The influence of different rare-earth sintering additives (Y, Yb, Lu) on the wear properties of Si3N4 ceramics was investigated during sliding contact without lubricant. The kind of rare-earth additives was shown to have a significant effect on the wear behavior for contact sliding under the present testing conditions. Samples sintered with Y2O3 as the sintering additive showed evidence of fracture type wear although this was not observed in samples sintered with Yb2O3 and Lu2O3. These smaller rare earths lead to higher grain boundary bonding strength and superior high-temperature properties and resulted in higher wear resistance. These results showed that the wear properties of Si3N4 ceramics could be tailored by judicious selection of the sintering additives.