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Rust Wipe Schedules Explained: Force Wipes, BP Wipes, and Server Management

Wipes are the heartbeat of Rust. Every base, every item, and every stash disappears, and the race to rebuild begins. Whether you are a player planning around wipe day or a server owner deciding on a wipe cadence, understanding how Rust wipes work is fundamental to the experience.

What Is a Rust Wipe?​

A wipe resets the server world. All player-built structures, inventories, and loot are deleted. The map may be regenerated with a new seed, creating an entirely fresh landscape. Wipes exist because Rust's gameplay loop naturally reaches a saturation point where established groups dominate and new players struggle to gain a foothold.

There are two types of wipes:

  • Map wipe: Resets the world, bases, items, and loot. Players keep their learned blueprints.
  • Blueprint (BP) wipe: Resets learned blueprints in addition to the map. Players start completely from scratch.

The Official Force Wipe Schedule​

Facepunch enforces a mandatory wipe on all Rust servers on the first Thursday of every month. This is called the force wipe. The timing is:

  • 11:00 AM Pacific Time (PT)
  • 2:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)
  • 7:00 PM Central European Time (CET)

Every server, whether official, community, or modded, must wipe when Facepunch releases the monthly update because the server and client versions must match. The monthly update changes the save format, making old saves incompatible.

Console Rust follows a different schedule, with wipes typically happening on the last Thursday of each month.

Blueprint Wipes​

Blueprint wipes are less predictable. Facepunch does not follow a fixed BP wipe schedule. They typically happen alongside major updates that fundamentally change progression, such as the October 2025 Blueprint Fragments update that restructured how players unlock workbench tiers.

In late 2025, Facepunch announced that all official servers would begin wiping blueprints monthly, a significant shift that keeps the progression loop fresh each cycle. Community servers are free to set their own BP wipe frequency.

Choosing a Wipe Cycle for Your Server​

The wipe cadence you choose directly impacts your server's population curve and player experience. Here are the most common options:

Weekly Wipes​

  • Pros: High-intensity gameplay, constant action, attracts competitive PvP players
  • Cons: Less time to build complex bases, casual players may feel rushed
  • Best for: PvP-focused servers, small map sizes, competitive communities

Bi-Weekly Wipes​

  • Pros: Balanced pace between progression and fresh starts, healthy mid-wipe population
  • Cons: Late-wipe period can still feel stale for some players
  • Best for: Mixed PvP/PvE servers, medium-sized communities

Monthly Wipes (Force Wipe Only)​

  • Pros: Maximum build time, suits builders and role-players, aligns with official schedule
  • Cons: Late-wipe server can feel dead as dominant groups push out smaller ones
  • Best for: PvE servers, RP servers, large-map exploration-focused gameplay

Configuring Wipes on Your Server​

Changing the Map Seed​

To generate a new map on wipe day, change the server.seed value in your startup parameters:

+server.seed 54321

Each seed generates a unique procedural map. Some server owners use community map-voting tools to let players choose between seed previews.

Automating Wipes​

Most managed hosting providers let you schedule automatic wipes. If you self-host, you can automate the process with a script that:

  1. Stops the server gracefully
  2. Deletes the save files in server/{identity}/
  3. Updates the server seed (optional)
  4. Runs SteamCMD to pull the latest update
  5. Restarts the server

Partial Wipes​

Some server operators perform partial wipes, resetting the map but preserving blueprints, or wiping only specific data. This is configurable by choosing which save files to delete:

  • Map wipe: Delete .sav and .map files
  • BP wipe: Delete .db files in the save directory
  • Full wipe: Delete all files in the identity folder

Wipe Day Best Practices for Server Owners​

Communicate Clearly​

List your wipe schedule in the server description and on your community Discord. Players want to know exactly when wipes happen and whether blueprints are included.

Time It Right​

Schedule your custom wipes to coincide with or follow the Facepunch force wipe. Players are already expecting downtime and a fresh start on force wipe day, so aligning with it maximizes your day-one population.

Prepare in Advance​

Before wipe day, test your configuration changes on a staging server, verify plugin compatibility with the new Rust update, and have your admin team ready for the influx of players.

Monitor Population​

Track player counts across the wipe cycle. If your server consistently dies by mid-wipe, consider a shorter cadence. If players complain about not having enough time, try extending it.

Wipe Day as a Player​

For players, force wipe day is the biggest event of the month. Tips for a strong start:

  • Log in immediately: The first few hours determine your wipe trajectory
  • Know the monuments: Prioritize keycards and blueprint fragments early
  • Group up: Use the party system introduced in the July 2025 Friends with Benefits update to spawn near your team
  • Secure a base quickly: Even a small starter base with an airlock protects your progress

Check out the Rust server setup guide for the complete walkthrough on getting your server configured and running.