The game tasks players to survive in the wilderness by crafting items using the materials they gather or steal; the player starts with only a rock and a torch. There is only a multiplayer mode and a prevalent concept in Rust is to form and join clans with other players. Raiding is a very common action, usually done in large clans. Since Rust’s first alpha launch, animals, hunting and the ability to craft armor and weapons have been added. It initially featured zombies as enemies, but subsequently replaced them with bears and wolves. Radiation was also removed due to the frustration it was causing players.
Throughout Rust’s alpha release, it has been met with mixed critic reviews and many comparisons with other survival games have been made, with the most common one being the mixture between DayZ and Minecraft. Reviewers praised the game’s concept and gameplay, while also noting the obvious unfinishedness. As of the end of 2015, Rust Video game torrents has sold over 3 million copies.
The object of the game is to survive in a harsh open world, starting with next to nothing and working to rebuild as the player sees fit. Wolves and bears represent a threat to new characters, but the primary danger comes from other players. There is no option to turn off player vs player combat. In order to survive, the player must craft tools, build fortresses, level up and team with other players. Unlike many other sandbox games, Rust only features a multiplayer mode.