Garry's Mod server setup: DarkRP and more

Garry's Mod (GMod) is approaching two decades of age and still pulls tens of thousands of daily players on Steam. DarkRP, Trouble in Terrorist Town, Prop Hunt, Murder: the gamemodes are endless. A dedicated server gives you full control over rules, addons and the community around it.

Choosing a gamemode

The gamemode defines your server's identity:

DarkRP: the most popular roleplay mode. Players pick jobs (police, dealer, mayor), earn money and build bases.
TTT (Trouble in Terrorist Town): a murder mystery game. Traitors try to eliminate the innocents without getting caught.
Sandbox: the original GMod experience. Free building with props and tools.
Prop Hunt: hide and seek. One team disguises as objects; the other team hunts them down.

Starting the server

Select GMod in the game panel or install the dedicated server via SteamCMD.
Set the gamemode through startup options: +gamemode darkrp (or terrortown, sandbox).
Set the starting map: +map gm_construct for Sandbox, +map rp_downtown_v4c for DarkRP.
Create a Steam Game Server Login Token (GSLT) at steamcommunity.com. Without a token, your server will not appear in the server browser.

Addons via the Workshop

GMod addons come from the Steam Workshop. You can add them in two ways:

Workshop collection: create a collection on the Steam Workshop, add all the addons you want and set the collection ID in the server configuration. Players download the addons automatically when they connect. This is the recommended approach.
Manual: download the addon and place it in the addons/ folder.

The collection method keeps everything synchronised. Players do not need to do anything manually, which reduces support questions and connection issues.

Setting up DarkRP

DarkRP requires extra configuration beyond the base install:

Jobs: define jobs in darkrpmodification/lua/darkrp_customthings/jobs.lua. Each job has a name, player model, weapons and a salary.
Entities: money printers, drugs, weapons. Define them in entities.lua.
Settings: adjust F4 menu rules, advertisement costs and door prices.

DarkRP has a learning curve, but once you understand the darkrpmodification folder structure, adding new content becomes straightforward.

System requirements

RAM: 2 to 4 GB for most gamemodes. DarkRP with many addons: 4 GB. TTT: 2 GB.
CPU: lightweight. GMod runs on the Source engine and is not demanding.
Storage: 5 to 15 GB, depending on maps and addon count.

Essential addons for DarkRP

ULX + ULib: admin system with banning, kicking, god mode and more.
DarkRP Modification: the customisation addon that ships with DarkRP. This is where you define all your custom content.
Wiremod: advanced building tools for contraptions.
M9K Weapons or TFA Base: weapon packs that replace the default Half-Life 2 weapons.

Keeping your server populated

GMod servers live or die by their community. Advertise on sites like gametracker.com and the GMod server browser. A Discord server with active staff and regular events helps keep players coming back. Avoid pay-to-win donation systems; they drive players to competitors.

Do players need to install the addons?

If you use a Workshop collection, players download everything automatically when they connect. The first connection may take longer with large collections, but no manual action is needed on the player's side.

Can I run multiple gamemodes on one server?

Not at the same time. Each server instance runs one gamemode. You can switch by changing the startup parameter and restarting. For multiple gamemodes running simultaneously, you need multiple server instances.

Is GMod outdated?

The engine is old (Source 1), but the player numbers remain stable. GMod still had tens of thousands of daily players in 2026. The community continuously creates new content. Facepunch is working on s&box as a successor, but GMod is not shutting down.

A GMod server runs well on a small game server plan or a KVM VPS.