Upcoming Rust Update Turns the Survival Game Into a Cozy One

Rust has several updates in the queue for the final quarter of the year, and among them are improvements to animal gameplay. According to an overhauled roadmap, future updates will introduce dogs, decorative animals, new animal types, improved animal AI, and animal breeding, which will allow players to herd their own livestock and become proper farmers. This will certainly have its uses, but it's a dream come true for role players, as they get to live out their cozy, farming sim fantasies in Rust.

Livestock update available in Rust staging branch

Even though the animal update isn't live yet and has no release date, livestock assets have already been added to the AUX01 staging branch and are now available for early testing. On the staging branch, players will be able to see the animals that will soon be introduced in Rust, such as cows, goats, and sheep. Like horses, these animals can be bought from NPCs. They can then raise them, breed them to build a farm and improve their offspring's genetics, and slaughter them for meat, animal fat, cloth, and leather.

Each animal requires grass, water, and a herd to be happy. Players can lead an animal, but only after they're bonded. Caretakers can build a relationship with an animal, which will decrease its aggressiveness level towards them. This build is still a work in progress and subject to change, but at the moment, the friendship levels are Stranger, Knows You, Tolerated, Bonded, and Herd. At max friendship, an animal will be considered part of the player's herd. The best way to avoid losing sight of these animals is to use the new fences and gates and build an enclosure for them. This will keep them safe from hostile wildlife, such as bears and wolves.

Breeding seems to be the most complex part of this update. Genders and genetics will matter, as both are necessary to breed animals and create the perfect offspring, similar to "god clones" when farming hemp, veggies, and berries.

To test the livestock update, players must open the Rust Staging Branch options, select Game Versions & Betas, and enter the private version password "livestock2026". This will allow them to opt into AUX01 staging branch and test out this early build.