How to Change the Gamemode and Map on Your Garry's Mod Server

Garry's Mod starts on a gamemode and a map, and both are set in the game panel. This guide shows how to pick a gamemode, how to set the start map, and how to change the map while the server is running.

1Open Game Settings

• Log in to your game panel and click your Garry's Mod server.
• Open Game Settings in the left menu, under GAME SERVER.
• Find the Server section. It holds Gamemode, Start Map and Max Players.

2Choose the Gamemode

• Open the Gamemode dropdown and pick one of the listed gamemodes: Sandbox, Trouble in Terrorist Town, DarkRP, Murder or Prop Hunt.
• For any other gamemode, pick Other... and type the name of its folder.
• The panel saves the field by itself. A yellow bar at the top says Settings saved. Restart the server to apply your changes.

These are the folder names of the common gamemodes:

sandbox
terrortown
darkrp
murder
prop_hunt

3Set the Start Map

• In Start Map, type the name of the map without .bsp, for example gm_flatgrass or gm_construct.
• The default is gm_flatgrass. The panel saves the field by itself.
• Check that the map suits your gamemode. Not every map works with every gamemode.

4Restart the Server

• Open Console in the left menu.
• Press Restart.
• Wait until the status next to the server name reads RUNNING.

Changes on the Game Settings page only apply after a restart.

5Change the Map Without a Restart

You can switch maps while the server is running. This does not change the Start Map, so after the next restart the server starts on the saved map again.

• Open Console in the left menu.
• Type this in the box at the bottom and press Enter:

changelevel gm_construct

• Replace gm_construct with the map you want.

Good to Know

• Gamemodes and maps from the Workshop work too. Select the gamemode by its folder name under Gamemode, and type the map name as the Start Map. Add the item to your Workshop collection so it downloads.
• A gamemode you upload by hand also needs its folder name. Choose Other... and type the name of its folder in garrysmod/gamemodes/.
• Max Players is in the same section. It goes up to 128, and the default is 32.

Finished

Your server now starts on the gamemode and map you chose. Next, add Workshop addons to give your players more to do.