Removed the Contact system entirely
- Removed the Team system entirely
- Removed the MLRS system entirely
- Removed the Mission system and removed NPCs
- Removed Drone Marketplaces from Outpost and Bandit Camp monuments
- Adds a limit of 5 sleeping bags or beds per character, per server – players may still give bags to others, but 1 bag slot will always be reserved to be placed by a player
- Removed navigational features such as the in-game map and compass
- Removed safe zone status — enter at your own risk.
- Removed safe zone hostility and the indicator icon located in the top right window corner
- Death screens transparency altered
- Redacted seed information from the F1 Info panel
- Disabled console commands:
printpos,printrot,printhead,printeyes&printinput - The Hardcore server tag has been made searchable in the server browser.
- Global chat was replaced with Local chat, visible to players within a 100-meter limit.
- Player blueprints are force wiped every first Thursday of the month.
- The scrap cost to unlock blueprints in the Tech Tree is increased.
How to enable the RUST Hardcore game mode
To enable RUST’s Hardcore game mode, you must first have administrative access to the server in question and then modify the start-up configuration to include the gamemode.set hardcore variable. We’ll be putting together more information on this soon in a guide to the gamemode.set command.
This particular game mode, while relatively new, is still very much experimental. Alistair McFarlane, a producer for Facepunch Studios, has clarified that these changes are the foundation of this game mode, and everything is subject to change.
Who is looking forward to the Hardcore game mode? Releasing this Thursday!
We plan to continue building upon the game mode after the release, this is just the foundation.
— Alistair McFarlane (@Alistair_McF) August 29, 2022
List of RUST Game Modes
In addition to this game mode, there are a few other game modes that RUST admins can set; however, official support is not yet in the game as of this post. Below is a list of all RUST game modes, both what’s known and what’s to come.
| Name | Value | Description | Available |
| Deathmatch | teamdm | N/A | No |
| Hardcore | hardcore | An experimental game mode designed to provide a harder version of standard RUST gameplay. | Yes |
| King of the Hill Solo | koth_solo | N/A | No |
| King of the Hill Team | koth_team | N/A | No |
| One Death | onedeath | N/A | No |
| Softcore | softcore | An experimental game mode designed to provide a softer version of standard RUST gameplay. | Yes |
| Team Deathmatch | teamdm | N/A | No |
| Vanilla | vanilla | This is the default mode of RUST. | Yes |
Final thoughts on the Hardcore game mode
We’re very excited to see the RUST Hardcore game mode introduced to RUST, as it is one pathway back to a game steeped in survival concepts, and we yearn for the challenges it raises. Players will now have to become accustomed to remembering their surroundings when venturing out of their bases, as a home isn’t as easily discovered by opening a map anymore. With this new game mode, we’re also hoping to see a few new RUST achievements added, but who knows what lies ahead? We know this is just the beginning, and we welcome these developments!
