There are two kinds of Rust server advertising: things that put your server in front of players, and things that get players to stay once they've joined. Most owners spend on the first kind and wonder why their server is empty by day four.
This guide compares every option we know of, free and paid, and gives you a simple way to compare them by what actually matters: cost per player who's still around after the first day.
Free options
1. The in-game server browser
It's the biggest listing of all, and it's free. Your name, tags, header image and description do most of the advertising. Use all four server.tags slots (wipe cycle, difficulty, type, region; see the Rust wiki tag list) and put rates and group limit in the name. Our description and tags guide has templates.
2. Server lists
- BattleMetrics: players check pop history and search by server name. Claim your server and keep the description in sync.
- rust-servers.net: a ranked list driven by votes. Regulars who vote push you up.
- Just-wiped style lists, Rustalyzer, rustservers.gg: players looking for something that wiped in the last few hours. Make sure your server is detected and the wipe time is correct.
Lists are free to join. Some sell featured spots; read each site's terms before you buy one.
3. Reddit
r/playrustservers is made for server ads. Post on wipe day, follow the subreddit's format and rules, and reply to comments. r/playrustadmin is for admin questions; helpful answers there build your name, ads don't.
4. Discord
Your own Discord is your best retention tool. Some Rust community Discords have LFG or server-ad channels; post only where the rules allow it, and never in DMs.
5. Your Steam group
A Steam group gives you a free announcement channel to members who chose to join. Don't post your server in other groups or in Steam discussions; Steam's online conduct rules don't allow advertising there.
Paid options
6. Featured spots on server lists
You pay for a top or highlighted position. It brings visibility at the moment players pick a server. It doesn't do anything about whether they stay, and prices vary a lot by list and season.
7. Ads on Rust sites and newsletters
Some Rust community sites, such as Corrosion Hour, sell ad placements. You reach engaged players, but you pay for impressions or a fixed period, not for joins.
8. Discord ad slots
Some large Discords sell announcement slots. Results depend heavily on whether that audience actually plays your region and style.
9. YouTubers and streamers
A creator playing a wipe on your server can bring a group that stays. It's the most variable option: one good stream can fill a wipe, one bad fit brings nobody. Any paid deal has to be disclosed by the creator on their platform.
10. Paid social and search ads
Google, YouTube, Meta and Reddit ads can target Rust players. They need creative, testing and a budget big enough to learn from. Server-owner ads that sell "players" or "traffic" as a quantity run into platform rules on fake engagement, so keep them about your server.
11. Pay-per-goal campaigns (SpawnBoost)
You set a goal ("Play 90 minutes and place a Tool Cupboard"), a reward per player and a number of spots. Players with real Steam accounts press Start on the offer and play. Our server mod verifies the goal in-game: active minutes, gathering, building, a Tool Cupboard that still exists 30 minutes later. You pay only for completed goals; unused budget is refunded to your card when the campaign ends. You pick when it runs: any date range, with an optional daily time window, so it fits wipe day, a mid-wipe top-up, weekend prime time, a new server launch or an event.
The difference from every other paid option: you're not paying for a view or a click, you're paying for a player who did something on your server. You can also pay for the thing you care about most: the default "Stay the Wipe" campaign puts goals on day 1, day 3 and day 5, with more of the reward on the later days. It's built for players new to your server; returning players we can recognise are flagged in your report.
How to compare them: cost per retained player
Clicks and impressions don't fill a server. Players on day 3 do. Use the same formula for every channel:
Cost per retained player = total spend ÷ players from that channel still playing on day 3
To get the bottom number, ask new players how they found you (a Discord question or a welcome message works), and compare with your own logs.
Here is a worked example. Every number is an assumption for illustration, not a benchmark; replace them with your own.
| Channel | Spend (assumed) | New players who join (assumed) | Still there on day 3 (assumed) | Cost per retained player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Featured list spot for a week | €60 | 40 | 6 | €10.00 |
| Discord ad slot | €40 | 15 | 2 | €20.00 |
| Small streamer plays your wipe | €100 | 30 | 8 | €12.50 |
| Pay-per-goal: 25 × "Stay the Wipe" (€1 day 1, €2 day 3, €3 day 5) | see below | 25 spots | only paid if completed | see below |
For the pay-per-goal row, the maths is different because you pay per result. With our launch pricing (15% + €0.25 per verified player), the €1 day-1 goal costs you €1.40 per player who completes it (the €0.25 is charged once per player), the €2 day-3 goal €2.30 and the €3 day-5 goal €3.45. If 21 players complete day 1, 12 are back on day 3 and 9 on day 5, you pay 21 × €1.40 + 12 × €2.30 + 9 × €3.45 = €88.05, or €7.34 per player retained to day 3, and everyone you paid for actually played. New owners get a fee credit once their first campaign settles cleanly. Details on pricing.
The point isn't that one row always beats the others. It's that you should measure every channel by the same number. Visibility channels (lists, ads) and retention tools (events, Discord, return goals) work best together.
What gets servers in trouble
- Fake population. Bots, "pop boosts" and inflated player counts mislead players. Listing sites and communities call out servers that do it, and players notice an empty map within minutes.
- Calling your server "official" or using the game's branding as if you were the developer. Read Rust's server guidelines before you write your name and ads.
- Spamming. Advertising in other people's Discords, Steam groups or Reddit threads gets you banned and remembered.
- Pay-to-win promises in ads. They bring the wrong players and drive away the ones you want.
SpawnBoost never changes the player count your server reports, and our mod doesn't change gameplay, loot or items.
A sensible plan for a new server
- Free basics first: browser listing, server lists, Reddit post, Discord, Steam group.
- One visibility channel, if you have budget: a featured list spot around wipe day.
- One retention lever: a day-3 event, and a "come back on day 3" goal.
- Measure cost per retained player for each, and keep what works.
When to run a campaign: any date range you choose, from a launch or wipe day to a quiet weekday evening. See the options →