What is Garry's Mod
Garry's Mod (Gmod) is a sandbox physics game built on Valve's Source engine. Released in 2006, it has sold over 20 million copies and spawned an enormous community of server-side game modes that have collectively defined a generation of online gaming. Gmod itself does not have a traditional goal — it is a toolbox, and the game modes created by the community are where the actual gameplay lives.
To play on Gmod multiplayer servers you need a copy of Garry's Mod on Steam. Many servers also use content from other Source engine games like Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2, or Team Fortress 2. If you do not own those games, you may see missing textures or error models (purple-and-black checkerboards and red ERROR signs) when joining certain servers. This is cosmetic only and does not prevent you from playing, but owning CS:S in particular resolves most missing content issues on popular servers.
Server-side mods in Gmod download automatically when you join a server that uses them, via the Steam Workshop. This process can take a few minutes on your first join of a new server — the game is downloading all the custom models, maps, and scripts the server uses.
The Most Popular Game Modes
DarkRP is by far the most played Gmod game mode. It is a city-life roleplay mode where players pick jobs — police officer, mayor, gun dealer, gangster, hitman — and interact in a shared city sandbox. Players earn money through their jobs, buy property, and engage in a persistent economy. DarkRP servers range from serious, rules-heavy roleplay communities to chaotic "RDM servers" where anything goes.
TTT (Trouble in Terrorist Town) is a social deduction game similar to Among Us. A hidden group of Traitors must eliminate Innocents before being discovered, while the Detectives try to identify them. Each round is short and tense, and the social deception element makes it uniquely fun in a way no other mode replicates.
Prop Hunt is a hide-and-seek mode where one team disguises themselves as props in the environment while the other team hunts them. Murder is similar to TTT but simpler. Deathrun places one player (the runner) trying to navigate traps while another player activates them. Sandbox is the base Gmod experience with physics props and tools. Military RP and Star Wars RP are serious role-play modes with military hierarchy and strict rules.
How to Filter Servers
On LobbyLink, filtering Gmod servers by game mode is the most important first step. The tag system lets you browse specifically for DarkRP, TTT, Prop Hunt, Deathrun, Murder, Sandbox, MilRP, SWRP, and more. This is much faster than scrolling through Gmod's in-game browser trying to read tiny server descriptions.
Player count is especially important for Gmod. DarkRP servers need enough players to make the economy and jobs feel alive — a DarkRP server with five players will feel empty. TTT, Prop Hunt, and similar social modes need at least 10–15 active players to create good games. Deathrun and Bhop servers can be fun with fewer people since they are individual-skill modes.
After filtering by game mode, check the server description on LobbyLink for community rules, any required applications, and Discord links. Many DarkRP and MilRP servers have strict rules about RDM, NLR (New Life Rule), and prop abuse. Joining without reading the rules on these servers often results in a quick ban.
Workshop Downloads
When you join a Gmod server for the first time, the game downloads all the custom content (maps, models, textures, sounds) the server uses via the Steam Workshop. This is automatic but can take a significant amount of time — popular DarkRP servers may have hundreds of megabytes of Workshop addons. Joining with a slow connection can mean waiting 10–20 minutes on the loading screen for the first-time download.
After the initial download, subsequent joins are nearly instant because the content is cached locally. The Workshop content does not go away when you leave; it remains on your computer for future visits. If you join many different servers over time, your Gmod install can grow quite large — the Steam library manager can help you identify and remove content you no longer need.
Some servers use a FastDL server instead of or in addition to Workshop downloads, which can dramatically speed up the first-time content download. This is handled server-side and is transparent to you as a player. If a server is taking unusually long to load, it may not be using FastDL — this is worth noting in the server's Discord as feedback.
Ready to find your server?
Browse the full Garry's Mod server list on LobbyLink with live player counts and uptime.