How to Install and Manage Mods on Your Garry's Mod Server

Garry's Mod is built around community-made content. Whether you want to run a DarkRP server loaded with custom jobs, a Prop Hunt lobby with extra maps, or a sandbox world full of player models and weapons, mods and addons are what make each server unique.

This guide explains how to find, install, and manage mods on your Garry's Mod server from the RiverHosting panel, step by step.

Before you start

• You need an active Garry's Mod server on RiverHosting. Log in to the panel at panel.riverhosting.com and open your server.
• Your server must be stopped before you upload or replace addon files. This avoids file conflicts and ensures the server loads everything cleanly on the next start.
• Mods for Garry's Mod are usually called addons. They come in two main forms: Workshop addons (linked by Steam Workshop collection) and manually uploaded addons (uploaded as folders or files to the server).
• You do not need to know Linux or use the command line to follow this guide.

1. How to add Workshop addons using a collection

The most common and beginner-friendly way to add mods to a Garry's Mod server is to use a Steam Workshop collection. You create a collection on the Steam Workshop website, add all the addons you want to it, then point your server at that collection ID.

1. Go to the Steam Workshop for Garry's Mod and sign in with your Steam account.
2. Browse for the addons you want. On each addon page, click Add to Collection and either add it to an existing collection or create a new one.
3. Once your collection is ready, open it and copy the numeric ID from the URL. For example, in the URL steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=123456789, the ID is 123456789.
4. Log in to the RiverHosting panel at panel.riverhosting.com and open your Garry's Mod server.
5. Click Server Config in the left-hand menu.
6. Find the Workshop Collection ID field and enter your collection ID.
7. Save your changes.
8. Start your server. It will automatically download all the addons in your collection before launching.

2. How to upload addons manually using the File Manager

If an addon is not on the Steam Workshop, or if you have a custom addon you made yourself, you can upload it directly using the File Manager.

1. Stop your server using the Stop button at the top of your server page.
2. Click Files in the left-hand menu to open the File Manager.
3. Navigate to the garrysmod/addons folder. If this folder does not exist yet, you can create it by clicking the New Folder button.
4. Upload your addon folder or files. Click the Upload button and select the files from your computer. Each addon should be in its own subfolder inside garrysmod/addons.
5. Once the upload is complete, go back to your server page and click Start.
6. Check the Console tab as the server starts. You should see the addons being loaded without errors.

3. How to use the Content Mounts page

Garry's Mod servers can also mount content from other Steam games, such as Counter-Strike: Source or Half-Life 2. This is useful if your server uses maps or models that depend on assets from those games. The RiverHosting panel includes a dedicated Content Mounts page for this.

1. Click Content Mounts in the left-hand menu of your Garry's Mod server.
2. You will see a list of supported games that can be mounted as content sources.
3. Enable the games whose content your server needs.
4. Save your changes and restart the server for the content to take effect.

4. How to remove an addon

If you want to remove a mod that is no longer needed, the method depends on how it was installed.

For Workshop addons:

1. Open your Steam Workshop collection and remove the addon from it.
2. Restart your server. The addon will no longer be downloaded on the next startup.

For manually uploaded addons:

1. Stop your server.
2. Open Files in the left-hand menu.
3. Navigate to garrysmod/addons and find the addon folder you want to remove.
4. Right-click the folder and choose Delete, or select it and use the delete option.
5. Start your server again.

Troubleshooting

• Addons are not loading on startup: Check the Console tab for error messages. Look for lines mentioning a failed mount or a missing folder. Make sure each addon has its own subfolder inside garrysmod/addons.
• Workshop addons are not downloading: Confirm your collection is set to Public on Steam. Also check that you entered the correct numeric ID in the Server Config page and that you saved the change before starting the server.
• Players see error models or missing textures: This usually means a content dependency is missing. Check the Content Mounts page to see if a game source needs to be enabled, or look for a community content fix addon on the Workshop.
• Server crashes after adding an addon: Open the Console tab and look at the last lines before the crash. A conflicting or broken addon is usually the cause. Try removing recently added addons one at a time to find the problem.
• Addon folder was uploaded but nothing changed: Make sure the server was stopped before uploading, and that you fully started the server after the upload was complete. The server needs a clean restart to pick up new addons.

Need help?

If you run into a problem that this guide does not cover, the RiverHosting support team is here to help.