// Setup Guide

LEGACY CLIENT
SETUP GUIDE

Devblog 261 · April 2022 Build

4 Simple Steps About 5 Minutes Official Steam Console Only No Third-Party Tools

Welcome, Survivor

This page explains, in the simplest possible terms, how to install the legacy Rust client (Devblog 261) and connect to DUSTY261. The entire process uses only Steam's built-in console: every file you download comes directly from Valve's official servers, and no third-party tools are required at any point. Follow the four steps below in order, and you will be ready to play in about five minutes.

You will need

  • A Steam account that owns Rust.
  • The Steam application installed and running on your computer.
  • About five minutes of your time.

Prefer an even faster route? You are welcome to download our pre-packaged client using the button at the top of this page instead.

1

Open the Steam Console

  1. Ensure the Steam application is running on your computer.
  2. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Windows Run dialog box.
  3. Enter the command below into the box and press Enter:
    steam://open/console
  4. Steam will open a dedicated CONSOLE tab beside your navigation tab. This is where you should run the download commands.
2

Download the Client Files

  1. Copy the first command, paste it into the input field at the bottom of the Steam Console tab, and press Enter.
  2. Wait for the first command to finish running completely.
  3. Repeat the process for the second command.
Command 1 — Client Common Assets
download_depot 252490 252494 2826153980842130154
Command 2 — Windows Binaries & System Files
download_depot 252490 252495 6511542711425244729

A few helpful details: Please run one command at a time, and wait for the first to finish before starting the second.

Steam downloads depot files quietly in the background — do not be alarmed by the absence of a progress bar.

When a download completes, the console prints a confirmation line showing exactly where your files were saved:

"Depot download complete : C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\content\app_252490\depot_25249X"

The X at the end simply represents 4 or 5, depending on which command just finished.

3

Combine the Files

This step takes less than a minute — a single copy-and-paste. You are moving one folder from the first download into the second.

  1. Open Windows File Explorer and navigate to: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\content\app_252490\
  2. Open the depot_252494 folder and copy everything in it. This folder should contain only one item — a folder named Bundles.
  3. Open the depot_252495 folder and paste the copied contents directly into it.

That is all there is to it. Your complete client now resides inside depot_252495 — no further assembly, renaming, or configuration is required. This folder is your finished, ready-to-play client. Feel free to rename this folder and put it wherever you want.

If your Steam library is installed in a different location, simply use the exact path printed in the confirmation message from Step 2 to find and combine depots.

4

Launch & Connect

  1. Inside the combined folder, double-click RustClient.exe to start the game.
  2. Once at the main menu, press F1 to open the in-game developer console.
  3. Enter the connection command:
    client.connect play.dusty261.com:28015
  4. Press Enter to join the server.

Welcome to the 261. See you on the island.

Good to Know

Will this affect my modern Rust installation?

Not in the slightest. The legacy client lives entirely inside its own folder. Modern Rust remains untouched, and both versions can coexist on the same computer without any interference.

Why do I have to download two separate depots?

Steam stores every game as a set of packages called depots, and the April 2022 build of Rust is split across two of them: one depot holds the shared game content (the Bundles folder — models, textures, and sounds), while the other holds the Windows-specific files (the executable and system libraries). Both parts are required for a complete client, and Step 3 simply joins them back together — the same way a normal Steam installation would, just done by hand in about a minute.

Why is there no progress bar?

Steam downloads console depots quietly in the background. You do not need to do anything — simply wait for the "Depot download complete" message, which confirms the files are ready.

I cannot find the folder shown in this guide.

If your Steam library is installed in a non-default location, use the exact path printed in the confirmation message in the console — it always shows the correct location on your machine.

Support & Community

If you require assistance at any point — or simply wish to say hello — our community is always happy to help. Please join us on Discord, or write to us directly by email:

Join the DUSTY261 Discord support@dusty261.com