High Ping or Lag Print

If you or your players are experiencing high ping, lag spikes, or rubberbanding on your Rust server, this guide will help you identify and fix the most common causes. Follow each step carefully to improve stability and connection performance.

Step 1: Check the Server’s Hardware Usage

Open your FinnishHost Game Panel and view the live Resource Usage section. If CPU or RAM usage is constantly maxed out, your server may be overloaded.

• Stop the server.
• Remove unused plugins or Workshop items.
• Reduce your world size (see Step 3 below).

If usage is normal, move on to network checks.

Step 2: Verify Connection and Region

High ping can occur if players are connecting from regions far away from your server’s data center. To confirm:

1. Check your server’s location in the FinnishHost client area.
2. Advise players to join the server closest to their region.

We use high-performance routing, but physical distance still affects latency.

Step 3: Reduce World Size and Entity Count

Large procedural maps and excessive entities (bases, deployables, etc.) can cause significant lag. To reduce load, adjust your startup parameters in the command line:

+server.worldsize 3500
+server.saveinterval 300
+server.tickrate 30

• worldsize — lower values reduce map generation time and improve performance.
• saveinterval — how often the server saves the world (in seconds).
• tickrate — controls the update frequency; default is 30, which is recommended.

Step 4: Limit Heavy Plugins

Some plugins — especially logging, auto-save, or event tracking types — can cause server hitches or lag spikes. If you recently installed new plugins, disable them one by one to identify which one is causing the issue:

oxide.unload <pluginname>

Then test performance after each change.

Step 5: Check for Scheduled Backups or Updates

During automatic backups or SteamCMD updates, servers may briefly lag or desync. Check your panel’s Task Scheduler to make sure backups aren’t running during peak player hours.

Step 6: Optimize Networking Settings

Rust servers automatically adjust packet handling, but you can fine-tune networking if lag persists. In Configuration Files → server.cfg, add or edit these settings:

server.maxpacketsize 20000
server.sendrate 25600

Save the file, restart the server, and monitor your ping results in-game.

Step 7: Verify the Client Side

If only one player is affected, the issue might not be server-side. Ask them to check:

• No downloads or VPNs running in the background.
• Stable connection (wired Ethernet recommended).
• Restart Steam and verify game files via Steam Library → Rust → Properties → Installed Files → Verify Integrity.

Step 8: Monitor Server Performance Over Time

Keep an eye on your server’s FPS and entity count with the in-game console:

fps
perf

If server FPS drops below 30 consistently, it’s usually due to plugins, high entity count, or excessive player activity.

Notes

We provide support for network performance and hosting configuration only. We don’t provide support for player-side connection issues, mods, or plugin optimization. Always back up your files before making performance-related changes.