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What Are Force Wipes in Rust and How Do Server Wipes Work?

Rust force wipes reset the live map on the update cycle, but blueprint wipes are separate and policy-dependent. Here is how monthly, weekly, biweekly, and custom server wipes work.
WorldRust and How Do Server Wipes Work? Length8 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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A force wipe in Rust is the update-cycle reset that creates a new live server map. Facepunch’s documented default is the first Thursday of each month at 19:00 London time, although servers can instead wipe weekly, biweekly, or on a custom schedule. A map wipe removes the world and player-built progress; a blueprint wipe separately removes researched crafting knowledge. Those two resets are related, but they are not the same event.

The practical consequence is simple: never assume that a freshly wiped map also means a fresh blueprint progression. Check the individual server’s stated schedule, timezone, and wipe policy before joining.

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What “force wipe” means in Rust

Force wipe usually refers to the map reset associated with a major Rust update cycle. The reset gives the live game a newly generated world rather than allowing bases, roads, monuments, deployables, and other persistent map-state changes to continue indefinitely.

It is called “force” wipe because the update cycle establishes a reset across official servers rather than leaving each server to continue its previous world forever. However, the phrase does not mean that every server must wipe on the same displayed day or that every kind of progression is erased. Server operators can configure their own cadence and can run additional wipes between major updates.

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Force wipe versus an ordinary server wipe

A server can wipe its map weekly, biweekly, monthly, or according to a custom rule. A community owner might therefore perform a regular map wipe before the next update-driven force wipe. The broader Rust update cycle and the server’s advertised schedule are separate things: the update supplies the game-wide context, while the operator’s settings determine when that particular server resets.

This is why two servers can show different wipe days while still operating within the same Rust update cycle. One may follow the default monthly timer, another may wipe every Thursday, and a third may use an exact timestamp chosen by its owner.

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When is Rust force wipe?

Facepunch’s official Server Wipe Timer documents three standard formats. The default monthly timer is the first Thursday of each month at 19:00 London time. Weekly mode runs every Thursday at 19:00 London time. Biweekly mode runs on the first and third Thursday, with an adjustment in months that contain five Thursdays.

Schedule Documented timing What it means for players
Monthly First Thursday of each month at 19:00 London time The default monthly map-reset cadence
Weekly Every Thursday at 19:00 London time A new map each week when the server follows this mode
Biweekly First and third Thursday; five-Thursday months require the documented adjustment A roughly two-week map cycle, subject to the calendar rule
Custom Set by the operator with a timezone, cron expression, or exact Unix timestamp The displayed wipe can differ from all standard timers

19:00 London time is the reference used by the documented defaults, not a universal local-time promise. Your client may display a different local hour after timezone conversion, and daylight-saving changes can affect the apparent difference. For a particular server, the owner’s configured timezone and any override take precedence over a generic calendar you find elsewhere.

Why an exact date can change

Facepunch can change update timing, and an operator can replace the standard timer with a custom one. Treat a countdown or calendar as server-specific information rather than assuming that every Rust server wipes at the same moment. The most reliable date is the one published by the server owner for that server and region.

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What gets wiped on a Rust server?

There are two separate categories of progression to check: the map and blueprints.

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Map wipe

A map wipe regenerates the playable world and removes player-built map state. In practical terms, players lose the physical progress attached to that world, including:

  • Player bases and other structures
  • Deployables placed in the world
  • Stored territorial control and base locations
  • World-state progress tied to the old map

Everyone begins the new cycle by gathering resources, choosing a new location, building again, and re-establishing control of monuments and routes. A map wipe is therefore the reset most players mean when they talk about starting a new Rust wipe.

Blueprint wipe

A blueprint wipe removes researched crafting knowledge. Items that a player previously unlocked through research or a tech tree must be learned again, subject to the server’s progression rules. A blueprint wipe changes the economic and competitive opening of a cycle because players cannot immediately craft everything they had unlocked before.

A server can perform a map wipe while retaining blueprints. In that case, the world is new but experienced players may still have access to advanced recipes. Conversely, a server can announce a full wipe that resets both the map and blueprints.

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Map-only and full wipes compared

Reset type World and bases Researched blueprints Early-cycle effect
Map-only wipe Reset Retained Players rebuild, but existing crafting knowledge remains
Blueprint-only wipe Not necessarily reset Reset Crafting progression must be researched again
Full wipe Reset Reset Both the world and crafting progression restart

Do Rust servers wipe blueprints every month?

No. A monthly map wipe does not automatically guarantee a monthly blueprint wipe. Blueprint resets are policy-dependent and can vary by update, official-server policy, community rules, or modded configuration.

Facepunch’s 6 November 2025 update, “Pivot Or Die,” described a wipe of all servers and blueprints while reducing tech-tree and research costs to evaluate the result. The announcement deliberately left the longer-term policy open: “We’re not committing to anything yet.” That statement is important because it rules out treating a single full-wipe announcement as a permanent promise of monthly blueprint wipes.

Facepunch also explained the gameplay concern directly: “When you join a freshly map-wiped server but already have everything unlocked, you’re effectively skipping the entire early and mid-game.” A blueprint reset is therefore a design and progression decision, not merely an automatic technical consequence of generating a new map.

How server operators control wipe timing

The official Server Wipe Timer exposes several settings. An operator can use the standard monthly, weekly, or biweekly format, or override it for a server-specific schedule.

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Setting or method Purpose
wipeDayofWeek Chooses the weekday used by the standard timer
wipeHourofDay Chooses the hour used by the standard timer
wipeTimezone Defines the timezone in which the configured wipe time is interpreted
Cron expression Replaces the standard pattern with a recurring custom schedule
wipeUnixTimestampOverride Sets an exact Unix timestamp instead of relying on a recurring calculation

What an operator should decide first

  1. Choose the cadence. Decide whether the community needs weekly, biweekly, monthly, or custom wipes.
  2. Choose the reference timezone. Publish the timezone with the hour so players do not have to guess which local clock the schedule uses.
  3. Choose the reset scope. State separately whether the event is map-only or includes blueprints.
  4. Apply the timer or override. Use the standard wipe fields, a cron expression, or an exact Unix timestamp as appropriate.
  5. Publish the result. Put the date, time, timezone, cadence, and reset scope in the server description and community announcements.

Changing the wipe day is therefore supported rather than exceptional. A custom day or hour does not make a server invalid; it simply means that the server’s own published schedule is more important than the default monthly timer.

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How to check what a server is wiping

Before joining, look for all of the following information in the server browser entry, description, community Discord, or server website:

  • The next wipe date and exact hour
  • The timezone used for that hour
  • Whether the cadence is weekly, biweekly, monthly, or custom
  • Whether the reset is map-only or map-plus-blueprint
  • Whether the server is official, community-run, or modded
  • A calendar, countdown, or announcement channel maintained by the owner

Words such as “map wipe,” “BP wipe,” and “full wipe” should not be treated as interchangeable. “Map wipe” normally describes the world reset. “BP wipe” indicates blueprint progression is also being cleared. “Full wipe” generally signals both, but the owner’s written rules are the authority if the terminology is used loosely.

Useful comparison criteria

Criterion Question to ask
Frequency How long does one map remain live?
Reset scope Are blueprints retained or cleared?
Timing What day, hour, and timezone apply?
Administration Is the server official, community-run, or modded?
Transparency Does the owner publish a calendar or countdown?
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What to expect before, during, and after a wipe

Before the wipe

Players often change their priorities as the reset approaches. Long-term construction becomes less valuable when the map is about to disappear, while gathering information about the next cycle, coordinating with teammates, and confirming the server’s schedule becomes more useful. Do not assume that stored items or an established base will carry over: a map wipe removes the physical world state.

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At the wipe

The server transitions to the newly generated map according to its timer or override. The exact downtime and restart behavior are server-specific. If the owner has announced a maintenance window, use that announcement rather than assuming the timer’s nominal hour is the instant at which every client can reconnect.

After the wipe

Population and competition can change sharply because many players restart together. Monument routes, resource locations, building sites, and clan territories must be reassessed on the new map. If blueprints were retained, experienced players may move quickly into advanced crafting. If blueprints were cleared, the opening phase is more evenly tied to research and resource progression.

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What is different on the staging branch?

The staging branch is used for advance testing rather than ordinary live-server play. Facepunch’s staging documentation states: “Staging map wipes occur one week prior to regular Rust.” That lead means staging players can encounter a map reset before the corresponding regular-branch wipe.

A staging wipe should therefore not be used as proof that a live community server will wipe that same day. The branch, server configuration, and update timing all matter.

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Common wipe-date mistakes and how to avoid them

Assuming every server follows the default

The first-Thursday monthly timer is the documented default, not a requirement that overrides operator settings. Check the server’s own announcement.

Confusing London time with your local time

Convert the published timezone carefully, especially around daylight-saving transitions. A countdown shown by a server tool may already perform the conversion; a manually copied calendar may not.

Assuming map wipe means blueprint wipe

Ask specifically whether researched crafting knowledge is retained. If the description mentions only a map wipe, do not infer that blueprints will be deleted.

Using a stale calendar

Update timing and custom overrides can change the date shown by third-party calendars. Prefer the owner’s current announcement, countdown, or server description.

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Reading a staging date as a live date

Staging map wipes occur one week before regular Rust, so staging and live schedules should be tracked separately.

Bottom line for players and server owners

For players, “force wipe” means the update-driven creation of a fresh Rust map, but the important follow-up question is whether blueprints are also being reset. Facepunch’s default timer is monthly on the first Thursday at 19:00 London time, while weekly, biweekly, and custom schedules are supported. For server owners, the wipe day, hour, timezone, recurring cron schedule, or exact Unix timestamp can be configured; publishing those details clearly is what lets players know what kind of reset to expect.

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