Facepunch Studios released the Rust Naval update today, Thursday February 5, and published a 2026 roadmap that lays out feature plans across the year. The Naval update itself adds fully modular boats, a deep-sea region, tropical islands, ghost ships, floating cities, and improvements to NPC behavior. Facepunch broke the year into quarterly targets. The roadmap includes updates to core systems, new weapons and equipment, fresh monuments and buildings, server-level features, and a list of longer term additions such as procedural caves, animal breeding, and a full player character creator.
Planned items for the first quarter include a server browser update, a new anti-cheat layer, and extended daytime. Facepunch characterizes the roadmap as directional and cautions that “it isn’t a promise carved in stone, it’s a direction of travel,” adding that priorities may shift in response to issues and community feedback. The second quarter lists an array of gameplay and cosmetic additions. Facepunch plans to add a mortar and the M16A2 rifle. The roadmap also names a new player model, a kevlar armor set, workbench upgrades, a water wheel, and an armored ladder hatch. The Tin Can Alarm is scheduled for a rework, and the vending machine and console interfaces will receive revamped UIs.
Quarter three centers on systems and social features. Facepunch intends to add an apartment complex monument with rental rooms and stores. More general monument improvements and progression changes are planned. The roadmap also lists clans and increased rewards for players who find and report bugs. One long-requested feature on the roadmap is the Nexus system. Facepunch describes Nexus as a way to “cluster servers together and enable players to travel from server to server in-game using flight and boats by traveling to the edge of the map.” The feature is presented as an optional mode that would let groups chain multiple maps into a larger playable world.
Planned end-of-year work includes new animal types and improved AI, an animal breeding system, a biofuel generator, procedural caves, underground train improvements, a nomadic dweller, and terrain deformation. The roadmap also lists two items players have asked about for years: full player character creation and a grappling hook. The roadmap also mentions the possibility of a battle pass. You can find the trailer below:
Facepunch posted a rundown of the Naval update and related plans on the official Rust website. The studio emphasizes the roadmap is a working plan and that it will adjust based on technical constraints and player feedback. Facepunch’s Naval update page contains the studio’s summary and further detail.
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