How to connect to a Rust server by IP address
Joining a Rust server by IP is quicker than searching the browser. How to do it from the F1 console, and how to make a link that does it in one click.
If you know a server's address, you do not need the server browser at all. You can connect directly, which is quicker, and works even when the browser is slow to load on wipe night.
Find the address
A Rust server address looks like 123.45.67.89:28015: an IP, a colon, and a port. Most community servers post theirs in Discord or on their website, often as a "connect" line you can copy.
Connect with the F1 console
- Start Rust and wait for the main menu.
- Press F1 to open the console.
- Type client.connect followed by the address, for example: client.connect 123.45.67.89:28015
- Press Enter.
Rust connects straight to that server, or puts you in its queue if it is full.
Connect with one click
Steam can launch Rust straight into a server from a link. The link is:
steam://run/252490//+connect 123.45.67.89:28015/
with the server's address in place of the example. 252490 is Rust's ID on Steam. Opened from a browser or a desktop shortcut, it starts Rust and connects. Close Rust first if it is already running: the link is not reliable on a game that is already open, which is why QueueUp closes Rust before it joins a server for you.
Why use the IP?
- Speed. No waiting for the browser to populate.
- Accuracy. Similar server names are easy to confuse; an address is not.
- Wipe night. When thousands of people are refreshing the browser at once, a direct connect skips all of it.
If it does not connect
- Check the port is included and correct.
- Make sure the server is actually up: on wipe night it may still be restarting.
- If you see a full server, you are in its queue. Stay put; leaving sends you to the back.