Rust
Rust server requirements
These are the figures Facepunch's own wiki publishes, written out in plain language. Nothing on this page is our estimate.
The published figures
Three things the wiki states outright.
- Memory (RAM)
12 GB of free RAM
Free memory, not total memory — the wiki asks for 12 GB available to the server, so anything else running on the machine is on top of that.
- Disk space
15 GB of free disk space
Room for the server files and the world it saves as people play.
- Type of drive
SSD or NVMe strongly preferred
The wiki states a strong preference rather than a hard requirement. It gives no figure for how much difference the drive makes.
Why 12 GB is not the whole answer
The wiki does not present its figures as a formula that fits every server. It says requirements vary with what the server is for and how many people play on it, and it names two things in particular that pull on them. Both are directions, not amounts — the source says which way the demand moves without saying how far, so this page does the same.
- Affects: How far the published figures apply to youHow the server is used
Requirements vary depending on the server's use and population
The wiki frames its figures as a starting point that shifts with what the server is for and how many people are on it. They are not a universal answer.
- Affects: Memory and disk spaceMap size
A larger world size requires more memory and disk space
Bigger maps ask for more of both. The wiki states the direction of this and does not say how much more, so a specific number cannot honestly be given.
- Affects: Memory and disk spaceThe map size setting
World size can be set between 1000 and 6000
This is the range you choose from when creating the server. Where you land in it is the main thing you control here.
- Affects: MemoryThe largest maps
A map at size 6000 uses more memory
The top of the range is called out specifically as a heavier case for memory. Again, no figure is attached to it.
- Affects: ProcessorPlayer population
Higher maximum player counts require a faster CPU
More players is a processor question, not a memory one. The wiki does not say what speed counts as fast enough, or how many cores to look for.
Source, last checked:
- Facepunch Rust Wiki — Creating a server — 29 September 2026
What we cannot tell you yet
The official page covers a server as Facepunch ships it. These are the things we still need evidence for before we will say anything about them:
- Plugins and modded servers. Rust servers are widely modded, but the official page's figures do not account for it, and we have no sourced basis for saying what it changes.
- Worlds that have been played in for months. A built-up server is doing more than a fresh one, and we would rather find evidence for what that costs than estimate it.
- Where inside the 1000–6000 map size range the practical trade-offs sit, beyond the direction the wiki already gives.
When we publish guidance of our own, it will be labelled as ours and will say where it came from.
Where to take this next
These figures apply wherever the server runs. Both pages below read them for your situation, and both separate what Facepunch publishes from what we are reading into it.
- Server Planner — four questions, and which of the published figures your map size, population and plugin list actually pull on.
- Self-host or rent — whether your own machine and your own patience are up to running one.