HomeGuidesRust

Plan and run wipes

Why Rust servers wipe, the difference between map and blueprint wipes, forced wipes, and a schedule that does it for you.

2 min readUpdated 2026-09-14Diese Anleitung auf Deutsch lesen →

Rust is designed around wipes: the map is deleted and everyone starts fresh. Without wipes, servers turn into empty fortress fields within weeks.

Two kinds

  • Map wipe: the world (ProceduralMap.<size>.<seed>.<version>.map and .sav in server/rust/) is deleted. Buildings, loot and player positions reset. Blueprints (learned recipes) stay.
  • Blueprint wipe: player.blueprints.<version>.db is deleted too. Everyone relearns everything. Usually done less often (monthly).

Forced wipe

Facepunch releases a monthly update on the first Thursday of the month that forces a map wipe on every server (map format changes). Plan your cycle around it: most servers wipe weekly or biweekly plus the forced one.

Doing it by hand

  1. Stop the server.
  2. Files → server/rust/ → delete the .map and .sav files (map wipe) and additionally player.blueprints.*.db (BP wipe). Keep player.deaths.*.db, player.identities.*.db unless you want a full reset.
  3. Optionally set a new WORLD_SEED in Startup (same seed = same map layout).
  4. Start. A new map generates (2-5 minutes for 3500 size).

Automating it

Kowalski does a wipe on request: "wipe the map now with a new random seed". It stops the server, deletes the right files, sets the seed and starts again. For a wipe that happens every week without you, install the Oxide/Carbon plugin Wipe Scheduler (or Auto Wipe): it deletes the map on the day you configure and restarts. The panel's own Schedules can restart the server on a timer but cannot delete files, so the plugin is the right tool here.

Announce it

Players want to know. Put the cycle in the server description (DESCRIPTION in Startup) and the header image, and post it in your Discord. WIPE_SCHEDULE-style tags in the description (weekly, biweekly, monthly) help players filter.