Fix Rust Crashing When Joining a Server

When Rust closes itself while you load into a server, the cause is usually on the player's PC, but a custom map or a server fault can be behind it too. This guide follows the steps in Facepunch's own support articles, then covers what a server owner can check. Checked against Facepunch's support site and Rust wiki, October 2026.

Work out who is affected

Try a different server first. If Rust also crashes on another server, the problem is your install or PC. If it only crashes on yours, or only for some players, read the server owner section further down.

Fix it on the player's PC

Work down the list and test after each step.

1. Verify the game files. Close Rust. In your Steam library, right-click Rust, choose Properties, open Local files and press VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES. Facepunch says this "may take several minutes".
2. Check the Windows pagefile. Facepunch's pagefile article is about performance rather than crashes: it says Rust performs better on an SSD and that, if you have performance problems, you should check the pagefile is not set very low. It is a cheap thing to rule out. Open Advanced System Settings, then Settings in the Performance section, Advanced, Change, and tick Automatically manage paging file size for all drives. Restart afterwards.
3. Test without Easy Anti-Cheat. Facepunch asks players to open RustClient.exe from the Rust folder, which is Rust without the Easy Anti-Cheat wrapper, to see whether EAC is the cause. It can only join servers that are not EAC-secure, so use the "Facepunch unsecure" server that Facepunch's article names. If Rust runs that way and not normally, EAC is the likely cause.
4. Do a fresh install. Facepunch says Steam's normal reinstall leaves files behind. Delete the Rust folder (right-click Rust in the library, Properties, Local files, Browse) and install again from Steam.

An error that mentions EAC and a timeout is a different problem with its own steps: EAC Authentication Timeout.

Collect files for Facepunch support

If the crash continues, Facepunch may ask for the crash dump. Open C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Temp\Facepunch Studios LTD\Rust\crashes (use your own Windows user name, and show hidden items if the folder is not visible) and send the most recent .dmp file with a description of what you were doing. Its crash file article shows the folder, and its Output Log article explains where output_log.txt sits in the Rust folder.

If you run the server

When one player crashes, ask them to try the steps above. When many do, check these.

• The map download. On a custom map, the Custom Map URL on the Startup tab is where players download the map from, not from the game server. Facepunch says it must be a direct download link and that a map host that is down stops new players from joining. A player who gets "Couldn't Download Level" can open the F1 console and find the line starting "Download map file".
• A stale cached map. If players see "World cache version mismatch" or "World File Outdated", Facepunch's fix is to give the map a new unique name whenever you change it.
• Plugins. Facepunch's troubleshooting page says to make sure every plugin is up to date on a modded server. Open Plugins, then Installed, and press Update where it is offered. What crashes a Rust server covers the server side in more detail.