For years Rust gave you one crosshair option: on or off. That changed with the Meta Shift update on 2 October 2025, which added a proper crosshair editor to the game. You can now pick the shape, colour, size and gap, then turn the whole thing into a short code anyone can paste into their own game.
The important part is that it is native and client-side — no mods, no plugins, and it works on every server, official or modded. It also does not reset on wipe day.
Where everything lives
Settings → User Interface → Crosshair. Turn the crosshair toggle on and the full editor opens, with Import, Export and Reset at the top.
| Setting | What it does | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Base shape: Default (four arms), Dot, T-Shape | 3 styles |
| Colour | From a fixed list, not a free picker | 7 colours |
| Dot size | Size of the centre dot; 0 removes it | 0–5 |
| Spacing | Gap between centre and where each arm starts | 0–3 |
| Line length | How long each arm is | 1–20 |
| Line width | How thick each arm is | 1–8 |
| Outline + outline colour | A border so it stays visible on any background | — |
| Dynamic visibility | Hides it when aiming, alt-looking or holding no weapon | toggle |
| Dynamic spacing | Gap widens and tightens to show current accuracy | toggle |
Six builds, exact values
A code copied from a video or a generator site often fails to import — slider values always work. Set these in the menu, then press Export to get a working code of your own.
| # | Build | Style | Colour | Dot | Spacing | Length | Width | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Classic Cross | Default | White | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 1 | Outline on |
| 2 | Green Dot | Dot | Green | 2 | — | — | — | Outline on |
| 3 | Cyan T | T-Shape | Cyan | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Outline on |
| 4 | Red Spread | Default | Red | 1 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 1 | Dynamic spacing on |
| 5 | Yellow Micro | Dot | Yellow | 1 | — | — | — | Outline off |
| 6 | Magenta Gap | Default | Magenta | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | Outline on |
Build 1, the Classic Cross, is the build shared most often — a good default if you just want something that works with every gun.
Colour: pick for your biome, and always keep the outline
The colour list is fixed — white, green, blue, red, yellow, magenta, cyan — and the reasoning matters more than taste:
- Green and cyan show up best across most maps.
- Red disappears on rust-coloured metal and at sunset.
- White is hard to see in snow.
Whatever you pick, leave the outline on. It is what keeps a bright crosshair readable against snow, sand or a bright sky.
Per-weapon picks
| Weapon | Crosshair |
|---|---|
| Rifles (AK, LR-300) | A small cross with a small gap — easiest to keep on target while you control recoil |
| Snipers (Bolt, L96) | A small dot plus dynamic visibility, to keep the scope picture clean |
| Shotguns | Dynamic spacing on — the wider gap reminds you how far pellets spread |
| SMGs (MP5, Thompson) | A T-shape, which keeps the top of the screen clear when you spray heads |
| Bows | A tiny outlined dot, since arrows drop and you aim above the dot at range anyway |
Import and export
To import: Settings → User Interface → Crosshair, make sure the crosshair is on, press Import, paste the code and confirm. Then join a server and fire a few shots at a wall to check the gap and size.
To export: set up your crosshair, press Export, and Rust generates a code from your current settings. Save it in a note — a reinstall or a settings reset wipes it.
The import box takes up to 50 characters. Third-party generator sites often use their own format and will not paste into the game. Use codes from Rust’s own Export button, or set the sliders by hand.
Console commands
Each setting has its own convar, plus client.crosshair as the master switch:
client.crosshair true
crosshair.style 0
crosshair.color 0
crosshair.outline false
crosshair.outlinecolor 0
crosshair.dotsize 1.7
crosshair.spacing 1
crosshair.length 7
crosshair.width 2
crosshair.dynamic_visibility true
crosshair.dynamic_spacing true
writecfgTwo rules when using the console: join them with semicolons on one line (pasting several lines runs only the first), and save with writecfg rather than server.writecfg.
There is also crosshair.load_code followed by the code, if you would rather stay in the console than open the menu.
Troubleshooting
- Crosshair not showing? Check
client.crosshairis true — it is the master switch. Also, dynamic visibility hides it while you aim or free-look, and the Dot style with dot size 0 draws nothing. - Want it gone?
client.crosshair false.
Related guides
- Best PvP Settings — FOV and sensitivity alongside the crosshair
- Best FPS Settings — the performance side
- Console Commands — every client command
- Best Early Game Weapons — matching the crosshair to the gun