Rust Wipe Calendar 2026: Force Wipes and BP Wipes

Rust force wipes regularly take place on the first Thursday of every month in 2026. For German server planning, the key point is: the map, buildings, and inventories are reset during the force wipe; blueprint wipes depend on server rules and Facepunch requirements. Therefore, firmly plan dates, backups, seeds, and player communication before every wipe.

Rust Wipe Calendar 2026

The official technical basis is provided by Facepunch's documentation on the server wipe timer: documentation at wiki.facepunch.com. There, Facepunch describes the standard formats monthly, biweekly, and weekly, as well as the default logic: monthly on the first Thursday, weekly every Thursday, and biweekly on the first and third Thursday. As a snapshot from 2026-07-22, a start time around 20:00 Berlin time is common for German servers because Facepunch bases the timer on 19:00 London time. Still check the actual update availability for server and client on wipe day.

Force Wipe Dates 2026

The original January date must be corrected cleanly: in 2026, the first Thursday is 2026-01-01, not 2026-01-02. For publication and player communication, you should use absolute dates, not just “first Thursday”, so there are no misunderstandings.

Wipe Types Explained

Force Wipe

A force wipe is the monthly mandatory wipe triggered by Facepunch. Servers must remain compatible after the update; in practice, this means at least a map wipe. Buildings, placed objects, inventories, and the current world are reset. Community servers can have additional rules, but should not ignore the force wipe date.

BP Wipe

A BP wipe resets learned blueprints. This is especially relevant for progression, trading, and PvP balance because players have to learn recipes again after the wipe. Some servers wipe blueprints monthly, others less often or only after major changes. Communicate BP wipes separately from the map wipe because players notice this distinction very closely.

Map Wipe

A map wipe only resets the world. Blueprints remain unless you trigger a BP wipe. This is the standard for many community servers between force wipes because the world starts fresh without removing all progress through blueprints.

Common Wipe Cycles for Community Servers

Weekly wipes keep early-game pressure high and work well for active PvP communities. Biweekly wipes give bases, teams, and the economy more time without letting the map stagnate for too long. Monthly wipes fit slower servers, roleplay settings, and players who want to build longer term.

If you are still working on the server setup, the internal guide on Renting and Setting Up a Rust Server will help you. For choosing the next map, the guide Find a Rust Server Map Seed is also useful because seed, size, and monument distribution directly influence how a wipe plays.

Setting Up Your Own Wipe Cycle

At game-serverhosting, you can set up automatic wipes through the scheduler:

1. Dashboard → Scheduler → New Task
2. Action: "Wipe Server"
3. Choose a schedule, for example every Thursday 18:00
4. Configure map/BP wipe separately

Do not choose a time too close to the expected Facepunch update. An automatic wipe that happens too early can cause players to be affected by the update again shortly afterward. A sensible process is backup, announcement, update check, wipe, and then a control start. If you need admin commands for notices, checks, or moderation, use the overview Rust Server Commands – All Admin Commands 2026.

Preparation on Wipe Day

Requirements

Before the wipe, have at least these points ready: access to your game-serverhosting dashboard, server console or RCON, a clear decision on map wipe and BP wipe, the desired seed, current plugin versions, and a communication channel for your players. Create a backup before the wipe if you need a fallback option. A wipe itself cannot simply be undone as a savegame reset.

Specific Process

Send a warning to players 30 minutes beforehand. Then stop the server in a controlled way or let your scheduled task run. Check whether the Rust update is available for server and client. Restart the server after the wipe, check the console for errors, and enter the map for a test. On modded servers, you should pay special attention to checking Oxide/uMod, extensions, and permissions.

Checking the Result

After the restart, a fresh map should be loaded, old buildings must no longer exist, and the server description should correctly mention the current wipe cycle. If blueprints are supposed to remain, test with a known player profile or admin account. If a BP wipe was planned, check whether learned recipes have actually been reset.

Troubleshooting

The server does not start after the wipe

First check whether the Rust server update is fully installed. Then check the logs for plugin errors, damaged save files, or incompatible extensions. Start without problematic plugins for a test before making further changes to the wipe cycle.

The old map is still visible

Then the map wipe was probably not executed or the server is still loading old save files. Check the scheduler task, the wipe action, and the active seed. Only make the server public again once the fresh world has clearly loaded.

Blueprints were unexpectedly deleted

Distinguish between a map wipe and a BP wipe. If you wanted to keep blueprints, check the selected wipe option and your server rules. For player communication, you should openly say whether it was a planned BP wipe or whether you are still investigating the cause.

Players see connection errors

On force wipe evening, the server and client versions must match. If players cannot connect, check update status, server restart, and mod compatibility. For larger updates, it is better to wait a few minutes longer instead of starting the server several times in a half-updated state.

Check, Limits, and a Safe Way Back

The guide “Rust Wipe Calendar 2026: Force Wipes and BP Wipes” applies to the server type described in the article and the version status visible at the time of checking. Menu names, available versions, mod or plugin compatibility, and required resources may differ after updates. Therefore, do not transfer values to another game, loader, or server version without checking them.

Before making changes to the world, savegame, configuration, or extensions, create a backup of the affected files. Then change only one related step and check it with the same client and server version you want to play with later.

A successful individual test is not a guarantee of performance or availability. World size, mods, plugins, player count, network path, and simultaneous load can change the result. Document the version, change, and test result so you can understand later deviations.

FAQ

When is the next Rust force wipe in 2026?

As of 2026-07-22, the next planned force wipe is on Thursday, 2026-08-06. For German planning, you should expect around 20:00 Berlin time and check update availability on the day itself.

Is there a BP wipe with every force wipe?

Not every server communicates BP wipes the same way. A force wipe definitely means a mandatory map reset around the monthly update. Whether blueprints are also deleted should be clearly defined in your server rules and announced in advance.

Which wipe cycle fits my Rust server?

For active PvP, a weekly wipe is often sensible. For balanced community servers, a biweekly cycle often fits. Casual and roleplay servers usually do better with monthly wipes around the force wipe.

Should I create a backup before every wipe?

Yes, if you want a technical fallback option. A backup does not replace clear wipe communication, but it helps with errors, wrong settings, or plugin problems after the restart.

When should I inform players?

Announce fixed wipe cycles permanently in the server description, Discord, or website. On wipe day, an additional warning about 30 minutes beforehand is useful so players do not plan fights, raids, and loot transfers right in the middle of the reset.