Garry's Mod Server Hosting

How a Garry's Mod Server Works

Facepunch describes Garry's Mod as a physics sandbox with no predefined aims. That openness is exactly why servers matter. Each server decides what kind of game its players get, through two settings: the gamemode, which sets the rules, and the map, which sets the stage. The same install can be a quiet building server one week and a frantic detective game the next.

Gamemodes live as folders, either in garrysmod/gamemodes on the server or inside an addon, including Workshop addons. You choose one with the gamemode setting, for example sandbox, and a starting map with the map setting, for example gm_construct. To swap later, change the gamemode and then change the map with changelevel, which also reloads the current one.

Running the dedicated server at home is possible, as Facepunch's wiki explains with SteamCMD. Hosting it in a data centre gives you a fixed address, an upload speed that can serve addons to dozens of players, DDoS filtering and backups, without leaving your own PC on overnight.

Building a Workshop Collection for Your Server

The cleanest way to manage addons is a Steam Workshop collection. The server reads the collection at start-up, downloads anything new, updates what has changed and mounts it all. Collections can be nested, so you can keep maps, weapons and player models in separate sub-collections and link them from one master list.

1. Create a collection on the Steam Workshop and set it to public or unlisted. A private collection cannot be read by the server.
2. Copy the collection ID, the number at the end of the collection's web address.
3. Get a personal Steam Web API key and keep it private.
4. In the Commandline Manager, create a new profile and fill in authkey with the API key and host_workshop_collection with the collection ID.
5. Press Steam Update, wait for it to finish, then start the server and watch the console as the addons download.

Facepunch now documents a second route too: from version 2026.09.22 the server can read a plain list of Workshop IDs from cfg/srcds_workshop_ids.txt, on its own or together with a collection. It is handy for a handful of server-only addons you would rather not publish in a collection.

Choosing a Gamemode: Sandbox, TTT, DarkRP and Others

Sandbox suits groups who want to build and mess about. TTT is a round-based murder mystery, as the Steam store puts it, with a detective chasing criminals who try to hide what they did, so it needs enough people for the guessing to work. DarkRP is a community roleplay mode, usually run on a city map, and roleplay servers tend to carry the largest addon packs of all. If your RP crowd wants a modern city with cars, jobs and police chases, FiveM server hosting brings the same kind of roleplay to GTA V.

If you plan to tweak a bundled gamemode such as TTT, Facepunch's wiki recommends copying it under a new folder name rather than editing the original, because a game update can overwrite your changes. The copy can still report itself as the original in the server browser.

You are not locked into one choice. Many communities run a second launch profile for events, such as a TTT night on a server that is normally Sandbox, and switch back the next morning. Keep each mode's addons in its own sub-collection so the server only loads what the active gamemode needs.

Memory, Addons and the 64-bit Server

In Garry's Mod, players are rarely what fills the memory. Content is. Every model, texture, map and Lua script the server loads stays in memory while the map runs, so a modest player count with a huge RP pack can need more than a busy Sandbox server. That is why our plans add memory step by step: 5GB on 16 slots, 8GB on 24, 12GB on 32, 16GB on 48 and 20GB on 64.

Facepunch's September 2026 Update is good news here. Until then the Windows server was a 32-bit program, and the update notes say the new 64-bit binaries reduce the risk of running out of 32-bit address space and crashing on heavy servers or with many addons. Make sure your server is on the latest build with Steam Update to benefit.

• Trim the collection: remove addons nobody uses. Every one adds start-up time, memory and download size.
• Watch for duplicates: two weapon packs that ship the same models waste memory and can clash.
• Restart on a schedule: a daily restart in the quiet hours clears out anything a long session has piled up.
• Test big packs first: add a large vehicle or map pack on a quiet evening and watch the memory graph before a busy weekend.

Use the memory graph in the panel as your guide. If it sits close to the limit during your busiest hour, move up a tier from the client area; the order form goes up to 32GB, and your files stay in place.

The Token, Server Browser and Privacy Settings

Facepunch's hosting guide calls a Game Server Login Token mandatory and says servers that skip it are penalised in the server ranking. Create the token on Steam for Garry's Mod and add it with sv_setsteamaccount.

• sv_location: a two-letter country code such as gb or us, up to five characters, which shows a flag beside your server. eu shows the European Union flag.
• hide_server 1: keeps the server out of the browser, useful while you build and test a new RP map.
• maxplayers: set by your plan's slot count.
• -p2p: a launch option for peer-to-peer mode, which a hosted server with its own address normally does not need.

Add server rules and a loading screen through your gamemode or addons, and give staff sub-user logins in the panel rather than sharing the main account.

Getting Content to Your Players Without Errors

Purple checkerboards and big red ERROR models mean a player is missing content the server is using. Lua files are not the issue: Facepunch's wiki notes they reach players through a separate process with no setup. Models, materials, sounds and maps are what need delivering, and there are three ways to do it.

For most servers the Workshop route wins. Facepunch also warns against generator websites that mark every addon for download, including Lua-only ones, because that only makes joining slower. Mark the addons that actually contain models, materials or sounds, and leave the rest alone.

Moving an Existing Server to Gaming Deluxe

Established communities rarely start from scratch. An RP server can hold years of player data, configs and custom jobs, and losing any of it means angry regulars. When you order, the form offers a free Migrate Old Host Saved Progress add-on: tick it, open a support ticket after the server is set up, and our team moves your files from the old host for you.

Prefer to do it yourself? Download the garrysmod folder's addons, cfg, data and gamemodes content from the old server, upload it over SFTP, copy your launch settings into the Commandline Manager and add your token. Start the server with the players locked out, check the console for errors, then announce the new address.

Updates, Beta Branches and Rolling Back

Facepunch usually posts an update notice about a week before release and says whether existing servers can still be joined. The April 2026 Update, for example, required servers to update before players could join and warned about binary modules, while September 2026 stayed compatible with older servers. Read the notice, take a snapshot, then update.

The dedicated server also has beta branches, including dev and prerelease, for testing upcoming changes. Facepunch notes that removing the beta option alone does not switch back; you have to select the public branch again. For a live community, staying on the public branch is the safe default.

When something does break, the Backup Manager restores the snapshot you took before the change, and we keep offsite copies of the last 7 days as a second safety net.

What to Compare Before You Rent a GMod Server

Garry's Mod servers live or die by their addons, so compare the parts that handle them.

1. Memory as the server growsCheck the RAM in each plan and the cost to step up. Heavy collections need it far more than extra slots do.
2. Workshop supportYou should be able to set authkey and host_workshop_collection yourself, without a ticket.
3. Gamemode installsSee which gamemodes can be installed for you, and whether you still have full file access for the rest.
4. Migration helpMoving an established RP server is fiddly. Ask whether the host will move the files for you.
5. Backups you can restoreAn addon update can break a server overnight. Make sure you can roll back from the panel.
6. Billing termsCompare monthly and longer cycles, and look for setup fees and minimum terms.

Garry's Mod Server Glossary

Gamemode

The rules a server runs, such as sandbox, terrortown or darkrp, set by folder name.

Workshop collection

A Steam Workshop list of addons the server downloads and mounts at start-up.

authkey

Your Steam Web API key, used by the server to read a Workshop collection.

host_workshop_collection

The launch setting that holds your collection ID.

Addon

Any extra content or Lua code: maps, models, weapons, tools or gamemodes.

Mounting

Letting Garry's Mod use content from another installed game, such as Black Mesa.

GSLT

Game Server Login Token, set with sv_setsteamaccount.

DarkRP

A community-made roleplay gamemode, installable from our Mod Manager.

TTT

Trouble in Terrorist Town, the murder mystery gamemode with a detective.

Garry's Mod Server Help and Next Steps

Guides for the first jobs on a new server.

• How to install Workshop addonsCollection ID, API key and the Commandline Manager.
• How to install DarkRPMod Manager steps.
• Facepunch: Workshop for Dedicated ServersCollections, ID files and update settings.
• Gaming Deluxe control panelWhat the panel does and how to log in.
• Our server locations
• Contact support24/7 help with addons, gamemodes and migrations.