Rust Map Editor Guide: RustEdit Download, Hotkeys & How to Make a Map (2026)

Every custom island you see on a Rust server started in a map editor. Facepunch does not ship one, so the whole custom map scene runs on two community tools and one web generator. If you want to build your own world, edit a procedural seed, or just fix a map you bought, this is the page to start with.

This Rust map editor guide covers what each editor does, how to download and set up RustEdit, a step by step workflow for your first map, the hotkeys worth learning, the prefabs every mapper uses, the RustEdit server extension, the open-source Unity Rust Map Editor, the RustMaps generator, and how to test and publish the finished file.

• What It Is
• Which Editor
• Install RustEdit
• Make a Map
• Hotkeys
• Key Prefabs
• Extension
• Rust Map Editor
• RustMaps
• Test & Publish
• Problems
• FAQ

What Is a Rust Map Editor?

A Rust map editor is a program that lets you build or change the .map file a Rust server loads. Normal servers never touch one: they create a procedural map from a seed and a world size. A server running a custom map downloads a finished file instead, and every player downloads the same file when they join.

Facepunch’s wiki is clear that the studio “doesn’t provide their own map editor”. What it does provide is the Rust.World SDK, which describes the map format. A .map file holds the terrain size, a stack of layers (height, ground textures called splat, biome, alpha for holes in the terrain, and topology, which tells the game what each spot is, such as beach, road or monument), a list of prefabs with position, rotation and scale, and the paths for rivers, roads and rails. A map editor is simply a friendly way to paint those layers and place those prefabs.

That also explains what editors can do that admin commands cannot. The F1 spawn command only creates entities, while a map editor can place anything in the prefab library: rocks, cliffs, whole monuments, decals and invisible trigger volumes.

RustEdit vs Rust Map Editor vs RustMaps

There are two real editors and one generator. Most people should start with RustEdit.

How to Download and Install RustEdit

RustEdit’s old site, rustedit.io, now redirects to RustHQ, the marketplace and forum where the editor’s docs and launcher live. The launcher is free, was first released on 4 November 2018, and shows more than 143,000 downloads.

1. Download the launcher from the RustEdit Launcher page on RustHQ.
2. Pick an install folder. Avoid Windows system folders such as Program Files, and do not install into your Rust folder. Both cause permission problems later.
3. Run the launcher. The first run downloads RustEdit. When it finishes, press Play.
4. Point it at Rust. On first launch RustEdit asks for your Rust install folder, because it reads prefabs and textures straight from the game. In Steam, right-click Rust, open Properties, then Installed Files, then Browse. The folder that opens is the one RustEdit wants.
5. Update through the launcher. Always start RustEdit from the launcher and use Check for updates, especially after each monthly force wipe patch, since new game files can change prefabs.

How to Make a Rust Map in RustEdit, Step by Step

A big hand-made island takes experienced mappers weeks. Your first one does not have to. This is the order most mappers work in, because each layer depends on the one before it.

1. Pick a size. Procedural maps run from 1,000 to 6,000 metres a side, and players are used to 3,000 to 4,500. A small 2,000 to 3,000 map is a much easier first project. See our Rust map sizes guide for what each size feels like. You can also open an existing .map, including a saved procedural one, and edit that instead of starting blank.
2. Shape the terrain. Use the terrain tools: Raise Height (hold Alt to lower), Flatten (Ctrl + right-click picks the height), Bridge, Clone, Twist Height, Pinch and Stamper. Rough out coastlines and mountains first, then flatten pads where monuments will sit.
3. Paint splat and biome. Splat is the ground texture (dirt, snow, sand, rock, grass, forest, stones, gravel). Biome sets arid, temperate, tundra, arctic, jungle or deep sea, which changes grass, trees and temperature.
4. Paint topology. This is the step beginners skip and regret. Rust’s spawn system decides where resources and pickups appear by splat, biome and topology. RustHQ’s auto spawn guide lists 105 spawn populations. Hemp, for example, needs Field or Forest topology and never spawns on Road, River, Beach or Swamp. Wrong topology means empty fields and nodes in silly places.
5. Place monuments and prefabs. Drop in Facepunch monuments, rocks, cliffs and decor, or custom monuments bought from creators. Prefab packs usually go into your RustEdit folder and then appear in the prefab list.
6. Draw paths. Shift + left-click adds a node for roads, rivers and rails. Paths carve and paint the terrain for you, and the train network depends on clean rail paths.
7. Add markers and spawns. Label custom monuments with monument markers, set safe zones, and make sure there is a valid beach spawn area or spawn point prefabs (see the prefabs section below).
8. Save. Ctrl + Shift + S quick-saves, and Ctrl + Alt + S saves to new files. Keep numbered backups: one broken save can cost days.

RustEdit Controls and Hotkeys

RustEdit moves like a free camera in a game. These are the shortcuts from RustEdit’s own controls page that save the most time.

Prefabs Every Rust Map Maker Uses

Beyond monuments and rocks, Rust has a set of invisible utility and volume prefabs made for map makers. Facepunch’s wiki documents them, and these are the ones you will use on nearly every map.

If you really cannot cover an underground area with a Terrain Trigger, the wiki mentions a server setting that turns terrain anti-hack off, antihack.terrain_protection 0Copy, and also says it is not recommended. Fix the trigger instead. For the full list of prefab names and paths, use our searchable Rust prefab list.

The RustEdit Extension (Oxide or Carbon)

Some RustEdit features need help from the server to work in game. That is what the RustEdit extension is for. It requires a modded server running Oxide or Carbon, and it updates itself when a new version comes out.

According to RustHQ’s extension page, it currently:

• Makes the IO connections you wired in the editor work (the same electricity system players use).
• Fills custom loot containers and refreshes them at the rates in their loot profile.
• Adds respawn handlers for crates and resources you placed by hand, which would otherwise never come back.
• Stocks custom vending machines from their vending profile.
• Replaces the Cargo Ship ocean patrol path with the one you drew.
• Fixes the spawn point prefab so players only spawn on them.

To install it, copy Oxide.Ext.RustEdit.dll into /serverroot/RustDedicated_Data/Managed/ and restart the server. If you only need custom IO and do not want Oxide, Facepunch’s wiki points to a free Harmony mod by bmgjet that handles IO only. Many maps on marketplaces say which one they need, so read the map page first.

Rust Map Editor (Unity)

Rust Map Editor, once called Rust Map Making Editor or RMME, is the other real editor. It is an open-source Unity project on GitHub, made by Adsito and the RustMapMaking community, and it grew out of JasonM97’s code for the very first community Rust editor. It is free under the MIT license.

• What it needs: the Unity Editor (the project is set to Unity 2022.3.39f1) and a Rust install to read prefabs from.
• Why use it: deeper terrain and splat editing, and because it lives in Unity you can import third-party tools from the Asset Store or code your own in C#.
• Why not: setup is harder, and the public repository’s last code update we found was July 2024, so test it against the current game before you commit to a big project.

Both editors write the same .map format, so some mappers sculpt in one and finish in the other.

RustMaps: Custom Maps Without Hand Editing

If you run a server and just want a custom layout, RustMaps may be enough. It is a generator, not an editor: you pick the size, biome percentages and which monuments to include or exclude, and it builds the map. Its free plan covers procedural generation and the map gallery (6,387 maps listed when we checked), while the custom map generator starts on the Premium plan.

Prices from RustMaps.com on 7 November 2026, monthly billing.

A common workflow is to generate a map on RustMaps, then open the .map in RustEdit to add custom monuments, fix spots you dislike and paint topology. That is how many “custom” maps on big networks are made.

How to Test and Publish Your Map

Once the map is saved, run it on a test server before anyone else sees it.

1. Test locally. On a local server, point the level URL at the file on your PC. Nobody else can join a server that loads a local file, which is perfect for testing:

   +server.levelurl "file:///C:/maps/mymap.map"

   Copy
2. Walk the map. Check caves for anti-hack kicks, check that ore and hemp actually spawn, ride the rails, and look at the G map for marker labels.
3. Host it. Upload the .map to a host that gives a direct download link. Facepunch’s wiki says a public GitHub release works. Players download from that link, not from your server, so keep it online for the whole wipe.
4. Go live. Replace +server.seed and +server.worldsize with the level URL and restart:

   +server.levelurl "https://yourhost.com/mymap.map"

   Copy

Our custom map install guide covers hosting, Dropbox links and every error in detail, and how to host a Rust server covers the server itself.

How many servers use custom maps? We pulled the live Steam server list the site uses for its Rust server browser on 7 November 2026, two days after the November force wipe. Of 3,788 populated servers with 77,292 players, 621 servers (10,417 players) showed the plain “Custom Map” name, 2,109 servers (19,531 players) showed “Procedural Map”, and 1,056 servers (47,318 players) used their own label, which many custom map networks do. On 27 October the plain “Custom Map” count was 560 servers and 6,867 players, so custom maps grew with the wipe.

Common Rust Map Editor Problems

Rust Map Editor FAQ

Sources

• Facepunch Rust Wiki: Map Editors
• Facepunch Rust Wiki: Map Data
• Facepunch Rust Wiki: Utility Prefabs
• Facepunch Rust Wiki: Volume Prefabs
• Facepunch Rust Wiki: Hosting Custom Maps
• RustHQ: Installing RustEdit
• RustHQ: RustEdit Controls and Hotkeys
• RustHQ: RustEdit Extension
• RustHQ: RustEdit Auto Spawn Guide
• GitHub: Adsito/RustMapEditor
• RustMaps: Pricing
• Live Steam server list via whenisforcewiperust.com, 7 November 2026 08:18 UTC