Rust‘s yearly Halloween event went live on October 22, 2026 and runs until November 5, Facepunch Studios announced in a Steam post. It brings back Candy Hunts, pet monsters and rift portals, alongside new Limited skins and Twitch drops.
The Details
Candy Hunt. About once every two in-game days, a Candy Hunt starts. You get three minutes to grab as much candy as you can, and the top three players win special loot bags. Candy and bags open into loot “ranging from scrap, all the way up to an M249,” and if you miss the podium, the candy you collected can still be upgraded for better loot.
Here Be Monsters. Kill the scarecrows and mummies roaming the map to collect a head, a torso and legs, craft a Frankenstein’s table, and place the parts in it. The monster you awaken follows you, defends you and attacks the targets you pick. You command it with the P key; if P is taken, Facepunch suggests the console command bind X +pets or the in-game controls menu.
The Rift. Portals are open across the island, and only “a few brave souls have entered through and made it back alive.” Server owners can change how many appear with the halloweendungeon.population convar.
Skins and extras:
- Limited store items: Cultist Tile, Manor Ceiling and Derelict Wood wallpapers, a Skull Wall Lamp skin for the Tuna Can Lamp, and an inflatable Alien Costume in three variations. The Spooky Decor Bundle adds an exclusive Halloween Wreath and Halloween String Lights.
- Spooky store items: the Dracula mask (early-game head protection, ten cloth to craft), plus a cape and a wooden stake found on the undead; the stake kills undead in one strike for extra loot.
- Discord: eligible Nitro subscribers can claim a Zombie Wumpus plush with Discord Orbs from October 22 to November 5.
What This Means for Players
Every player has a shot at loot bags: the Candy Hunt pays out to whoever collects the most candy in three minutes, and even a miss leaves candy to upgrade. A pet monster is an extra fighter that follows you and defends you, so farm scarecrow and mummy parts early, because the event ends on November 5. If you also keep animals, our Rust cow taming guide covers the farming side.
Server owners can tune how many rifts spawn with the convar above. For other games running spooky events right now, see our Halloween events roundup and Team Fortress 2’s Scream Fortress XVIII.
When and Where
- Halloween event: October 22 to November 5, on Rust for PC (Steam).
- Twitch Rivals Base Invaders: October 23 at 11 AM PT (2 PM ET). The Spooky Backpack drop is on the Twitch Rivals channel for that day only; the other drops run until November 1 on any Rust channel, with Twitch and Steam accounts linked.
Source: Facepunch Studios, “HALLOWEEN 2026”, Steam, October 22, 2026.