‘Rust’ Gets Console Closed Beta Ahead Of Launch In May

It's happening. Everybody stay calm. Rust is finally arriving on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in only two months time, and players have the chance to get ahead of the game with closed beta access.

Developed by Facepunch Studios, Rust has been around for a fairly long while now. Available only on PC, the maddening multiplayer survival game garnered a significant following over the years for its ridiculous difficulty levels, leading to extreme risks and rewards for those who dared to take on the elements. The premise is that the player awakens in a hostile environment with less than the clothes on their back. Yes, you are in your birthday suit, scrounging for a leaf to save your modesty and a weapon to save your life. As an open world, it's populated by dangerous wildlife like wolves and bears, and there are vehicles driven by NPCs who will hop out and start firing if spotted. That's not counting the other players who are all out for themselves, and the game is ripe for hijinks as survivors attempt to run rings around each other.

The console version is the work of Double Eleven, who has described it as "a separate experience from its PC counterpart, optimised specifically for console players." That has set the rumours of crossplay to rest then, as a leak from the closed beta for the console version seemed to suggest that PC and console players could eke out an existence in the badlands together. "Rust is and forever will be the baby and brainchild of Facepunch Studios, and we're extremely grateful to be able to take what they've done and create our own console edition of their incredible game," said Mark South, chief operating officer at Double Eleven. "Our Console Editions of Rust are certainly Rust as people know it, but under the hood - where we've spent the last few years - we've created an exceptional Rust experience designed for consoles and their players. We're looking forward to hearing player feedback when fans can jump in later this spring."