Why host your own Garry’s Mod server? 🎮
Hosting your own server means total freedom - your rules, your maps, your chaos. Whether you want to run Prop Hunt weekends, DarkRP cities, or creative sandbox worlds, a well-tuned server lets your community thrive without lag or limits.
Step 1: Choose your server type 💡
There are two main options for Garry’s Mod servers:
- Dedicated hosting: Best for performance, uptime, and customisation. Perfect for larger or long-term communities.
- Local hosting: Good for testing or playing with a few friends, but limited by your hardware and internet connection.
If you’re serious about performance and uptime, a managed host like ChipHead makes setup and scaling effortless.
Step 2: Install Garry’s Mod Dedicated Server 🧰
You’ll need SteamCMD - Valve’s server management tool, to install and update the dedicated server.
- Download SteamCMD and extract it to a folder on your machine or host.
- Run the tool and log in anonymously.
- Enter this command:
app_update 4020 validate
This installs the Garry’s Mod server files. - Once done, create a start.bat (Windows) or start.sh (Linux) file to launch the server with your chosen settings.
Step 3: Configure your server settings ⚙️
Open the server.cfg file inside your Garry’s Mod directory. This file controls your server’s core behaviour.
Here are some key lines to set:
hostname "My Custom GMod Server"
rcon_password "YourSecurePassword"
sv_password "" // Leave empty for public servers
sv_lan 0 // 0 for online play
sv_region 3 // 3 = Europe
You can also adjust gameplay rules like gravity, voice chat, and friendly fire in this file.
🧠 Tip: Keep a backup copy of your config so you can restore it quickly if something breaks.
Step 4: Install and mount content 📦
Many servers use content from other Source games (like Half-Life 2 or CS: Source). To include these assets:
- Mount their content paths inside the
mount.cfgfile. - Example:
"cstrike" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Source\cstrike"
This ensures your players see all textures and props correctly instead of pink errors or missing models.
Step 5: Add your favourite addons 🧩
Addons are what make GMod truly special. From Wiremod and ULX to Prop Hunt or TTT, you can find everything on the Steam Workshop.
To install:
- Subscribe to addons on the Workshop.
- Find their IDs and add them to your collection.
- Link that collection to your server startup file using:
+host_workshop_collection <YourCollectionID> - Restart your server, the addons will auto-install.
Step 6: Optimise for performance 🚀
Smooth gameplay keeps players coming back. Here’s how to fine-tune performance:
- Limit max players to what your hardware can handle (20–30 is ideal).
- Adjust tickrate (default 66) if you’re seeing lag, higher values increase performance load.
- Avoid stacking too many heavy addons or large maps.
- Restart the server occasionally to clear memory leaks.
- Monitor CPU and RAM usage to spot bottlenecks early.
🧩 Pro tip: Clean up old workshop files and map rotations regularly to save space and speed up load times.
Step 7: Moderate and protect your server 🔒
With great power comes… chaos. Keep your world safe with moderation tools:
- ULX & ULib: Essential admin mods for banning, kicking, teleporting, and map voting.
- Anti-Cheat Addons: Reduce exploiters and hackers.
- Whitelist or password-protected access: Perfect for private or testing environments.
Step 8: Keep it fresh and fun 🌟
Rotate maps, host community events, and keep things interesting with themed nights or challenges. Active servers with friendly admins grow fast and retain loyal players.
Final thoughts 💭
Setting up your Garry’s Mod server is easier than it looks and the reward is worth it. A stable, well-tuned server becomes a creative hub where players build, laugh, and experiment together.
If you host through ChipHead, you’ll have everything you need - from mod support to automatic updates and performance monitoring, so you can focus on the fun stuff.
Your sandbox, your rules. Now go build something incredible! 🧱
