How to Configure Team Size on a Rust Server (server.cfg, Console and RCON)

Set the Rust server convar relationshipmanager.maxteamsize to the maximum number of players allowed in a team. Add relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 4 (or your chosen number) to server.cfg, or enter the same command in the server console. GamesOMG and low.ms guides published in 2026 list 8 as the normal default; setting the value to 0 disables teams and creates a solo-only ruleset.

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Team-size settings at a glance

The setting is controlled by one convar. The value you choose is the cap applied to a Rust team on that server.

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Use the full convar name

The reliable setting name is relationshipmanager.maxteamsize. A complete command consists of that name followed by a space and a number:

relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 4

Newer configuration guides specifically include the relationshipmanager. prefix. Older instructions that use only maxteamsize are reported to do nothing on current servers, so do not remove the prefix when editing your configuration or console command.

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One help article shows an unprefixed maxteamsize form, but whether that form works on a particular server build is unverified. Treat the fully prefixed command as the standard form and use the unprefixed spelling only if you have independently confirmed it on the exact build you operate.

Before changing the setting

Confirm that you are editing the active server

Team size is a server-side rule. Make sure you have access to the instance that players actually join, rather than a staging copy, a local test server, or a different map process on the same machine. If your host exposes several configuration files, identify the one loaded by the running Rust process.

Keep a rollback copy

Copy the current server.cfg before editing it. A backup lets you restore the previous value if a startup script, host panel, or gamemode setting changes the result. Preserve the original file rather than relying on memory, especially when the server has other convars in the same file.

Decide whether the change is persistent or temporary

• Persistent policy: put the command in server.cfg so it is applied when the server loads its configuration.
• Immediate test: enter the command in the server console, Web Console, or RCON if your host exposes those interfaces.
• Both: save the line in server.cfg and apply it live, then verify the effective value.

Most convars can be set live through Web Console or RCON, but this behavior is not confirmed for every host or server setup. Verify the result on your target instance instead of assuming that a command accepted by an interface has become persistent.

Configure the limit in server.cfg

Editing server.cfg is the usual choice when the limit should survive a restart.

1. Stop the Rust server if your host recommends stopping it before configuration edits. If the host supports safe live editing, follow that host’s procedure instead.
2. Open the active server.cfg file in a plain-text editor or the host’s configuration editor.
3. Add one line using the complete convar name and the desired number. For example, a four-player cap is relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 4.
4. Save the file as plain text. Do not add quotation marks around the command, and do not replace the period in relationshipmanager.maxteamsize with a space.
5. Start or restart the server according to the host’s normal process.
6. Check the server console or a connected administration interface to confirm that the value was accepted.

Keep the setting on its own line. If you are changing an existing entry, edit that entry rather than leaving two contradictory lines in the file. A duplicate can make it unclear which value was loaded last and complicate troubleshooting.

Example server.cfg entries

• Eight-player cap: relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 8
• Four-player cap: relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 4
• Solo-only ruleset: relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 0

The examples show values documented for this setting. If you select another positive number, use the same syntax and then verify the effective value in the running server.

Change the value from the server console

For a quick test or an emergency correction, enter the same command directly into the server console:

relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 4

Replace 4 with the limit you want. This method avoids a file edit and lets you observe the server’s response immediately. It may not survive a restart unless you also place the command in server.cfg or another startup configuration used by your host.

Applying a saved configuration without a full restart

One hosting guide documents the readcfg console command as a way to reload configuration without restarting the server:

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readcfg

If you add or change relationshipmanager.maxteamsize in the active server.cfg, run readcfg in the console and then check the effective setting. The available evidence for this reload behavior is limited and host-dependent, so use it only when your server confirms that the command is supported. A restart remains the straightforward fallback when the reload does not produce the expected result.

Apply the change through Web Console or RCON

Hosts that provide a Web Console or RCON generally let an authorized administrator send the same convar command remotely. Enter:

relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 4

1. Connect to the Web Console or RCON endpoint for the correct Rust server.
2. Authenticate with an account that has permission to change server convars.
3. Send the fully prefixed command with your chosen number.
4. Read the response, then query or otherwise inspect the active configuration using the administration tools available on that server.
5. If the change is meant to persist, copy the same line into server.cfg; a live RCON change alone may be temporary.

Web Console or RCON changes are generally possible, but this capability is low to medium in confidence because interfaces differ, and a command being accepted does not prove that a gamemode, startup script, or restart will not replace it. Always test after the command and again after the next restart when persistence matters.

Choose a team limit for your server

The right value depends on the rules you want players to experience. The setting is a hard server-side cap, so it should be chosen before advertising the server’s group size.

Keep the normal eight-player limit

Use relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 8 when you want the default listed by the GamesOMG and low.ms guides published in 2026. This is the baseline value those guides report; it is not a claim that every historical Rust build or every gamemode has always used eight.

Set a smaller group limit

Choose a positive value such as 4 when the server is intended for smaller coordinated groups. Put the number in the convar command and communicate the cap in the server description and rules. Players who join with a larger existing team may need to reorganize before the new restriction is meaningful to them; verify how the running build handles existing teams rather than promising a particular automatic cleanup behavior.

Run a solo-only server

Set:

relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 0

The GamesOMG and low.ms guides state that zero disables teams. This is the clearest configuration for a solo-only ruleset because it removes the team feature rather than merely setting a small positive cap. Test with a second account or a trusted player before opening the server publicly, and explain the rule in the welcome message so players understand that the restriction is intentional.

Understand Softcore’s four-player setting

The Facepunch Rust Wiki’s Server Gamemodes page states that the Softcore gamemode sets the maximum team size to four players and that the relationshipmanager.maxteamsize convar can override that value. In other words, a server running Softcore may not follow the normal eight-player baseline unless you explicitly configure the convar.

The Facepunch Rust Wiki page’s available text is a search excerpt rather than a fully verified page capture, and the exact override syntax beyond the convar itself is not confirmed. Use the standard command, for example relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 8, then inspect the live server and test team formation. Do not infer from the gamemode name alone that the server is using eight, four, or zero; check the effective setting on the running instance.

When Softcore appears to ignore your value

1. Confirm that the server is actually running Softcore and that you edited the configuration for that process.
2. Use the full name relationshipmanager.maxteamsize, not the older unprefixed spelling.
3. Apply the command after the gamemode and its settings have loaded.
4. Reload with readcfg only if your host confirms that reload is supported, or restart the server.
5. Check the effective value again. If Softcore continues to enforce four, document that result for your specific build rather than assuming the override is universal.

Verify that the limit is active

Do not stop at saving a file. Verification catches wrong paths, syntax errors, duplicate entries, and gamemode overrides.

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• Look for the command in the startup or console output after a restart.
• Use the server console, Web Console, or RCON tools available to you to inspect the convar’s current value.
• Attempt to form or join a team up to the chosen limit with consenting test accounts.
• For a solo-only server, test that creating or joining a team is blocked when the value is zero.
• Repeat the check after a restart if the setting must persist.

A successful console response is useful evidence, but the player-facing behavior is the final check. A gamemode or another startup command may apply a different value later in the boot sequence.

Troubleshoot a team-size change that does not work

The command is accepted but players can still exceed the cap

• Check that you used relationshipmanager.maxteamsize exactly, including the prefix and period.
• Confirm that the command was sent to the server players are using.
• Look for a later startup command or gamemode rule that resets the convar.
• Restart and verify again if the live change was temporary.
• Test with a fresh team rather than relying only on an existing team created before the change.

The setting works until the next restart

A console or RCON change may be live-only. Add the same command to the active server.cfg, save it, restart, and inspect the value. If a host panel regenerates configuration files, make the change in that panel’s persistent configuration area as well as in the file, following the host’s documented workflow.

readcfg appears to do nothing

The documented reload behavior is not universal. Confirm that you ran it in the server console, that the file you edited is the one the process reads, and that the command line is valid. If the value remains unchanged, perform a controlled restart and verify after startup.

The unprefixed command was used

Replace maxteamsize with relationshipmanager.maxteamsize. The unprefixed form appears in one help article, but its operation is unverified. Using the full name removes the most common ambiguity in current guides.

Softcore always returns to four

Check the active gamemode and the order in which its settings load. The Facepunch Rust Wiki identifies four players as Softcore’s setting and says the convar can override it, but the exact behavior can depend on the server build. Apply the prefixed convar after the gamemode is active, then verify the live value. If the server still reports four, treat that as the behavior of your current setup and avoid advertising a different limit.

Operational practices after changing the limit

Tell players exactly what the cap means

State the number in the server name, description, rules, or welcome message. Distinguish a team cap from a general alliance rule: this convar controls the Rust team size, while your community may separately regulate voice-chat groups, external alliances, or raid cooperation.

Coordinate the change with a wipe or rules announcement

Changing the limit while players are active can create confusion about existing teams and recruitment. Announce the effective time, explain whether the value is permanent, and provide the command’s resulting number in plain language. If you cannot confirm how existing teams are handled by your build, do not promise that current teams will be automatically split.

Record the value and the reason

Keep a short administration note with the chosen number, the date, the gamemode, and whether the value was applied in server.cfg, through the console, or through RCON. This makes future troubleshooting faster when another administrator changes the file or a gamemode is enabled.

Safe rollback

To restore the commonly documented default, set:

relationshipmanager.maxteamsize 8

Save it in server.cfg and restart, or apply it live and then persist it in the file. If you are returning from a custom value or from solo-only mode, verify the active value and test a team after the rollback. The number eight is the default reported by the GamesOMG and low.ms guides published in 2026; if your server uses a gamemode-specific rule, verify that mode’s effective value instead of assuming the rollback has won.

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Command reference

Key takeaways for administrators

• Use relationshipmanager.maxteamsize with the full prefix.
• The GamesOMG and low.ms guides published in 2026 list eight as the normal default.
• Use zero to disable teams for a solo-only server.
• Persist the command in the active server.cfg if it must survive restarts.
• Console, Web Console, and RCON changes can be live, but persistence and reload behavior vary by host.
• Softcore is documented as using a four-player team limit, with the convar available as an override.
• Always verify the effective value after applying it and again after a restart or gamemode change.

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