Garry's Mod Server Hosting Canada

What Is Garry's Mod Server Hosting?

Garry's Mod server hosting is a managed service that runs the Garry's Mod Dedicated Server on professional hardware in a datacentre, around the clock, so your server keeps going whether or not anyone is online. Every GTX Gaming Garry's Mod server includes up to 5GB of RAM, up to 100GB of NVMe storage, daily automatic backups, enterprise DDoS protection and a web control panel with Configuration Files for the start line, server.cfg and mount.cfg, and a Mod Manager that installs DarkRP, mounts Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 content and adds a MySQL database.

People look for it as a GMod server, a Garry's Mod dedicated server, a Garry's Mod game server, a Garry's Mod private server or simply a Garry's Mod server to rent, and they all mean the same thing: a home for your own Garry's Mod server, with your gamemode, your maps, your addons and only the players you invite.

What Is Garry's Mod?

Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox from Facepunch Studios, published by Valve on Steam since 29 November 2006 and built on Valve's Source engine. There are no predefined aims or goals: the game gives you the tools and leaves you to play.

• Build anything: spawn props, ragdolls and NPCs, weld and rope them together with the Physgun and the Toolgun, and build contraptions, vehicles and machines.
• Play any gamemode: Sandbox and Trouble in Terrorist Town ship with the game, and the community has made thousands more, from DarkRP roleplay and Prop Hunt to Murder and Zombie Survival.
• Workshop everything: maps, weapons, vehicles, player models and whole gamemodes come from the Steam Workshop, and a server shares its collection with every player who joins.
• Lua under the hood: every gamemode and addon is written in Lua, which is why Garry's Mod servers can be anything their owners want.
• Still updated: twenty years on, Facepunch still ships regular patches: the April 2026 Update and the September 2026 Update are the latest.

Garry's Mod runs on Windows, macOS and Linux; the dedicated server runs on Windows and Linux.

Why Rent a Garry's Mod Server?

Anyone can run the Garry's Mod Dedicated Server from their own PC, but most communities rent one instead, for reasons that show up the first time someone wants to play TTT while the host is asleep:

• Always online: your server runs 24 hours a day, so players on different schedules can build, roleplay and play rounds whenever they like.
• Nothing to run at home: no port forwarding on your router and no PC left running, and your own PC stays free for playing.
• Listed and reachable: a GTX server has a public IP address, so players can connect directly, and with a Steam login token your server ranks normally in the server browser under its own name.
• Addons without the hassle: one Workshop collection ID in the control panel installs every map, addon and gamemode, and DarkRP, CSS and TF2 content install from the Mod Manager.
• Your rules: set the gamemode, map, player limit, password, Sandbox limits and loading screen, and decide who gets admin.
• Backups and support: daily automatic backups, the Backup Manager and a 24/7 support team mean a griefer, a broken addon or a bad update is an inconvenience, not the end of your community.

Getting Started & Joining Your Garry's Mod Server

Your server is set up the moment you order. From there, getting your friends onto the map typically looks like this:

• Order: choose your slots, memory and location, and your server is set up instantly.
• Name it: set your hostname and, if you like, an sv_password in server.cfg through Configuration Files.
• Pick your game: set the gamemode, starting map and Workshop collection ID in the Start.bat Config Editor.
• Make yourself admin: add your SteamID to the superadmin group in garrysmod/settings/users.txt through the File Manager and restart.
• Get listed: add a free Steam Game Server Login Token so your server ranks in the server browser (see the token section).
• Join: in Garry's Mod, open Multiplayer and find your server under its gamemode, or press Join in your control panel, or type connect and your IP address and port into the console.

Your server's IP address and port are shown at the top of your control panel, ready to copy, and the Join button there opens Garry's Mod straight onto your server. The Web Console shows the server log live, and the SFTP details sit next to the connection info.

Server Settings, Gamemode, Map & Mounted Content

A Garry's Mod server is set up in a handful of plain-text files, and on a GTX Gaming server you edit them in your browser through Configuration Files, with a Config Editor for the start line, server.cfg and mount.cfg so you never have to remember a console variable. The start line (Start.bat) sets what the server runs: the gamemode, the starting map, the player limit, your Workshop collection ID and your Steam login token. server.cfg holds the server itself:

• hostname and sv_password: the name players see in the server browser, and an optional password for a private server.
• rcon_password: the password for remote console commands, also used by the panel's Web Console.
• sv_loadingurl: the web page players see while they load in, the classic spot for your community's rules and branding.
• sv_allowcslua: whether players may run client-side Lua scripts; leave it off on a public server.
• sbox_* limits: the Sandbox caps for props, ragdolls, NPCs, vehicles, thrusters and the rest, plus noclip and god mode, from sbox_maxprops to sbox_godmode.
• sv_downloadurl and sv_allowdownload: how custom content reaches players: through your Workshop collection, a FastDL web server or the server itself.
• mount.cfg: the file that mounts Counter-Strike: Source, Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life 2 episode content into your server, so Workshop maps and addons built on it stop showing errors.

Most settings only load when the server starts, so restart after a change. skill.cfg sets the NPC difficulty, and banned_user.cfg and banned_ip.cfg run at startup. Garry's Mod servers do not save a world the way survival games do, so most owners schedule a restart through the panel's Scheduled Tasks, and our daily backups cover the rest.

Steam Workshop Collections, Maps & Addons

The Garry's Mod Steam Workshop holds the maps, weapons, vehicles, player models, tools and gamemodes that make every server different. A dedicated server installs them from a Workshop collection, as the official wiki describes, and on a GTX server that takes a few minutes:

• Build a collection: on the Steam Workshop, create a collection, add every addon your server needs and make it public or unlisted. Collections can be nested, and the server downloads the sub-collections too.
• Add the ID: copy the number at the end of the collection's address into the Workshop collection field of the Start.bat Config Editor under Configuration Files. The server downloads the whole collection when it starts and keeps it updated on every restart.
• Set the gamemode and map: the gamemode field takes the gamemode's folder name (sandbox, terrortown, darkrp) and the map field the map name (gm_construct, rp_downtown, ttt_rooftops). A map or gamemode that is in the collection is sent to players automatically when they join.
• Keep it current: addons update on restart; the host_workshop_autoupdate variable can turn that off if you want to pin versions.

Players download the collection's content automatically when they connect, so your friends never install an addon by hand; the official wiki calls this WorkshopDL, and it is the fastest way to serve content. A FastDL web server with sv_downloadurl is the alternative for files that are not on the Workshop. Our Workshop addons guide walks through the collection setup step by step.

DarkRP, TTT, Prop Hunt & Other Gamemodes

Gamemodes are what turn a Garry's Mod server into a community: a DarkRP city with jobs and an economy, a Trouble in Terrorist Town server with nightly rounds, a Prop Hunt or Murder party server, or a plain Sandbox build server. On a GTX server they come from three places:

• Built in: Sandbox and Trouble in Terrorist Town ship with the game. Set the gamemode field in the Start.bat Config Editor to sandbox or terrortown and restart.
• DarkRP: the roleplay gamemode that runs the busiest Garry's Mod servers. On a GTX server it installs in one click from the Mod Manager (DarkRP (latest version)), and the MySQL Database tool there gives it a database for persistent data. Our DarkRP guide covers the install and the first jobs.
• Workshop gamemodes: Prop Hunt, Murder, Zombie Survival, Deathrun and the rest install through your Workshop collection; set the gamemode field to the folder name the addon's page gives.
• Addon files and settings: addons you upload by hand go in the garrysmod/addons folder, which you reach through the File Manager or SFTP, and the Log Viewer and Web Console show what each addon loads and logs.

Switching gamemode is a restart away, so many communities run a DarkRP main server and a TTT or Prop Hunt server beside it on a second GTX plan.

Admins, RCON, Bans & the Console

Garry's Mod has a simple built-in admin system, and you manage it through the File Manager and the Web Console:

• users.txt: garrysmod/settings/users.txt ships with the game and lists players by SteamID in a superadmin and an admin group; add yourself to superadmin and restart.
• RCON and the Web Console: the rcon_password in server.cfg lets you run console commands remotely, and the panel's Web Console does the same from your browser.
• Bans: banned_user.cfg and banned_ip.cfg under Configuration Files keep griefers out; the server runs them at startup.
• Admin addons: ULX and similar Workshop addons add ranks, kick and ban menus, gag and mute, teleport and much more on top of the built-in groups. Add them to your collection like any other addon.
• Server Operator Rules: Facepunch blacklists servers that fake player counts or locations or act against their players, so set sv_location to your real region and keep to the rules.

Console commands such as changelevel, kick and banid can be typed into the Web Console in your control panel, or in the in-game console once you are an admin. The panel's Scheduled Tasks can restart the server on a timer, which also pulls the latest version of every addon in your collection.

Steam Login Token & the Server Browser

Since the May 2020 update, Facepunch says every Garry's Mod server should have a Game Server Login Token (GSLT). A server without one runs as an anonymous game server account, players can still join through the IP address and port, but it is ranked with a severe penalty in the server browser, so nobody finds it by browsing. Getting listed properly takes a few minutes:

• Create a token: on Steam's game server account management page, create a token for app ID 4000 (Garry's Mod) with a memo so you remember which server it belongs to; each server needs its own token.
• Add it to your server: paste the token into the Steam login token field of the Start.bat Config Editor under Configuration Files (it is the sv_setsteamaccount parameter on the start line).
• Restart: after a restart your server ranks normally in the browser under its hostname, and players can keep finding it even if its IP address changes.

Set sv_location to your server's real region as well: Facepunch's GSLT page and Server Operator Rules ask for correct server information, and a wrong flag can get a server blacklisted.

Moving Your Server, Backups & Keeping It Updated

Already running a server with friends or with another host? A Garry's Mod server is its garrysmod folder: addons, data, cfg and your Workshop collection ID. Stop the server, upload the folders through the File Manager or SFTP into the same place, set the same gamemode, map and collection ID in the Start.bat Config Editor, and start the server again. Our support team can handle the whole move for you, from copying your files to checking the gamemode loads.

Press Steam Update in your control panel and your server is brought up to the latest Garry's Mod version; the x86-64 Steam Update tool in the Mod Manager switches it to the 64-bit branch. Players must run the same game version as the server to join, so update when Facepunch releases a patch, and take a backup first if you run many addons, since some need their own update after a game patch. At the time of writing the latest patch is the September 2026 Update, released on 16 September 2026. Every GTX server has daily automatic backups, and the Backup Manager lets you take and restore your own at any time.

How Much Does Garry's Mod Server Hosting Cost in Canada?

You pay per player slot, from 8 to 64 slots at CA$0.89/mo each, plus any extra memory, with up to 5GB of RAM and up to 100GB of NVMe storage included on every server. Our three recommended builds are:

• Construct, 16 slots with 5GB RAM: CA$14.24/mo. A Sandbox or Prop Hunt server for you and your friends.
• Metropolis, 32 slots with 5GB RAM: CA$28.48/mo. Our recommended size for a TTT or DarkRP community with room to grow.
• Bigcity, 64 slots with 8GB RAM: CA$62.28/mo. Public DarkRP servers and big addon collections.

Every slot count from 8 to 64 is available, see the full list under our plans or set your own on the order form. All plans include instant setup, Workshop and gamemode support, DDoS protection, daily automatic backups and 24/7 support, with no setup fee and no contract. Billing is monthly by default, with three-month, six-month and yearly cycles available at a discount, and you can change plan or cancel at any time.

How Many Slots & How Much RAM Does a Garry's Mod Server Need?

Choose a slot for every player who will be online at the same time. A group of friends is well served by 8 to 16 slots, a TTT or Prop Hunt community by 24 to 32, and public DarkRP servers by 48 or more, up to 64. Memory is the other half, and Garry's Mod is light on it compared with most games we host. On our own demo server, a freshly installed Garry's Mod server used about 175MB of RAM with nobody online. Big Workshop collections, DarkRP with hundreds of addons and a full server of players add to it, so as a guide the included 5GB covers up to 32 players, 8GB suits 48 or more, and 12GB a full 64 slot DarkRP server with a large collection. The control panel shows live memory and player graphs, so you can see exactly when your server needs more and upgrade, up to 32GB, without losing anything.

Locations for Garry's Mod Server Hosting

A low ping makes every prop fight, every TTT round and every DarkRP raid feel responsive, so host close to your players. GTX Gaming runs Garry's Mod server hosting from a Canadian datacentre in Quebec plus 18 more locations worldwide: New York, Ashburn, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles and Portland in the USA; London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Madrid in Europe; Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore and Mumbai in Asia-Pacific; plus Moscow. Some locations carry a surcharge, shown at checkout. Use the live ping test above to find the lowest-latency location for your group, pick it at checkout, and if you need to move later our support team can migrate your server.

Best Garry's Mod Server Hosting: What to Compare Before You Rent

Most offers to rent a Garry's Mod server look alike at first glance. These are the things that decide how your server actually plays once your community moves in:

• Price per slot: GMod communities grow fast, so a fair per-slot price matters. Every GTX Gaming slot costs the same, from 8 to 64, with 5GB of RAM included.
• Workshop, gamemodes and content: a good host takes a collection ID, installs DarkRP and mounts CSS and TF2 content from the panel. Ours does.
• CPU: the Source engine runs a server on one main thread, so single-core speed decides how a full DarkRP server feels. Our servers run on high-frequency CPUs, with CPU priority and clock boost available as upgrades.
• Location: ping decides how a round feels. We run Garry's Mod servers in 19 locations across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific (see Locations).
• Control and backups: full access to your config files, a File Manager and SFTP for your addons and data, and backups you can restore yourself. Every GTX Gaming server has daily automatic backups and the Backup Manager.
• Billing and refunds: monthly billing with no contract, no setup fee and a 24-hour money-back guarantee, so you can try a Garry's Mod dedicated server without risk.

Not sure which size fits your group? Compare our builds under pricing, or ask our 24/7 support team to size your server with you.

Garry's Mod Server Hosting Glossary

Quick definitions of the terms you'll meet across Garry's Mod, our control panel and your server settings:

Setup Guides & Help for Your Garry's Mod Server

Once your Garry's Mod server is live, our knowledge base walks you through the common tasks: downloading Workshop addons to your server, installing DarkRP, adding your server to GameTracker, setting up automatic restarts and connecting over SFTP. Our 24/7 support team is on live chat and tickets for anything the guides don't cover:

Have any questions? Contact Us