How to Join a Garry's Mod Server in 2026

Contents#

• Requirements before you play
• The in-game server browser
• Direct connection by IP
• Steam favourites
• Addons and the Steam Workshop
• Understanding gamemodes
• Fixing connection problems

Introduction#

More than twenty years after its release, Garry's Mod remains a pillar of multiplayer sandbox gaming. DarkRP, TTT, Prop Hunt: its community servers offer experiences you will not find anywhere else. Joining one, however, works differently from most games, mainly because of the addons you need to download before connecting. This guide walks you through every method step by step, along with the pitfalls.

Requirements before you play#

Before joining anything, check these points:

• Garry's Mod bought and installed through Steam. The game is paid and runs exclusively through Steam. There is no free or alternative version.
• A Steam account in good standing. Some servers require an account with a minimum age or level to limit throwaway accounts.
• Enough disk space. Server addons can take up several gigabytes, especially on well-equipped DarkRP servers.
• A stable connection. Joining a server for the first time can take several minutes, since it downloads all of its content.

One often overlooked point: many maps, particularly for DarkRP, use content from Counter-Strike: Source. Without that game, you will see black and pink textures in places. It does not prevent you from playing, but it is unpleasant, and communities usually offer a free fix for it.

The in-game server browser#

The simplest method for discovering servers. From the main menu, click Find Multiplayer Game, then go to the Internet tab. You will see the list of public servers with their gamemode, map, player count and ping.

Use the filters to narrow things down usefully: by gamemode to see only DarkRP or TTT, and by ping to stay on servers near you. Then double-click a server to join.

If the list only shows a handful of servers instead of hundreds, it is almost always a filter issue. Check that no search term is active, reset the filters, and switch the tab from Favourites to Internet.

Direct connection by IP#

The fastest method when you know a server's address, for example from a list like the Garry's Mod server rankings.

First enable the console: Options, then Advanced, then tick the developer console box. Then press the F10 key or the key below Escape to open it, and type:

connect IP:PORT

For example connect 51.83.42.10:27015. Garry's Mod's default port is 27015. Confirm with Enter and the game connects you directly.

Steam favourites#

Handy for finding your favourite servers again without searching every time. In Steam, open the View menu, then Servers, go to the Favourites tab and click Add a server. Enter the address with its port and confirm.

The server then appears in your list, and a double-click launches Garry's Mod and connects you automatically. You can also add servers to your favourites directly from the in-game browser.

Addons and the Steam Workshop#

This is where Garry's Mod differs from every other game, and the most common source of trouble for newcomers.

Every server uses its own addons: weapons, vehicles, playermodels, maps, tools. When you join, your client downloads them automatically if the server is properly configured. That explains the sometimes long loading times on your first connection.

Many communities, however, provide a Steam Workshop collection and ask you to subscribe to it before joining. Why? Because it avoids the automatic download, which is slower and less reliable, and because it prevents the infamous ERRORS and black and pink textures that indicate missing content. The collection link is usually on the server's website, its Discord or its description.

A practical tip: if you play on several servers, subscribed addons pile up and can conflict with each other. If your game crashes when connecting, that is often the cause.

Understanding gamemodes#

Unlike most games, each server sets its own gamemode, and the experiences have nothing to do with one another. The main ones:

• DarkRP — the most popular, a roleplay mode with jobs, an economy, property and police. The heart of the community scene.
• TTT (Trouble in Terrorist Town) — social deduction: traitors among innocents, a fresh investigation each round.
• Prop Hunt — hide and seek where one team disguises itself as objects.
• Sandbox — the original mode, free building with no rules or objectives.
• Murder, Deathrun, Cinema — popular variants, each with its own community.

Check the gamemode before joining: a sandbox server and a serious DarkRP server have neither the same rules nor the same expectations.

Fixing connection problems#

If something goes wrong, work through these points in order.

The server is not responding. Check the IP and port, a single typo is enough. The server may also be offline or full.

The game crashes while loading addons. This is the most common case. Unsubscribe from your Workshop addons, restart the game, and subscribe only to the collection of the server you want to play on.

Black and pink textures or ERROR signs. Content is missing. Subscribe to the server's collection and check whether the map requires Counter-Strike: Source.

The download takes forever. Some servers do not offer optimised downloading. Subscribing to the collection in advance through the Workshop usually solves it.

Only a few servers in the list. Reset your filters and check that you are on the Internet tab rather than Favourites.

Conclusion#

Joining a Garry's Mod server is simple once you understand the principle: find the server through the in-game browser or a directory, connect with a double-click or with connect, and above all subscribe to the Workshop collection to avoid errors.

To find yours, explore the Garry's Mod server rankings, and if you run your own server, consider listing it to put it in front of players. Have fun!