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The best games to play between Rust wipes are ones you can drop the moment wipe day comes: short runs, no server to keep up with, nothing that punishes you for leaving. My picks are an idle game that keeps ticking while you're away, two quick roguelikes, and a co-op game for the same group you play Rust with.
Full disclosure: Hoard Road is a game I make, alongside the PropBuilds kits. It's marked in the list, there are no affiliate links on this page, and every other pick is a game I'd recommend anyway.
Why the gap between wipes is tricky
Every Rust player knows the cycle. Wipe week is everything: the race for a base, the first raids, the late nights. Then the server settles, your group logs on less, and by the last week before the monthly forced wipe you're wondering what to play. Starting something big feels silly, because you'll drop it the moment the new map goes up.
So the gap needs a different kind of game. The ones that work for me share three things:
- Short sessions. A run or a check-in fits in a lunch break.
- Easy to drop. No guild, no raid schedule, nothing lost when you vanish for wipe week.
- Something to show for it. Progress that's still there when you come back.
The picks
| Game | Why it fits the gap | Session length |
|---|---|---|
| Hoard Road (mine) | An idle game: your pals keep earning for a while after you close it | A few minutes, or leave it running |
| Vampire Survivors | Fast, chaotic runs with constant upgrades | About half an hour a run |
| Balatro | A poker roguelike that's easy to start and hard to put down | A run in an evening |
| Deep Rock Galactic | Co-op mining and shooting with your Rust group | Under an hour a mission |
Hoard Road (my game)
This one's mine, so take it with that in mind. Hoard Road is a pixel-art idle adventure: your hero runs an endless road on their own, fighting monsters and picking up coins, while you choose the upgrades, jump for coins, beat the guardian at the end of each land and raise a pal that grows up as you travel. When the road gets long you Prestige: start a fresh run and bring back Stars for the Star Map, where power lasts.
Why it fits the gap: it's an idle game. While the game is closed your pals keep earning a share of their coins for a while (the cap grows as you play), and Expeditions keep running by the clock. The hero doesn't run while it's closed, and nothing you've built is lost. It runs in a browser on a PC or a phone, and if you sign in with Google or Discord your save follows you between them, so you can check in from your phone while your Rust base goes up on the other monitor.
There's a social side now too, for when your Rust group scatters: friends who send each other daily gifts, parties, a weekly crew task and a monthly leaderboard. And a bit of action if you want it: now and then a sinkhole drops you into a cave with a giant wyrm called the Maw behind you, and you outrun it for a choice of chests.
It's free to play: the whole game can be played for free and gems are earned by playing. On the web, signed-in players can also buy gem packs and a monthly Hoard Pass, and nothing for sale is random.
Try it in the gap. Hoard Road is free and plays in your browser on a PC or a phone, with no download and no sign-up to start. Play Hoard Road free.
Vampire Survivors
You walk, the game attacks for you, and the screen slowly fills with enemies and your increasingly ridiculous weapons. Runs are short and every one unlocks something new, which makes it the perfect "one more run" game for a quiet week.
Balatro
A roguelike built on poker hands. You build a deck and a set of jokers that bend the rules, and chase bigger and bigger scores. A run is self-contained, so there's nothing to keep up with between wipes.
Deep Rock Galactic
If your Rust group still wants to play together but not on a dead server, this is the one. You're a team of dwarves mining and fighting through procedurally generated caves, in co-op for up to four players. Missions are short and the game is built around cooperation rather than betrayal, which makes a nice change after a month of Rust.
What about the last few days before wipe?
That's the time to stop starting anything new. The next forced wipe is Thursday, November 5 (the first Thursday of the month, as always); the wipe countdown shows the exact time in your timezone. Keep an idle game ticking along on the side, catch up on what the October update changed, and when the map goes up, everything else can wait. Wipe week is busy in the workshop too: here's my wipe week routine.
Shopping for the Rust player in your group instead? The Rust gift guide has merch and prop ideas by budget.
FAQ
What should I play between Rust wipes?
Something you can drop without losing anything: a short-run roguelike like Vampire Survivors or Balatro, a co-op game like Deep Rock Galactic for your group, or an idle game like Hoard Road (a game I make), whose pals keep earning for a while after you close it.
When is the next Rust forced wipe?
Rust has a forced wipe once a month, on the first Thursday. The next one is Thursday, November 5, 2026. The PropBuilds wipe countdown page shows the time left in your timezone.
Are there idle games for Rust players?
Idle games suit Rust players because they keep progressing while you're busy on wipe day. Hoard Road is a free idle game I make that runs in a browser on a PC or a phone, with one save across both if you sign in.
Is Hoard Road free?
Yes. The whole game can be played for free, and gems are earned by playing. On the web, signed-in players can buy gem packs and a monthly Hoard Pass, and nothing for sale is random.
More on idle games, from the Hoard Road guides: what an idle game is, how offline earnings work and free idle games you can play in your browser. Everything about the game lives on its page here on PropBuilds.
PropBuilds is a fan-run site, not affiliated with or endorsed by the studios or rights holders of the games mentioned.
Header image: King Slime, the Sunny Meadow guardian in Hoard Road, a screenshot from Hoard Road, a game I make; cropped, with an overlay added.