How to Host a Garry's Mod Server on Loafhosts

Garry’s Mod is Facepunch Studios’ physics sandbox built on Valve’s Source engine: players spawn props, build contraptions, and run whatever gamemode a server chooses to load, from stock Sandbox to community favorites like DarkRP, TTT, or Prophunt. Hosting your own dedicated Garry’s Mod server means the world stays online around the clock on a fixed address, with Steam Workshop addons downloading automatically to everyone who joins, instead of the game being tied to whichever player’s PC happens to be running it. This guide walks through hosting a Garry’s Mod server on Loafhosts end to end: choosing a plan, deploying it in LoafHub, the startup fields you need to set (including the Steam Account Token every public server needs), where the config files actually live, connecting players, and the Loafhosts panel features that work with a Garry’s Mod server.

Why Run a Dedicated Garry’s Mod Server

Garry’s Mod can be hosted by starting a listen server from inside the game, but that ties the server to whoever is hosting: close the game and every player is disconnected, and the host’s own upload bandwidth and hardware carry the whole session. A dedicated server runs the Source Dedicated Server process (srcds_run) as its own standalone program on hardware built for it, so the map, spawned props, and any addon-driven persistence keep running whether or not you personally are online. It also gets you a real Steam Game Server Login Token so the server is publicly listed, a fixed IP and port players can bookmark, and automatic Steam Workshop downloads for anyone who connects.

Tip: A dedicated server keeps your world and any addon data running 24/7, independent of any one player’s game session

Tip: Players connect to one fixed IP and port instead of a host who comes and goes

Tip: Steam Workshop content you configure on the server downloads automatically to everyone who joins

Tip: Hosted hardware handles a busy Sandbox or DarkRP server with dozens of props and NPCs far better than a home PC running both the game and the server

Choosing a Plan

Garry’s Mod is not a heavy server by modern standards, but Workshop addons, Lua-driven gamemodes like DarkRP, and a full lobby of players all add real CPU and memory load. Facepunch’s own guidance is around 2 GB of RAM for a small server, and most communities are better served with 4 GB or more once a gamemode and a handful of Workshop addons are running; budget at least 20 GB of disk for the base install plus whatever Workshop content you add. Loafhosts runs one configurable Custom server: you slide RAM from 1 to 32 GB and storage from 10 to 500 GB and pick a protection tier. Give it more RAM and CPU headroom once a busy DarkRP or heavily propped Sandbox server is under real player load; a smaller build is great value for a Sandbox server with friends. Pricing starts at $13.50/mo, and longer billing cycles save up to 25%.

Tip: Plan for at least 2 GB of RAM on a small server and 4 GB or more once you add a gamemode and Workshop addons

Tip: Size up on RAM and CPU headroom if you run a busy DarkRP, TTT, or prop-heavy Sandbox server with a full player count

Tip: A smaller build is plenty for a Sandbox server with friends and keeps costs down

Note: Every Custom server uses AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPUs, DDR5 memory, and NVMe storage

Note: Every Custom server includes unlimited player slots, so sizing is about performance, not a seat cap

Picking a Server Region

Physics and hit registration in Source-engine games are sensitive to latency, so host close to the bulk of your players. Custom servers are available in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Frankfurt, covering US East, Central, West, and EU, with Montreal available for Strict protection.

1. List where your core players actually live, not where you live
2. For a US East or Canadian community, choose New York, or Montreal if you want Strict protection
3. For a Central US community, choose Dallas
4. For a US West or Pacific community, choose Los Angeles
5. For a European community, choose Frankfurt

Tip: A closer region keeps prop physics and player movement feeling responsive for everyone joining your server

Deploying Your Server on LoafHub

Loafhosts runs the LPV5 panel inside LoafHub at hub.loafhosts.com. After checkout, your Garry’s Mod server deploys quickly with no setup fees, then downloads the dedicated server through SteamCMD on first install.

1. Configure your Custom server, pick your region, and complete checkout at loafhosts.com
2. Open LoafHub at hub.loafhosts.com and log in
3. Select your new Garry’s Mod server to open the LPV5 panel
4. Wait for the first install to finish; SteamCMD is downloading the Source Dedicated Server files
5. Open the Console tab so you can watch the first boot
6. Press Start and confirm the console reaches a running state

Tip: There are no setup fees, so the price you saw at checkout is the price you pay

Tip: Bookmark hub.loafhosts.com for quick access to the panel

The Startup Settings You Need to Set

Garry’s Mod is configured mainly through its Startup tab in the LPV5 panel, which controls the flags passed to srcds_run on boot.

A few of these are worth knowing in more detail:

• Steam Account Token is your Steam Game Server Login Token, generated at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers. Without a valid GSLT here, your server will not show up in the in-game server browser or community tab, and Steam periodically resets the server’s identity. A GSLT tied to a single Steam account can only be active on one running server at a time.
• Workshop ID must be a Steam Workshop Collection ID, the number at the end of a collection’s URL, not an individual addon’s ID. Pointing this at a single addon silently downloads nothing useful.
• Source AppID is locked to 4020 on purpose. That is the SteamCMD app id for the dedicated server itself, which is a different number from the Store page id (4000) you’d use to buy the client. It updates the server on every restart; you never need to touch it.
• Lua Refresh should stay off for a production server. Turning it on hot-reloads server-side Lua scripts while players are connected, which is useful while you are actively developing a gamemode but is not what you want on a live community server.
• The default gamemode is Sandbox. Popular alternatives like DarkRP, TTT, and Prophunt are not a built-in dropdown; you install them as a Workshop addon or a gamemode folder and then point the Gamemode field at that gamemode’s folder name.

Warning: Public visibility requires a valid Steam Account Token; a server without one will not appear in the in-game browser or community tab

Where Config Lives

Garry’s Mod keeps its two important server files under the garrysmod folder, both reachable through the panel’s File Manager or the Config Editor:

• garrysmod/cfg/server.cfg is the main Source-engine config: the server name, connection password, loading and download URLs, Steam server-list region, and the sbox_* sandbox limits that cap how many props, ragdolls, NPCs, and vehicles each player can spawn.
• garrysmod/lua/autorun/server/workshop.lua holds a resource.AddWorkshop("id") line, which force-downloads a specific Workshop addon to every connecting client, separately from whatever collection you set in the Workshop ID field.

Because the Garry’s Mod egg does not template server.cfg through the panel’s normal config-file system, the on-disk file written at install time is the single source of truth for these settings. That is exactly what the Config Editor (see below) edits directly.

Connecting to Your Server

Once the console shows the server has started and, if you set one, your GSLT has registered it with Steam, your server is reachable by direct connect or, once it is listed, through the in-game server browser.

1. Copy the server’s IP and game port from the panel
2. In Garry’s Mod, open the console and run connect <ip>:<port>, or use the in-game server browser once your GSLT has propagated
3. Confirm the map loads and, if you set a Workshop Collection, that addons start downloading
4. Share the IP, port, and server password (if any) with your community

Tip: The in-game server browser can take a few minutes to pick up a freshly registered GSLT; direct connect works immediately

Loafhosts Features That Work With a Garry’s Mod Server

• Change Game: from the Game section of the sidebar, you can reinstall the server as a completely different game if your community moves on, without ordering a new server.
• Config Editor (BETA): a form-based editor for server.cfg, grouped into Server, Network, and Sandbox Limits, with three one-click presets for prop and NPC limits. See the dedicated Garry’s Mod Config Editor guide for the full field list.
• Console: the Console tab sends commands straight to the running srcds_run process, the same as typing at the server’s own console, so you can run map changes, kick commands, or any other console command without a separate tool. Garry’s Mod’s own RCON (rcon_password) is not wired to a Startup field the way some other games’ passwords are; if you want to reach the server with an external Source RCON client, set rcon_password yourself in server.cfg through the File Manager or the Console, then restart.
• Backups: schedule or trigger on-demand backups of your server’s files, useful before you change a gamemode, swap a Workshop collection, or make a large sandbox-limit change.
• Schedules: automate recurring tasks like a nightly restart to clear out spawned props and clean up server memory.
• Auto-Restart: the panel’s crash watchdog can bring the server back automatically if it detects a crash signature in the console output, so an overnight crash does not leave your community locked out until you notice.
• Steam Workshop mods: Loafhosts does not yet have a dedicated Workshop browser for Garry’s Mod the way it does for some other Steam Workshop games. Today, addons are added the way the game itself expects: set the Workshop ID field to a Workshop Collection ID to auto-download the whole collection to joining clients, and use the File Manager to edit workshop.lua’s resource.AddWorkshop() line for a single force-downloaded addon.

Keeping the Server Healthy

A Garry’s Mod server, especially a busy Sandbox or DarkRP box, benefits from a bit of routine maintenance: a scheduled restart clears out abandoned props and frees memory, a backup before any gamemode or Workshop change gives you a way back, and the auto-restart watchdog covers you when nobody is around to notice a crash.

Tip: Schedule a restart during a quiet hour to clear spawned props and free memory

Tip: Take a backup before switching gamemodes or swapping your Workshop collection

Note: Loafhosts offers a 3-day money-back guarantee on game servers if the host is not the right fit

Frequently Asked Questions

How much RAM does a Garry’s Mod server need?

Plan for at least 2 GB of RAM on a small vanilla Sandbox server, and 4 GB or more once you add a gamemode like DarkRP and a set of Workshop addons. Budget around 20 GB of disk for the base install plus your Workshop content.

Why doesn’t my server show up in the in-game browser?

You need a valid Steam Game Server Login Token in the Steam Account Token startup field. Without one, the server runs fine for direct connect but will not appear in the in-game server browser or community tab, and Steam will periodically reset the server’s identity.

How do I add Steam Workshop addons?

Set the Workshop ID startup field to a Workshop Collection ID (the number at the end of a collection’s URL, not a single addon’s ID) to auto-download the whole collection to every connecting client. For a single force-downloaded addon outside a collection, edit garrysmod/lua/autorun/server/workshop.lua through the File Manager.

Can I run DarkRP, TTT, or Prophunt?

Yes. Garry’s Mod does not have a built-in gamemode selector; install the gamemode as a Workshop addon or upload its files, then set the Gamemode startup field to that gamemode’s folder name.

Does Loafhosts support RCON for Garry’s Mod?

Garry’s Mod uses standard Source Engine RCON, but the panel does not expose a dedicated RCON field for it the way it does for some other games. You can send console commands directly from the panel’s Console tab, or set rcon_password yourself in server.cfg to connect with any external Source RCON client over the game’s UDP port.

How much does Garry’s Mod server hosting cost?

The Custom server starts at $13.50/mo, and you scale the price by sliding RAM and storage to fit your server. Longer billing cycles save up to 25%, and there are no setup fees.

Can I get a refund if Garry’s Mod hosting is not for me?

Yes. Loafhosts offers a 3-day money-back guarantee on game servers, so you can try it and request a refund within that window if it is not the right fit.