If you’ve booted up Rust on your PlayStation 4 for the first time, you’ve probably already been spawn killed by a guy with a rock, lost all your gathered wood to a random wolf, or wondered why every other player seems to want you dead immediately. Learning how to play Rust PS4 doesn’t have to be a non-stop cycle of frustration, though. I’ve put over 300 hours into the console version of the game, and I’ve picked up enough tricks to help you go from a helpless fresh spawn to a player who holds their own against seasoned veterans. This guide skips generic PC advice and focuses specifically on the controls, mechanics, and quirks unique to the PS4 port of Rust.
How to Play Rust PS4: Master the Unique Console Controls First
The default PS4 control layout for Rust is functional, but it’s not optimized for fast building or quick combat, which are the two skills that will keep you alive most often. You’ll want to spend 5 minutes adjusting your layout before you even join a server, to save yourself hours of headache later. Rebind your build menu and quick swap buttons first, because the default layout puts build mode on the d-pad, which is slow to reach mid-fight when someone is trying to break down your front door.
Console Rust has partial aim assist for ranged weapons, but it only activates when you’re within 20 meters of a target, so don’t rely on it to hit players from across the map. You can turn up aim assist strength in the settings, but I’ve found the default level works best for balancing close and long range shots. Also, controller vibration can help you detect when someone is breaking your base walls from a floor away, so don’t turn it off entirely. I used to play with vibration off for the first two months, and I lost three fully stocked bases to raiders I never heard coming until they were already inside my loot room. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the build menu scroll, which makes it faster to find the wall or floor you want when you’re building under pressure.
Gather Resources Efficiently Without Putting Yourself at Risk
The first 10 minutes after you spawn are the most vulnerable, so you need to prioritize resources that will help you build shelter and defend yourself as fast as possible. Wasting time picking berries or chasing deer will leave you exposed to other players and wildlife, so stick to the most high-value items first. Never stop moving while you gather resources in the first hour of play, because stationary players are easy targets for roaming groups or solo players looking for easy kills.
Stick to these essential first-hour resources to get set up quickly:
- 50 cloth from hemp plants to craft your first bow and 20 arrows, which are enough to take down most early-game threats like wolves or unarmed players
- 200 metal fragments from small roadside barrels to craft a metal hatchet, which cuts wood and stone 3x faster than your starting rock
- 10 low grade fuel from gathering animal fat and cooking it in a campfire, which lets you build a small furnace to smelt ore for better weapons and tools
If you find a green barrel, you should always open it first, because they often have medical syringes or extra cloth that can save your life if you get attacked. You can get by on foraged mushrooms and corn you find near rivers for the first few hours, so don’t waste time hunting for food until you have a secure base. If you run into another player early, don’t try to fight unless you have at least a bow and full health. Most players spawn with nothing but a rock, and they’ll run if you pull a weapon out first.
Build Your First Base the Right Way to Avoid Early Raids
Your first base doesn’t need to be a massive fortress, but it does need to be secure enough to keep out casual raiders who are just looking for easy loot. The biggest mistake new players make is building their base right next to a road or popular monument, which are high traffic areas where groups of players roam constantly looking for bases to raid. Build your first base on a slight hill surrounded by trees, so it’s harder for passing players to spot, and you have quick access to wood for repairs.
Don’t forget to place a tool cupboard within the first 10 minutes of building, because if you skip this step, other players can build right up to your walls and raid you for free. Always build an airlock entrance with two separate doors, so if someone breaks through the first door, you have time to grab your weapons and defend yourself before they get to your loot. I learned this the hard way when a group of three players broke through my single wooden door while I was sorting loot, and I didn’t even have time to grab my shotgun before they killed me.
Hide your most valuable loot in small hidden stashes outside your base, not in your main loot room. Even if someone raids your base, they won’t find your stashed metal frags or ammo unless they spend hours searching every inch of the area around your base. Wooden doors only take 6 explosive rounds to break, so as soon as you have enough metal fragments, you should upgrade your doors to sheet metal, which take 20 rounds to break and are far harder to raid early on.
Handle PvP and Player Interactions the Smart Way
Console Rust has a slightly different player base than PC, with more casual players who don’t play 8 hours a day, so you don’t have to assume every player you see will attack you on sight. You can often avoid fights by just calling out that you’re a new player over in-game voice chat, and a lot of solo players will leave you alone, or even give you extra resources to help you get started. That said, you still need to be careful about who you trust.
Never trust another player who offers to team up with you unless you’ve played with them for at least three full wipe cycles. I’ve had dozens of “allies” turn on me as soon as I turned my back to gather resources, or lead me into traps where their friends were waiting to kill me and take my loot. If you do get into a PvP fight on PS4, use the controller’s gyro aim if you have it enabled, it’s far more accurate for quick close-range shots than the regular analog sticks.
If you’re outnumbered, don’t try to fight to the death. Run into a forest or a cave, and use the terrain to break line of sight so you can escape. Most players won’t chase you for more than 30 seconds if they don’t have a clear shot at you. If you hear a helicopter in the distance, you should run inside your base immediately, because the console version’s attack helicopter targets players who are out in the open far more often than the PC version does.
Once you get the hang of the unique mechanics and controls, learning how to play Rust PS4 is one of the most rewarding survival experiences you can find on console. You don’t need to be a pro player to have fun, either. Even if you only play a few hours a week, you can build a solid base, make a few friends, and hold your own against more experienced players. Don’t get discouraged if you die a dozen times in your first few play sessions, every single Rust player, no matter how skilled, has lost everything to a random raid or a surprise attack at some point. Take it one step at a time, use the tips we covered, and you’ll be thriving before you know it.