Console gamers looking to get their hands on Twitch’s latest streaming craze, Rust, may not have to wait much longer. The popular online survival game’s recent ESRB rating has hinted that its release is not far off.

The console edition of Facepunch Studio’s Rust was announced during the XO19 conference. According to its ESRB rating, Rust will be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. There was no mention of next-gen consoles, though the title will likely be available via backwards compatibility.

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Despite releasing in early access in 2013, Rust has maintained a dedicated community throughout the years and is experiencing a record-breaking resurgence in popularity. Eight years since its original release, the game broke its previous record of concurrent players by over 50% with just under 204,000 concurrent players roaming the dangerous digital landscape.

While Facepunch Studios’ work in building an incredibly entertaining open-world title is not to be dismissed, the interest shown by Twitch’s top streamers has directly influenced the game’s new player base. Streamers like Myth, Pokimane, and Sykkuno are just a few of the big names that are flooding Rust’s wasteland. The antics and drama involving these high-profile streamers have led to the game’s surge in sales and players.

Fifty of the most prominent streamers joined Offline TV’s private Rust server where content creators could interact and collaborate. As big personalities collide, drama will naturally ensue. It didn’t take long before controversial streamer xQc began stirring up trouble, leading to Twitch’s version of reality television. This online spectacle led to plenty of viral clips that have flooded social media sites like Reddit, TikTok, and Twitter.

Thanks to Twitch’s spotlight, Rust’s revenue is skyrocketing with numbers in the millions. All of the attention has led to Rust cracking over $1 million in Steam Revenue on two separate days in 2021.

These numbers plainly illustrate the effectiveness of Twitch’s platform. The success or failure of a game, especially an online multiplayer game, can often hinge on how well it is received by streaming audiences. Games like Among Us, Fall Guys, and Rust are just a few of the titles that have recently benefitted from the exposure of Twitch.

Like all trends, it will be interesting to see how long Rust can maintain this level of success. Titles like Fortnite and League of Legends have sustained a large audience since arriving on streaming platforms, while others quickly fall to the wayside. This level of sustained success can only be achieved by investing in a game's core fanbase. Facepunch Studios has done an incredible job growing its community, which is why it is so popular eight years after its early access release. With 774,000 viewers currently watching Rust streams on Twitch at the time of this writing, it’s safe to say Rust will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

Rust is available now for PC.

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Source: ESRB