PlayStation Plus quietly drops bonus freebie, and it's one of the best survival RPGs out there

PlayStation Plus has quietly dropped a freebie for one of the best survival and crafting multiplayer RPGs in recent years: Rust.

Rust, developed by the brilliantly named Facepunch Studios, was originally released on PC in 2018, before making its way over to consoles in the following years. However, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S gamers would have to be especially patient, with this current-gen version not arriving until June 2025.

That being said, by the time Rust, or we should say, Rust: Console Edition, arrived, it’s probably the best version of the game it can be after years of content updates, optimisation and quality-of-life fixes for the massively popular indie game.

Rust: Console Edition is now available as a free PS Plus trial

In fact, the arrival of Rust: Console Edition probably flew under many PlayStation gamers' radars, with it being dropped on September 9, 2026, to little fanfare. From what we can see, this news wasn't even announced on Rust’s official X (formerly Twitter) account.

Who qualifies for the Rust free trial, and how long does it last?

This trial is exclusive to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, and the trial lasts for two hours. During that time, you’ll have full access to Rust: Console Edition (or as much as the time will allow), and you will earn trophies. If you decide to purchase the full game, your save progress and trophies earned will carry over.

Screenshot of Rust, Facepunch Studios

What is Rust? Here's what the survival game is about

“The Ultimate Survival Experience. The only aim in Rust is to survive,” reads the ominous synopsis.

“Every breath is a battle on a mysterious post-apocalyptic island where everything—from the environment to the other inhabitants—wants you dead. Overcome the primal struggles of hunger, thirst, and cold. Harvest resources, braving the elements to build a fire and a meagre shelter. But in Rust, a roof over your head is only the beginning.”

Rust is an open-world multiplayer survival game with RPG levelling-up mechanics. It has plenty of exploration and PvP combat. Players are thrown into the world with practically nothing, and it’s up to them to use their instincts and best skills to survive. You’ll need to scavenge, craft, build and survive hunger to live. You can team up with other players, but be warned: there’s a good chance you’ll have what they want.

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Does Rust: Console Edition support crossplay?

Yes, it does. However, there are a couple of major caveats. Rust: Console Edition has cross-play on separate servers. This means that only PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players can cross-play together. PS4 and Xbox One can, but that runs on its own server, too.

The PC version is totally separate from the console editions, so there’s no crossplay with consoles. It’s worth adding that in all forms of crossplay on all platforms, cross-platform progression transfer is not supported. So each platform is essentially a separate game.

If you’ve never played Rust, but enjoy other survival multiplayer RPGs like ARK: Survival Evolved or DayZ, then it might just be your cup of tea.