Hero image: Rust. Image: Facepunch Studios
Facepunch Studios has switched on its yearly Halloween event in Rust, and its Steam post says it runs until 5 November. The HALLOWEEN 2026 post went up at 18:12 UTC on 22 October, which is 5:12am AEDT on 23 October by our conversion.
The main event is a Candy Hunt. Roughly every two in-game days it begins, and players have three minutes to collect as much candy as they can, with the top three earning special loot bags — and the candy itself can be opened or upgraded for loot that, the post says, ranges from scrap up to an M249.
Players can also build a pet monster, by killing the scarecrows and mummies for a head, torso and legs, crafting a Frankenstein’s table and placing the parts inside, and the awakened monster is then controlled with the “P” key.
Cultists are opening portals across the island, which the post calls rifts, and server owners can change the portal count with the halloweendungeon.population convar.
The store has new limited items, including three wallpapers (Cultist Tile, Manor Ceiling and Derelict Wood), a Skull Wall Lamp skin and an Alien Costume that comes in three variations. A Spooky Decor Bundle adds a Halloween Wreath and String Lights. The post gives no prices.
Other items are in the spooky store update, where the Dracula mask needs ten pieces of cloth to craft, while the matching cape and the wooden stakes are found on the corpses of the undead.
There are two outside tie-ins. Twitch Rivals runs a Base Invaders competition at 6pm UTC on 23 October, which is 5am AEDT on Saturday 24 October, with a one-day Spooky Backpack drop. General drops run until 1 November, and eligible Discord Nitro subscribers can claim a Zombie Wumpus Plush from 22 October to 5 November.
Steam’s Australian store page lists Rust at A$59.95, and the game sat 28th on Steam’s most-played chart when we read it on 23 October.
Source: Facepunch Studios (Steam) – HALLOWEEN 2026, Steam – Rust