How to Use a Custom Map on Your Rust Server

Procedural vs Custom Maps

• Procedural Maps — Generated automatically based on a seed number and world size. Every seed produces a unique layout. This is the default
• Custom Maps — Player-made maps created with tools like RustEdit. These offer hand-crafted layouts, custom monuments, and unique terrain

Where to Find Custom Maps

• RustEdit.io — The tool used to create custom maps, and a community of map makers
• Community Discord servers and forums often share custom maps

How to Use a Custom Map

1. Download the .map file
2. Upload the map to a publicly accessible URL (direct download link — not a Google Drive preview or Dropbox share page). The server needs to download the file from this URL
3. Stop your server
4. Go to the Startup tab
5. Change the Level field to the custom map URL
6. Start your server — it will download and load the custom map

Custom Maps and Wipes

On a wipe (including forced wipes on the first Thursday of the month):

• The map terrain and layout are preserved — the same custom terrain, monuments, and features remain
• All player progress is wiped — buildings, items, sleepers, and (on BP wipe) blueprints are reset, just like any other wipe

In short: the map itself stays, but everything built on it is cleared.

Important Notes

• Very large custom maps may increase server startup time and affect performance
• Make sure the custom map is compatible with the current Rust version — older maps may have missing or broken monuments after game updates
• Keep a backup of your .map file and hosting URL in case the host goes down

Switching Back to a Procedural Map

Stop your server, go to the Startup tab, change the Level field back to Procedural Map, and start the server.