🛠️
Free on your own PC

Free Garry's Mod dedicated server on your own PC

Run a Garry's Mod dedicated server — sandbox, TTT, DarkRP, whatever your add-ons support — on the Windows or Linux PC you already have. NodeMesh installs it, keeps it running and relays your friends' connections, so nothing needs opening on your router. Garry's Mod is in Beta on NodeMesh, and we haven't run it on our own hardware yet.

Free on your own PC — one host, no time limit.

How it works on your PC

1

Install the agent

Sign up, then paste one command from your dashboard on the PC that will run the server — PowerShell on Windows, a terminal on Linux. The agent installs as a service and pairs with your account.

2

Pick the game

Choose the game in the panel. NodeMesh downloads the dedicated server, sets it up and starts it, and you watch every step in the live console.

3

Share the address

Switch on the traffic relay for the server and the panel gives you a public address. Send it to your friends: their traffic goes through the relay to your PC, so you never open a port on your router.

What your PC needs

Memory for the server (minimum)2 GB
Memory for the server (recommended)3 GB
WindowsSupported (newer, in beta)
LinuxSupported

The memory figures are for the game server alone. If you also play on the same PC, the game itself needs its own memory on top.

Friends join without port forwarding

In Garry's Mod, open the console (~) and run connect followed by the address the panel shows you, or add the server to your Favorites using that same address. The relay carries the connection to your PC, so nothing needs opening on your router.

Good to know

Garry's Mod's sandbox mode has no persistent world to lose, so there's nothing to back up beyond add-on data and anything you've built. On Linux the server is a 32-bit build — if your host is missing 32-bit compatibility libraries, NodeMesh's console shows what to install rather than crashing silently. An optional Steam Game Server Login Token (GSLT) is free from your own Steam account and keeps your server ranked properly on Valve's server list, but it isn't required to start. Workshop add-ons aren't installed or managed by NodeMesh yet, so bring a gamemode that doesn't need them, or add them by hand.

What is free

One host — your own PC — is free with no time limit, for up to 5 game servers: the web panel and console, the config editor, the mod manager, auto-restart on crash and the traffic relay. Extra hosts cost credits.

See pricing →

Beta: you can create this server today, but we have not run it on our own hardware yet. Expect rough edges, and tell us what you find.

Questions

Does it run on Windows and Linux?

Both — Garry's Mod's dedicated server is one Steam app for each OS, and NodeMesh installs whichever matches your host anonymously, no Steam login stored on your PC. On Linux it's a 32-bit build; if compatibility libraries are missing, the console tells you what to install.

Do I need a GSLT?

No, but it's recommended. Valve ranks an unclaimed server lower, and a GSLT is free from your own Steam account. Paste it into the Config tab's Steam Game Server Login Token field — it's never shown back after you save it.

Is Workshop content supported?

Not yet. NodeMesh doesn't download or manage Workshop add-ons or gamemode content for this game yet — install them by hand if your gamemode needs them, or pick one that doesn't.

Is it really free?

Yes, for one host. Running game servers on your own PC is free with no time limit — up to 5 servers, traffic relay included. You only pay, in credits, if you add more hosts.

Why is it marked Beta?

We haven't run Garry's Mod on our own hardware yet, even though the catalog template is ready on both OSes. We'd rather say that plainly than call something stable before we've checked it ourselves.

Your server, on your PC

Create an account, install the agent and pick the game. One host is free with no time limit.

Create a free account