DropLaunch
For Rust map makers

Test your Rust maps on your own server, in one click.

Drop a .map file on DropLaunch and it starts a Rust server with that map. No SteamCMD commands, no batch files, no config to edit.

Download for WindowsLatest version · Free Try it in your browserThe real app, simulated
  • Free and open source
  • One small exe, no installer
  • No accounts, no telemetry
How it works

From a map file to playing on it

Three steps, and only the first time. After that it's drop a map and click ▶.

  1. Download and start it

    Put DropLaunch.exe in an empty folder, like C:\DropLaunch, and start it. It creates its folders next to itself.

  2. Set up a server

    One click downloads SteamCMD and the Rust server: about 6 GB, 5 to 30 minutes. Pick Carbon or Oxide and the RustEdit extension meanwhile.

  3. Drop a map and play

    Drop a .map or .zip on the window and click ▶. When it says Ready, Join in Rust takes you in.

Setup

Sets everything up for you

The first time, one click downloads SteamCMD and the Rust server. While it downloads you pick the rest, and Hide keeps it going in the background.

  • Carbon or Oxide, updated along with the server
  • The RustEdit extension, for maps that need it
  • Admin on every test server, with the Steam account it finds on your PC
  • Finds what you already have: SteamCMD and server files are reused, not downloaded again
Playtesting

Bug reports from your testers

Testers type /bug and a few words in Rust's chat. The report shows up on a map of your island, with where they stood and which way they looked. Teleport there to see it yourself.

Testers show up live on the map while they play.
More options

Everything else, right next to your maps

Open the side panel for the server console, live server stats, kits that give items to you and your testers, and the bug reports.

The console, live stats, give items and bug reports.
And more

Made for testing maps

All your maps in one list

Everything in your maps folder, plus the maps you started before. Click ▶ to start one.

Notices when you save

Save a map in RustEdit and DropLaunch offers to restart the server with it, with a Windows notification when it's in the background.

Starts, then joins

Shows the server starting step by step and tells you if it gets stuck. At Ready, Join in Rust gets you in.

Gives items

From kits you make, or the built-in build kit: a building plan, a hammer and plenty of materials.

Start files and branches

Make a start file for any map, try other server branches, and type in the server's own console.

Cleans Rust's map cache

Rust keeps every map it downloads. DropLaunch clears them out, backed up for 30 days first.

Shows you around

New to hosting? Tips explain each step as it comes up, and a Getting started list ticks itself off.

Signed updates

It tells you what's new and updates in one click. Every update is signed, so nobody can slip in another.

Demo

Try it before you download

DropLaunch's real interface, in your browser, with a checklist of every step: from downloading SteamCMD to running the start files, starting your own map and reading bug reports. Downloads, the server and Rust are simulated, so nothing is installed.

Open the demo
Generator

Rather write your own start file?

The start file generator makes a .bat or .sh that starts a Rust server: procedural or custom map, RCON, and a script that installs and updates the server with SteamCMD.

Open the generator
Questions

Good to know

Windows says "Windows protected your PC"

Windows shows this for programs that aren't code-signed and that not many people have downloaded yet. Click More info, then Run anyway.

Every release is built from the source on GitHub, so you can check what it does.

My antivirus doesn't like it

Tools that download files and start servers sometimes get flagged by mistake. Please open an issue saying which antivirus, so it can be reported as a false positive.

What do I need?

Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), about 7 GB of free disk space for the Rust server, and Rust on Steam to join your server. No installer, no .NET, no other downloads.

How do I update?

DropLaunch tells you when a new version is out and what changed, and one click updates it. Every update is signed with the author's key: DropLaunch refuses a download that doesn't match.

Does it collect anything about me?

No. DropLaunch has no accounts, no analytics and no telemetry. Its settings, maps, kits, bug reports and log stay on your PC.

On its own it only looks for updates on GitHub and loads the Rust server's branch list. Everything else, like downloading the server, happens when you ask for it. All the details.

Something doesn't work

Please open an issue or ask on Discord, and attach droplaunch.log from %LOCALAPPDATA%\DropLaunch: DropLaunch writes what went wrong there.

Is it really free?

Yes. DropLaunch is free software under the GNU General Public License v3.0: free to use, share and change.

How do I remove it?

Stop any running server, then delete the DropLaunch folder. Its settings, kits and bug reports are in %LOCALAPPDATA%\DropLaunch: delete that folder too.

Download

Get DropLaunch

Free for Windows 10 and 11. One exe: put it in an empty folder and start it.

What's new

Download DropLaunch.exeLatest version for Windows

Release notes All versions Source code

What you need

  • Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
  • About 7 GB of free disk space, for the Rust server
  • Rust on Steam, to join your server
If Windows says it protected your PC, click More info, then Run anyway. Why?

New to hosting? The app's Show me around explains each step as you go, and the full guide covers everything else.