It's sometimes hard to believe it's been 10 years since we were born—alone, naked, with nothing but a rock for company— on a server whose hierarchies and power dynamics were a mystery to us until some player with a gun showed up and started ordering us about (that's if they didn't just shoot us first).
Facepunch Studios' Rust is one of the pioneers of the survival genre, first arriving on Steam Early Access in December 2013. From humble beginnings as one of many games following in DayZ's footsteps, built on Unity Engine 4 and originally playable in a web browser, Rust has evolved into its own beast entirely over the years. It unleashed player creativity through a robust crafting system, allowing us to create impressive bases and settlements, and beckoned us to explore its raw, harsh worlds that over the years have extended as far as the underwater realm.
Today, Rust is the most popular survival game on Steam, and a spectacular exercise in what happens when you set players loose into an uncaring world where you set the rules (assuming you gain enough power to do so). Credit has to go to the devs too, of course, who have supported the game throughout that decade with consistent monthly updates.
To celebrate Rust's 10th anniversary, developer Facepunch Studios has prepared some treats for players, along with a statement from Rust producer Alistair McFarlane:
“As we celebrate a decade of Rust, I wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for being part of this incredibly passionate community. From the early days of 2013 crafting makeshift shelters to the intense raids of today, Rust has evolved into something truly special and exceeded our wildest expectations. If you asked us where we'd be 10 years ago, it would not be here, but we're extremely grateful to be still working on a world class game enjoyed by millions.
"It's been a labour of love from all of us at Facepunch, and we couldn't have done it without your passion and feedback. Rust has evolved around player feedback, it's not the game we initially set out to develop but it's a game we're incredibly proud of to keep developing.
"Thank you for being an integral part of this incredible journey, we look forward to delivering updates for the years to come.”
As part of the 10th birthday celebrations, Rust is hosting a couple of events you won't want to miss, letting you win goodies galore to enjoy in your in-game adventures.
First, there's the Twitch Rivals event (better hurry, as it ends December 15!), letting you claim Twitch Drops by tuning into your favourite eligible Rust streamers.
Then there's Support a Streamer (December 7 - December 31), where you can tune in to one of the many eligible streamers playing the game, gift them subscriptions, and get the lovely Creator Computer Station to adorn your base with in-game.
Between December 14 and December 21, you can also buy Rust at a 50% discount on Steam, so it's a great time to grab a few of your friends, and bond over the adventures, traumas, and tribulations that await in the world of Rust. Don't forget to keep up with the latest events in the game on the Rust Facebook and Twitter/X channels too.
