Best Rust Settings for Maximum FPS: Graphics, Controls, Audio, UI (2024)

Rust is an open-world survival game that you can play online with – or against – tons of other players. It recently got a second wind when all the big streamers were playing the role-playing aspect of Rust. If you want to play the immensely popular game, you will want to follow our best Rust settings guide. While the game was released about 7 years ago, you might still have to optimize the settings yourself to get the best performance.

Having the best settings will also allow you to have a higher FPS and perform better against other players (PvP). However, if you are still facing any issues, we would gladly assist you if you tell us in the comments below. So, without wasting any time, let’s get started and find out the best Rust settings in 2022 for the PC.

Contents hide

1Rust PC System Requirements

1.1Minimum System Requirements

1.2Recommended System Requirements

2Rust Graphics Settings (Maximum FPS Optimization)

2.1Resolution

2.2Mode: Exclusive

2.3VSync: Off

2.4Graphical Quality: 4

2.5Shadow Quality: 1

2.6Shadow Cascades: Four Cascades

2.7Max Shadow Lights: 0

2.8Water Quality: 1

2.9Water Reflections: 0

2.10World Reflections: 1

2.11Anisotropic Filtering: 1

2.12Parallax Mapping: 0

2.13Grass Displacement: Off

2.14Particle Quality: 0

2.15Object Quality: 150

2.16Tree Quality: 145

2.17Terrain Quality: 10

2.18Grass Quality: 50

2.19Decor Quality: 0

2.20Anti-Aliasing: TSSAA

2.21Depth of Field: Off

2.22Ambient Occlusion: Off

2.23High-Quality Bloom: Off

2.24Lens Dirt: Enable

2.25Motion Blur: Off

2.26Sun Shafts: Off

2.27Sharpen: Off

2.28Vignetting: Off

2.29Field of View: 90

2.30Compass Visibility: On

2.31Nudity: Uncensored

3Best Rust Interface Settings

4Rust Audio Settings

5Rust Controls Settings

Rust PC System Requirements

Best Rust Settings for Maximum FPS: Graphics, Controls, Audio, UI (1)

Here are the official system requirements provided by the developers of the game. In order to just run the game, you would only have to meet the minimum required settings, however, to run it on ultra, you might even have to go beyond the recommended settings.

Minimum System Requirements

ParticularsRequirements
Operating SystemWindows 8.1 or later (64-bit)
ProcessorIntel i7-3770 / AMD FX-9590 or better
Memory10 GB RAM or higher
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB / AMD R9 280 or better
DirectXVersion 11
Internet ConnectionBroadband Internet connection
Storage Space25 GB available

Recommended System Requirements

ParticularsRequirements
Operating SystemWindows 11 (64-bit)
ProcessorIntel Core i7-4790k / AMD 5 1600 or better
Memory16 GB RAM or higher
GraphicsGeForce GTX 980 / AMD R9 Fury or better
DirectXVersion 12
Internet ConnectionBroadband Internet connection
Storage Space25 GB available

Rust Graphics Settings (Maximum FPS Optimization)

Best Rust Settings for Maximum FPS: Graphics, Controls, Audio, UI (2)

After ensuring that you have thePC requirementsdown, move on to setting up your game with these settings. However, a few things to note before you launch the game:

  • Update your graphics drivers to the latest version.
  • Adjust textures setting to match your graphics card’s RAM

Rust is a relatively demanding game overall. However, we have come up with a few graphics settings that will allow you to play the game on lower-end PCs as well as mid-tier ones. With that said, let’s get started.

NameSetting
ResolutionNative desktop resolution (1080p)
ModeExclusive
FPS Limit240
Graphical Quality4
Shadow Quality1
Shadow Cascades4
Max Shadow Light0
Shadow QualityFastest
Water Quality1
Water Reflections0
Anisotropic Filtering1
Parallax Mapping0
Grass DisplacementOn
Particle Quality0
Object Quality150
Tree Quality145
Max Tree Meshes100
Terrain Quality10
Grass Quality50
Decor Quality0
Anti-AliasingTSSAA
Depth of FieldOff
Ambient OcclusionOff
High-Quality BloomOff
Lens DirtEnable
Motion BlurOff
Sun ShaftsOff
SharpenOff
VignettingOff
Occlusion CullingEnabled
Field of View90
Compass VisibilityOn
Streamer ModeOff
NudityUncensored (Or your preference. Censored causes a little performance drop)

If you are curious to know what each of these settings does, worry not because we’ve explained them in detail below.

Resolution

This is your monitor’s native resolution. If you want to get a good and stable FPS on a low/mid-tier PC, you should play the game on 1080p resolution. Anything higher might take a toll on your performance.

Mode: Exclusive

This setting is basically the fullscreen mode. While you might prefer keeping it on Borderless, I do not suggest that. Yes, that will allow you to easily alt-tab from the game but the game crashes a lot that way.

VSync: Off

While this setting stops the game from screen tearing, it ultimately makes you lose some performance. In any multiplayer game, I recommend keeping this off unless you have a high-end PC and can afford a performance loss.

Graphical Quality: 4

Keeping the Graphical Quality at 4 will give you the optimal FPS and visuals. If your PC can handle higher graphics, then slide this ahead but 4 seems to be the sweet spot. Anything below this makes the game look quite poor in quality.

Shadow Quality: 1

This setting adjusts the quality of shadows that you see in the game. Since there are a lot of shadows that need to be rendered, you should leave this at 1, or the game will feel laggy.

Shadow Cascades: Four Cascades

Keeping this setting at the lower side means that the shadow distance is also affected. Since you do not want the game to render anything that you do not need, having a higher shadow distance is a luxury that you should avoid if you do not have a high-end PC. In most cases, though, you won’t even notice this setting. It only comes into play when you are looking at bright areas during the daytime.

Max Shadow Lights: 0

This setting can take a lot of toll on your system if you leave it at high. It allows the reflections from light sources to pop out more and add realism to your game. However, if you want to have increased FPS, then keeping this at 0 is the way to go.

Water Quality: 1

Water Quality is one of the biggest reasons why you might get low FPS or might feel like your game is lagging. This determines what the quality of water will be in the game. Since you do not want to win any visual competitions, leaving this around 1 is recommended.

Water Reflections: 0

Water Reflections take up a lot of your FPS since this is a demanding setting. Leaving it at 0 will allow you to have much better FPS. Plus, since you already have the Water Quality at 1, there is no use to slide this setting any higher.

World Reflections: 1

While you might want to add realism to your game, having this setting at anything more than 1 will gradually take a toll on your performance. So, to get stable FPS – even on longer playthroughs – you must sacrifice a bit of visual.

Anisotropic Filtering: 1

This setting basically sharpens the textures in the game and makes them pop out more. However, that not only takes up a lot of FPS to do but it can also look quite distracting and jarring to look at. So, having this at any setting above 1 isn’t suggested.

Parallax Mapping: 0

The reason why I keep this setting at 0 is that it doesn’t provide any value. Instead, it takes up a lot of performance and causes your game to lag in most cases. This setting only comes into play depending on the weather (which can be quite situational).

Grass Displacement: Off

Just like the previous setting, the Grass Displacement does not seem to have any major purpose according to my tests. I didn’t notice it doing anything when turned on other than taking a toll on my FPS.

Particle Quality: 0

If you keep this setting at anything higher than 0, you will notice extremely minor graphical improvement. However, the FPS loss will be quite major considering how little this setting actually does.

Object Quality: 150

This setting renders various objects in the game so that the textures and everything are loaded on time. The reason why we keep it at 150 is that it not only gives the best FPS but also doesn’t make the game feel like it isn’t rendering the textures properly.

Tree Quality: 145

Like the Object Quality renders the various objects around the map, Tree Quality renders all the foliage in Rust. Keeping it around the 145 mark gives the best results in terms of performance and visuals according to my tests.

Terrain Quality: 10

While you might want to slide this setting all the way up to a 100, I do not suggest that. It doesn’t make a massive difference in terms of visuals but it certainly does take a lot of toll on your performance. Keeping it at 10 will give you the best results. Worry not because the other settings compensate for the loss of terrain quality so that you don’t feel that the game looks bad.

Grass Quality: 50

Like the object and tree quality settings, the Grass Quality impacts how good or bad the grass looks in Rust. I noticed that leaving it at anything higher than 50 lowers your FPS a lot but doesn’t provide justified results. So, leaving it at 50 is the best setting.

Decor Quality: 0

There are two main reasons why we keep the Decor Quality at 0. First of all, it obviously takes a lot of toll on your FPS. Since it increases the quality of various decor like flowers and other small things, your FPS will be quite unstable when walking through the world. Secondly, it also increases (or reduces) the grass density. So, this means that you won’t be able to easily notice the items on the ground if you keep this at anything higher than 0.

Anti-Aliasing: TSSAA

The reason why TSSAA is the recommended setting is due to the fact that it gives the textures a smooth look. The other options make the game look really sharp but can hurt your eyes when playing for a prolonged time.

Depth of Field: Off

In terms of performance, this setting won’t take a lot of toll on your PC. However, the reason to keep this off is to improve gameplay. It gives the game a cinematic look but when it comes to the gameplay aspect, you might miss things in the distance due to this.

Ambient Occlusion: Off

While this setting provides good shadows and makes the game look less washed out, it will take a toll on your performance. Since we have the Shadow Cascade setting at 4, there is no reason to turn this setting on.

High-Quality Bloom: Off

Having this setting turned on will improve the overall brightness and lighting of the game but it isn’t worth it, in my opinion. Keeping this off will provide you with better FPS and it won’t make a massive difference either in terms of visuals.

Lens Dirt: Enable

This setting does not affect your performance a lot so you can either turn this on or off depending on your taste. In terms of visuals, it doesn’t really have a notable difference either.

Motion Blur: Off

This setting not only takes a toll on your performance but also will give you a headache when looking around the world. This will make your game look blurry as well in some cases.

Sun Shafts: Off

Honestly, this setting doesn’t really matter other than when you are directly looking at the bright sun. It adds a few layers of light but it doesn’t really matter in terms of visuals or performance. So, it’s up to you to leave this either on or off.

Sharpen: Off

If Anti-Aliasing is turned off, then there is no point to turn on this setting. Secondly, it also takes a toll on performance so keeping this off is the ideal thing to do.

Vignetting: Off

No noticeable difference in fidelity and performance

Field of View: 90

Having a higher FOV will allow you to see more but that doesn’t look natural and it will not only take a toll on your performance but also make the game look different – and not in a good way. Having the FOV at 90 is the best setting according to various tests.

Compass Visibility: On

This setting doesn’t need any explaining. It is literally impossible to play the game without keeping this on. Otherwise, you’ll get lost at every other point since you won’t know which direction to go in.

Nudity: Uncensored

While you might want to keep this setting censored, I noticed that it takes up roughly 4% performance toll in that option. Since the game has to censor every player, it will naturally take up more of your FPS.

Best Rust Interface Settings

Best Rust Settings for Maximum FPS: Graphics, Controls, Audio, UI (3)
NameSetting
User Interface Scale1.0
Show HUDOn
Show ChatOn
Mute Global ChatOff
Auto-Switch Chat ChannelsOn
Show NametagsOn
Game TipsOff (Turn this On if you are new)
Inventory Player ModelOn

Rust Audio Settings

Best Rust Settings for Maximum FPS: Graphics, Controls, Audio, UI (4)

It is important to choose good audio settings while playing Rust. By doing so, you will be able to hear footsteps as well as other important sounds in the game quite clearly. While you might prefer your own audio settings, I suggest giving the ones mentioned below a try to see how they work for you.

NameSetting
Master Volume1.0
Music Volume0.0 (Or your preferance)
Menu Music Volume0.0
Voices Volume3.0
Game Sounds Volume1.0
Instruments Volume1.0

Rust Controls Settings

There are tons of PC controls inRust to keep track of therefore, you need to master the basic ones first to build up a ground base. Once you get the hang of them, it’ll be easier to proceed from there. Please note that these controls are changeable and you can fully customize them if you choose to do so.

NameSetting
ForwardW
LeftD
BackwardsS
RightA
JumpSpace
DuckLeft Control
SprintLeft Shift
FireLMB
AltFireRMB
ReloadR
UseE
InventoryTab
FlashlightF
LaserG
VoiceV
ChatEnter (Return)/ T

Here are some useful chat commands that I think will come in handy in various situations:

  • /msg (Name) (Message): Will send a message to a single player. This shows up as green text in your chat window.
  • /me: Places a server wide message in purple, allowing your text to stand out.
  • /do – reclock: Reclock will resync your client clock to that of the server, and can be used to correct entity-lag issues.
  • /do– unstick: Respawns your character in a random location in case you get stuck in the terrain.

Those are the best settings in Rust for PC. We would love to know what you think of the game so far. Let us know in the comments below what settings you are running the game on and what FPS are you getting. If you are still facing low FPS issues, let us know, and we will gladly assist you.

Best Rust Settings for Maximum FPS: Graphics, Controls, Audio, UI (2024)

FAQs

How do I maximize my FPS in Rust? ›

Performance Optimizations for Rust

One of the easiest ways to increase your FPS is by turning off some of the more intensive features that can be dragging it down or putting a strain on your machine. Press F1 again and bring up your Rust menu. Then start turning off some of the more taxing features, such as: Anti-alias.

Is Rust CPU or GPU intensive? ›

Rust is a CPU-intensive game, so having a solid processor and RAM are key to maximizing your FPS. The higher and faster your CPU and RAM are, the better performance you'll get in Rust.

How much FPS can a 3080 run on Rust? ›

I have RTX 3080 and I get between 70-90fps and sometimes it goes under 60fps on low settings!

Why is my FPS so bad on Rust? ›

There can be many overlapping causes for poor FPS, but hardware is the number one cause for low FPS. Upgrading your CPU, memory size or Graphics processor can have a MAJOR impact on your FPS and overall game play. If you can afford to go better, do so.

Can Rust run 120 FPS? ›

What are the recommended settings to achieve 120 fps on PS5 in Rust? The game must support 120 fps. The monitor or TV must have a refresh rate of 120 Hz or higher. The correct HDMI connector for your console to the monitor or TV is needed.

Why do my Rust graphics look so bad? ›

Rust In-game settings:

Make sure it is set at the higher end, for higher visual fidelity. Make sure it is set at the higher end, for higher visual fidelity. This affects the perceived depth and texture quality on assets: stone walls, fences, etc. Enable sharpen under image effects.

Does Rust need a good GPU? ›

Like other games on this engine, Rust requires a lot of RAM and a high-performance processor. Low-resolution textures allow the use of graphics cards with a small amount of memory, but the card's performance must be high, with a good core frequency.

How do I max out my FPS in Rust? ›

From optimizing the graphics card settings for NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards, uninstalling and then reinstalling the graphics driver, making sure everything works as it should, and ensuring that the graphics card is on MSI Mode to ensure the best performance and frame rate in Rust.

What resolution gives you the most FPS? ›

The more pixels in each frame, the more rendering your system has to do. Resolution. Lowering the Resolution setting to 1600 x 900—or even 1280 x 720—can improve smoothness and playability dramatically.

Does Rust have an FPS counter? ›

FPS indicator in the menu

1) In the Rust main menu, click Options, in the GAMEPLAY tab, find the FPS COUNTER function, click on it, and select the display you need.

How do I increase my FPS in Rust server? ›

To make Rust run better, use FPS commands such as "graphics. itemskins 0" to turn off item skins, or "gc. buffer 2048" to manage memory usage better. These commands can help to streamline the game's graphics and performance, thus increasing your FPS.

How much FPS does Rust need? ›

For comfortable and smooth gameplay, a computer for Rust should be assembled with modern components. With such hardware, you can play your favorite game at 90+ FPS in FullHD resolution.

How to boost FPS in Rust Reddit? ›

Make sure you have turbo boost enabled, or manually overclock your cpu. Manual overclocking will almost always result in better performance, and i suggest it, but if you don't know what you're doing its scary and you can absolutely mess things up.

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