How to play RUST on Linux
RUST is an apocalyptic survival multiplayer game for PC. In the game, the player must gather materials, discover technology, and dominate other players doing the same. It’s great fun. Here’s how to play it on Linux.
Note: playing this game on Linux requires the user to search for servers that do not have Easy Anti-Cheat enabled.
Play RUST on Linux
Rust used to be a native application for the Linux desktop. However, the game developer (Facepunch) said that not enough players used the Linux version and decided to retire it. However, you can still play RUST as a Linux user by way of the Steam Play tool.
Install Steam
To gain access to the Steam Play tool on your Linux PC, you must install the Steam for Linux client. To get this client working on your Linux computer, open up a terminal window. Once it is open, follow along with the installation instructions down below.
Ubuntu
If you need to install Steam on Ubuntu, you will need to enter the following Apt command in a terminal window.
sudo apt install steam
Debian
To get Steam on Debian, it’s best not to bother with the “non-free” software repository and instead use the wget command down below to download Steam directly from the web. Using wget, download Steam.
wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steam.deb
After downloading the DEB package, install it on your Debian PC using the dpkg command. If you run into any errors, enter the apt-get install -f command.
sudo dpkg -i steam.deb
Arch Linux
Are you using Arch Linux? Need to get Steam working? Enter the following Pacman command.
sudo pacman -S steam
Fedora/OpenSUSE
If you’re using Fedora or OpenSUSE, it is best to get the app working via Flatpak, as the native installation instructions are tedious and really not the best way to get the app working.
Flatpak
Steam is available as a Flatpak. If you would like to install it on your Linux PC, you will need to set up the Flatpak runtime. The runtime is required to install various Flatpak packages you find online. To set it up on your computer, follow this in-depth guide on the subject.
After setting up the Flatpak runtime onto your Linux PC, the next step is to set up the Flathub app store. Flathub is the largest Flatpak app store, and without it, you will not be able to install Steam. To set up Flatpak, enter the command below.
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
Once the Flathub app store is configured on your Linux PC, you’ll be able to install the Steam app onto your computer. To install the Steam app, execute the following flatpak install command.
flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam
RUST on Linux
With Steam installed on your Linux PC, open up the Steam app and log in with your credentials. Then, follow the step-by-step instructions outlined below to get RUST working on Linux.
Step 1: In Steam, find the “Steam” menu, and click on it to reveal it’s options. Once inside of the “Steam” menu, look for “Settings” and click on it to go to the Steam settings area.
Inside the Steam settings area, find “Steam Play,” and click on it with the mouse. There are two checkboxes in the “Steam Play” area you must click on with the mouse. These checkboxes are “Enable Steam Play for supported titles” and “Enable Steam Play for all other titles”.
Once both boxes are checked, select the “OK” button to close the window and apply your settings. You will be prompted to restart Steam after the changes are set.
Step 2: Find the “STORE” button at the top of Steam and click on it to access the Steam Storefront. Once on the Steam Storefront, find the search box and click on it with the mouse. Search for “RUST” and press the Enter key.
Look through the search results for “RUST” and click on it to go to it’s Steam Storefront page.
Step 3: On the RUST Steam Storefront page, look for the green “Add to cart” button, and click on it to purchase the game with your Steam account. When you’ve bought the game, click on “LIBRARY” to go to your Steam library.
Step 4: In “LIBRARY,” search for “RUST” and click on it with the mouse. After that, find the blue “INSTALL” button, and click on it to download RUST to your Linux PC.
When the download is complete, the blue “INSTALL” button will become a green “PLAY” button. Click on this button with your mouse to start up the game. When you select “PLAY” to start up RUST, a pop-up notification will appear.
This pop-up notification will inform you that Steam is configuring RUST with Proton to make it run on Linux. Sit back and wait a couple of seconds for this to complete. When it’s done, you’ll be playing RUST!
Troubleshooting
Having issues playing RUST on your Linux PC? If so, do yourself a favor and check out RUST’s ProtonDB page. On this page, you will find troubleshooting information submitted by fellow Linux users that also play RUST. For more information, click on this link here.
