THE SHORT ANSWER
Rust's naval update is delayed from December to February 5. A wipe-only patch goes live Dec. 4 at 19:00 GMT. The Christmas update on Dec. 18 at 19:00 GMT will include extra content originally planned for this month. Players can test naval features early on the Staging branch. Twitch Rivals Team Battle VI runs Dec. 8-12 with a $100,000 prize pool.
- Naval update delayed to February 5, 2026 — first missed monthly update in ~12 years
- Wipe-only patch scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 4 at 19:00 GMT
- Christmas update on Dec. 18 at 19:00 GMT includes bonus content, no wipe
- Staging branch servers available now for early naval testing with known bugs
- Twitch Rivals Team Battle VI runs Dec. 8-12 with 150 creators and $100k prize pool
Naval Update Pushed to February
Facepunch Studios announced Wednesday that Rust's long-awaited naval update will not ship this month, breaking a cadence of weekly or guaranteed monthly updates that has held for nearly 12 years. Chief Operations Officer Alistair McFarlane wrote that the update — described as massive, with new systems touching legacy code — was not stable enough to risk releasing during the year's busiest server period. The studio estimated a live release could drop server populations by 100 to 200 players and require holiday firefighting for performance issues and bugs.
The new target date is February 5, 2026. McFarlane said the team will use the extra time for performance work and polish.
This Week: Wipe Only
Thursday, December 4 at 19:00 GMT brings a standard wipe patch. No new content, no feature changes — just the regular monthly reset. Servers will wipe as usual.
Christmas Update Expanded
The mandatory Christmas update on December 18 at 19:00 GMT will now absorb several items originally slated for this month's patch. No wipe will occur; player progress is preserved. The annual holiday event returns the same day.
Early Access via Staging Branch
Players who want to test the naval content early can opt into the Rust Staging branch. Fresh servers are live, but Facepunch warns of bugs, performance problems, and rough edges. Additional servers will be added if demand exceeds capacity. Instructions are available at rust.facepunch.com/staging.
Twitch Rivals Team Battle VI
From December 8 through 12, 150 creators will compete in the sixth annual Twitch Rivals Rust tournament. The $100,000 prize pool event runs daily at 20:00 GMT (15:00 EST). Twitch Drops are available through the official broadcast and participating creator channels. Account linking and channel lists are at twitch.facepunch.com.
January and Beyond
The January update will be light, featuring a 2025 retrospective and a preview of 2026 plans. Facepunch called 2025 one of its biggest years, citing the Primitive update, the Jungle biome, meta shifts, and backend improvements that shipped on schedule.