How to connect to your Rust server

The quickest way into your Rust server is the F1 console: type client.connect and your address with its port. You can also find it in the in-game server browser once it’s listed. You need the address and port from the address card on Overview.

Your address and port

Your address card shows something like outpost.play.wilderack.com:31500. The part after the colon is the port, which was picked for your server. It is not Rust’s usual 28015, so always copy the full address with the copy button.

Your server uses a few more ports for the server list and the Rust+ app. We set those up for you, and you never need to type them.

Join with client.connect

This works every time, even before the server shows in the browser.

1. Start Rust and wait for the main menu.
2. Press F1 to open the console.
3. Type client.connect outpost.play.wilderack.com:31500, using your own address and port.
4. Press Enter.

The shorter connect works too. The first join after a forced wipe or a big map change can take longer while Rust loads the new map.

Find it in the server browser

1. Start Rust and choose Play Game.
2. Pick the right tab. Vanilla servers can be listed on Community. Servers running Oxide or Carbon go on Modded.
3. Search for your server’s name.
4. Select it and join.

Things to know:

• A new server can take a few minutes to appear after its first start.
• Your server name comes from Settings. Tags such as monthly or EU help people filter for it. See the config reference.
• The browser works out your server’s country from its IP address, so it should match the region you picked.
• Once you’ve joined, mark it as a favourite in the browser so it’s easy to find again.

Pair the Rust+ app

The Rust+ companion app shows your base, team chat and alarms on your phone. It works on your server with nothing to set up, because we open the app’s port for you.

1. Join your server in Rust.
2. Press Esc, choose Rust+, then Pair with Server.
3. Accept the pairing in the Rust+ app on your phone.

Keep the companion.id file in server/wilderack/ safe. It is your server’s Rust+ identity, and deleting it makes everyone pair again.

Can I add a password?

Rust has no server password. To keep a server for friends only:

• Don’t share the address. Most private servers stay private this way.
• Use the skip queue. Set max players to 0 in Settings. Only admins and players you add with global.skipqueueid 76561198000000000 "Name" in the Console can join. They go into users.cfg like admins.
• Use a whitelist plugin. On Oxide or Carbon, a whitelist plugin from Mods lets you allow players by SteamID64.

Does joining wake the server?

Rust servers stay awake by default, so nothing to do here.

If you turned sleep on in Settings > Sleep, joining by address or from your favourites wakes the server. It usually takes a couple of seconds, so the first try may take a moment longer. While it sleeps, the server drops off the public server list, because only a running server can stay listed. Your wake link, play.wilderack.com/w/outpost, wakes it before a session so it appears again.

Joining from other platforms

Rust on PC (Windows and Mac through Steam) can join. Rust Console Edition on Xbox and PlayStation is a different game with its own servers, so console players can’t join a PC server.

Can’t connect?

• Is it running? Check the status on Overview. A stopped server doesn’t wake on join; press Start.
• Right port? Copy the full address from the address card, port included.
• After an update? Your game and the server both need the new Rust version. See Wrong Connection Protocol.
• Kicked by Steam or EAC? See Steam Auth Failed and EAC disconnects.
• Not in the browser? See server not in the server browser.

Everything else is in fix common Rust server errors.