Developer Facepunch Studios is preparing a major expansion to Rust's animal systems, adding dogs, new decorative and wild creatures, improved animal AI, and livestock breeding that lets players raise and farm their own herds. The update pushes the notoriously brutal survival game further towards cosy, farming-sim territory, giving role-players in particular new ways to build domestic, peaceful playstyles within a world usually defined by combat and scarcity.

Although there is no confirmed release date, livestock assets such as cows, goats and sheep have already been added to the AUX01 staging branch for early testing. Players can buy the animals from NPCs, then raise, breed and eventually slaughter them for meat, fat, cloth and leather, with genetics affecting offspring quality much like existing crop-breeding systems. Animals need grass, water and companionship to thrive, and build trust through five bond stages from "Stranger" up to "Herd", with fenced enclosures recommended to protect them from predators. Testing requires opting into the staging branch using the password "livestock2026".