Can You Play Rust Single Player?

I’m more of a solo gamer, as if I have to play a game with someone else, I’d prefer they’d be nearby so I can give them dirty looks. Of course, some games, by design, don’t really lend themselves well to solo gameplay. Maybe you can’t accomplish much by yourself, or maybe there’s greater emphasis on a PVP aspect. Whatever the reason, attempting to play particular games solo may not work out in your favor. This brings us to today’s question: can you play Rust single player?

The answer to this question kind of depends on what you mean by “single player,” as there are two possible versions of this: playing by yourself on a server with other people, or playing completely solo on an isolated server. Either way, as Rust is a social game by design, you’re likely in for a much different, and potentially less fun, experience.

Can You Play Rust Single Player?

There’s no way to play Rust offline; you have to be on a dedicated server at all times. However, you are not technically required to group up with other players, though that is considered the normal way to play the game. You can, theoretically, build your own private base in the middle of nowhere and live off the grid, though the obvious problem with that is that if hostile players come knocking, you’ll almost immediately be overwhelmed. Unless you’re a Golgo 13-level sniper, that’s not really a great way to play the game.

However, while you do need a server to play the game, it doesn’t have to be a public one. You can download Facepunch’s official Rust server utility from their website and use it to launch your own server that only you can access. Starting your own server takes just a few simple steps:

1. Download and extract the utility
2. Run the “Run_DS.bat” executable and let it install
3. Open the game
4. Press F1 to open the command console and type client.connect localhost:28015
5. Run that command and wait for the game to start

You’ll be playing on your own dedicated server that no other players can join. Of course, without any other players, you won’t be able to do much besides build things and explore, but hey, you asked for this.