The Rust Naval update is just the start of an exciting year, as Facepunch promises to keep "evolving" with a new roadmap

As the Rust Naval update finally sails into port, you’d be forgiven for assuming developer Facepunch Studios was ready for a break. More than 12 years on from its initial early access launch, the biggest survival game on Steam still hasn’t run out of ideas, and we’ve been treated to regular drops and expansions nearly every month over the past few years. The huge Naval update, however, was so big that it forced a rare delay – yet a new Rust roadmap shows that 2026 could well be its most exciting stretch yet.

The new Rust update takes us onto the water with fully modular boats, a new deep-sea region, tropical islands, ghost ships, floating cities, and even more. There are plenty of other improvements to watch out for, such as an upgrade to NPC behavior. As it turns out, however, that’s just the beginning of what 2026 is set to bring us. Also on the list for the first quarter of the year are a server browser update, new anti-cheat layer, and extended day time (I’m all for that last one).

Moving into the second quarter, there are lots of additions on the cards. A mortar, the M16A2 rifle, a fresh player model, a new kevlar armor set, workbench upgrades, a water wheel, and an armored ladder hatch. The Tin Can Alarm is also being reworked, and we can expect revamped UI for the vending machine and console.

In the third quarter comes the apartment complex, a new monument that includes rental rooms and stores. Facepunch is taking this part of the year to focus on more systems-level changes, with improvements planned for monuments generally, along with progression. Look forward to the introduction of clans, and more rewards for finding bugs, in that same timeframe.

One element long-time Rust fans will be very happy to see listed is the Nexus system, which is designed to “cluster servers together and enable players to travel from server to server in-game using flight and boats by traveling to the edge of the map.” Essentially, that means you could theoretically chain together a ‘world’ of any size, although Facepunch has said previously it should be considered “an optional new way to play,” rather than the norm.

What might be less popular is word of a battle pass. This isn’t a big surprise, however; COO Alistair McFarlane mentioned it in January, stressing that it’s all still up in the air. “If we do this, it has to feel very ‘Rust,’ fair, respectful, and good value,” he explains. We probably won’t hear much more until the middle of the year, but he frames it as an offering that should appeal to players that already purchase the game’s cosmetic DLC offerings.

Moving into the final quarter of 2026, we get back to actual, tangible new things. Animals are top of the list, with new types, improved AI, animal breeding, and ways to have them around your camp in a decorative fashion. Also on the list for the end of the year are a biofuel generator (sounds like the perfect complement to any creatures you’re keeping), procedural caves, underground train improvements, a nomadic dweller, and terrain deformation.

Rounding things out with a bang are two features that might come close to the top of my most-wanted list now that I’ve seen them. The first is full player character creation, something that it’s easy to forget has never actually been part of Rust in the more than a decade it’s been in existence. The second is a grappling hook, which I probably shouldn’t need to explain my excitement for. It’s a grappling hook. Suffice it to say that this first patch is just the start of many more big things to come.

The Rust Naval update launches today, Thursday February 5. Facepunch stresses that the roadmap shown “isn’t a promise carved in stone, it’s a direction of travel.” It emphasizes that “things change, we’ll respond to issues as they come up, react to community sentiment, and adjust priorities when it’s the right call.” With that in mind, I’d just like to re-emphasize my desire to have that grappling hook as soon as possible, please.