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How to change max players on a Rust server

Quick answer: type server.maxplayers 100 in the server console, over RCON, or in the F1 console as an admin. It works straight away, and the server browser shows the new number shortly after. To keep it after a restart, put the same line in your server.cfg.

What the number does

Section titled “What the number does”

server.maxplayers is how many players can be on the server at once. When it is full, new players wait in the join queue until a slot frees up. The default is 500.

Lowering it does not kick anyone already on: players already in stay, and new ones wait until the count drops below the limit.

Keep it after a restart

Section titled “Keep it after a restart”

The server forgets server.maxplayers when it restarts, so set it where the server reads it on every start:

  • In server.cfg, in the server’s cfg folder (server/<identity>/cfg/, next to RustDedicated.exe), add the line server.maxplayers 100. See the Rust server.cfg example.
  • Or on the server’s launch line: +server.maxplayers 100. See launch arguments.

See how full the server is

Section titled “See how full the server is”

status in the server console shows how many players are on, the limit, and how many are queued or joining.

Section titled “Related”