Rust wipe schedules explained: pick one for your group

Rust is the only game in our catalog where deleting everything is a feature. Wipes keep the map fresh, stop one group from ruling forever, and give latecomers a fair start. On a public server you live with whatever schedule the owner picked. On your own server, you pick. This guide is about picking well.

The three kinds of wipe#

• Map wipe. The world is regenerated. Every base, every box, every deployed item is gone. Player inventories are gone. Your blueprints (what you’ve learned to craft) survive.
• Blueprint wipe (BP wipe). Everyone’s learned recipes are reset too. Day one means stone hatchets and a lot of scrap grinding. This is the “true fresh start.”
• Forced wipe. Facepunch normally schedules its monthly map wipe for the first Thursday of each month. Check the specific update announcement for its requirements, including whether blueprints must reset. An owner can also choose a blueprint wipe independently; there is no universal advance-notice guarantee.

So the minimum any server wipes is once a month, by design. Everything else is a choice.

Common schedules and how they feel#

Schedule	Feels like	Good for
Weekly map	Constant early game, fast fights, little building	Groups that want PvP more than progression
Biweekly map	Two weekends of building, one big raid weekend	Active groups with evenings free
Monthly map, BP kept	Real bases, farms, long grudges	Small friend groups, working adults
Monthly map + BP	Everyone equal every month	Groups with a competitive streak

The mistake groups make is copying a popular public server’s weekly schedule. Public servers wipe fast because hundreds of players burn through a map in days. Six friends playing three nights a week won’t have a base worth raiding by then.

Setting the wipe on your own server#

Turn the chosen schedule into a written reset policy before selecting files or panel actions. Specify whether the map, blueprints and plugin progression should change, and name what must remain. A blueprint reset and a map reset are separate choices.

Before executing that policy, identify the active process, absolute identity directory, installed build and current file inventory. Require a consistent stopped-state backup and a tested recovery path. Our data-operation and recovery checklist provides the preservation record and acceptance checks. Keep the protected copy outside the files affected by the reset.

Facepunch’s file reference distinguishes world saves, maps, blueprint databases and other player data. Actual names and protocol suffixes vary; examples from another server are not safe deletion targets. Keep database journal files with their recovery set and do not rename an old save to bypass an incompatible update.

For a new layout, record the intended seed, size and generation build. Keeping the same seed does not guarantee identical terrain across every game update. Verify the intended result before players return.

Some rented-server panels offer separate reset controls and scheduling. Check what the actual plan and each action support, including plugin data and backups. A generic button label does not prove that only your intended data will change.

Map size for a small group#

Wipe schedule and map size affect how often your group meets and how much it can build between resets. A group of six might prefer trying a 3000 or 3500 map before choosing 4500, but that is a play-style suggestion, not a benchmark. Check the available monuments and travel distances with your group. Loading and saving also depend on entities, plugins, hardware and the current build; do not assume a smaller map guarantees a faster restart.

Announce it, then automate it#

Whatever you choose, publish the policy with a timezone and any update exceptions. “Map wipes first Thursday, BPs stay unless the update requires otherwise” is clearer than “monthly wipe.”

Only automate after checking the job’s actual scope and recovery safeguards. Facepunch’s wipe timer reports wipe timing; a displayed countdown alone does not prove a destructive job is configured. Recheck scheduled operations after panel or game updates and name the administrator who verifies the result.

Quick answers

When is the Rust forced wipe?

Rust normally schedules its monthly forced map wipe for the first Thursday. Check the current Facepunch announcement for the update requirements. Owners can also choose blueprint wipes; they are not limited to forced blueprint resets.

Can I avoid wiping my private server?

You cannot skip the monthly forced map wipe; the update requires it. Between forced wipes, a private server can keep its map as long as you like.

What is the difference between a map wipe and a BP wipe?

A map wipe resets the world, bases and loot. A blueprint wipe also erases what players have learned to craft, so everyone starts from stone tools again.

What wipe schedule is best for a small friend group?

Monthly map, blueprints kept. It lines up with the forced wipe, gives enough time to build something worth defending, and nobody has to relearn crafting every two weeks.