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Use +map <mapname> in the server’s launch command when you want a map selected at startup. Workshop maps require the server to start with a public or unlisted collection, after which the collection’s map can be selected with +map.
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The command for an immediate map change
On a running dedicated server, enter this command in the server console or through an authorized remote console:
changelevel <mapname>Replace <mapname> with the map filename, excluding the .bsp extension. To load the standard Flatgrass map, use:
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changelevel gm_flatgrassFacepunch’s dedicated-server documentation describes changelevel as the graceful live-server transition command. It can also reload the map that is already active, which is useful after a configuration or script change that requires a fresh map session.
Run the command with server-side authority. Typing it into an ordinary player’s client console does not change the dedicated server’s map.
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What must be in place before you change maps
A map change can only succeed if the server can find the map and the command is being executed in the correct console.
- Use the exact filename. Map names are case-sensitive in some file-management situations and must match the installed file’s name. Do not include
.bspin the command. - Install the map on the server. A normal map must be under
garrysmod/maps/or inside an add-on’smaps/directory. - Use the dedicated-server console or authorized RCON. The command must reach the server process, not just your local game client.
- Check the game mode separately. The map command selects the level; the launch command or server configuration selects the game mode. A map change does not, by itself, choose a different mode.
If you are unsure of the filename, inspect the server’s map directories and use the name before the .bsp suffix. For example, a file named gm_example.bsp is selected as gm_example.
Changing a map while players are connected
Step 1: Open a server-side console
Use the console attached to the dedicated server process, or connect through an RCON method that has permission to issue server commands. A client console opened by a regular player is not an alternative to server console access.
Step 2: Enter the command
Type the command with the map filename and submit it:
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changelevel gm_constructDo not add the file extension. The server begins loading the requested level and moves the current session to it. The exact loading time depends on the map and server, so wait for the server to finish rather than issuing several map commands in succession.
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Step 3: Confirm the result
Check the server console for the new level name and verify that players can join or reconnect to the new session. If the server reports that it cannot find the map, stop and correct the filename or installation path before trying another command.
Reloading the current map
changelevel can target the map that is already running. This reloads the level through the same live transition mechanism instead of requiring a full server process restart. Use the current map’s filename without .bsp.
Why changelevel is preferable to map for a live server
Both commands are associated with loading a map, but they do not present the same player experience. The archived Garry’s Mod Wiki explains the distinction as follows: “The difference between changelevel and map is that if you change a map using map ‘map_here’ then the players on the server will get the message that the server has shutdown.”
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For a normal in-session rotation, use changelevel. It communicates that the server is transitioning levels rather than presenting the change as a server shutdown. Reserve other administrative actions for cases where you specifically need their different behavior; do not substitute map when your goal is a routine live transition.
| Goal | Command or setting | Where it is used | Important detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change the level now | changelevel <mapname> |
Running server console or authorized RCON | Omit .bsp; intended for a live transition |
| Select the first level after startup | +map <mapname> |
Server launch command | Omit .bsp; applies when the process starts |
| Load the next configured level from Lua | game.LoadNextMap() |
Server-side script | Follows nextlevel or the active map-cycle configuration |
| Read the current level from Lua | game.GetMap() |
Server-side or shared Lua code as appropriate | Returns the map name without the extension |
Setting the startup map
If the server should always begin on a particular level after a restart, put the map in the launch command with +map. A complete Windows-style Source Dedicated Server example is:
srcds.exe +maxplayers 20 -console +gamemode sandbox +map gm_constructHere, +map gm_construct selects gm_construct as the initial map. The value is again the filename without .bsp. The other arguments shown in the example serve different purposes: +maxplayers 20 sets the advertised player capacity in that launch example, -console runs with a console, and +gamemode sandbox selects Sandbox. Change only the values that match your server’s intended setup.
When a startup map appears to be ignored
Inspect the actual command used to start the server, not just a shortcut or panel field that you expected to be used. Confirm that:
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- The command contains one valid
+mapvalue. - The value does not contain
.bsp. - The corresponding map exists in
garrysmod/maps/or an add-on’smaps/directory. - No map-cycle or
nextlevelsetting is directing the server to a different level after startup.
If the server repeatedly starts on the wrong level, save the complete launch command and review every map-related setting rather than adding additional +map arguments at random.
Changing to a Workshop map
Workshop content is handled differently from a map file that you manually copied into the server’s map directory. Start the server with a Workshop collection using:
+host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID>Replace <WORKSHOP_ID> with the collection’s ID. The collection can be public or unlisted. Include the map in that collection, then select the map with its filename:
+host_workshop_collection 1234567890 +map workshop_map_nameThe numeric value above is only a syntax example; use the ID of your own collection. The map argument still uses the map filename without .bsp. Facepunch’s Workshop-server documentation says that a map in the server’s collection can be marked for client download, allowing connecting players to obtain the included Workshop content.
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Facepunch also documents an optional cfg/srcds_workshop_ids.txt file for listing Workshop IDs. This provides a file-based way to declare Workshop content instead of putting every ID directly in the launch command. If you use that file, verify that the IDs are the collections or items you intend the server to load and keep the startup +map value set to the actual map filename.
Workshop map checklist
- The collection is public or unlisted rather than private.
- The required map is included in the collection.
- The server starts with
+host_workshop_collectionor the documented Workshop-ID file is present. +mapnames the map file, not the Workshop page title and not a URL.- Players are allowed time to download the map before judging the setup as failed.
If the server cannot load the map, first verify the collection visibility and membership. Then check the map filename independently; a correct collection ID does not make an incorrect +map value valid.
Using map cycles and the next-level setting
A server may select its next map through a map-cycle file or the nextlevel console variable. Garry’s Mod exposes this behavior to Lua through game.LoadNextMap(). The API reference states that the function loads the next map according to the nextlevel value or the active map-cycle file.
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This matters when a manual change seems to be overwritten by automation. A script, scheduled rotation, or map-cycle configuration may be responsible for the next transition even though your immediate changelevel command worked. Review the active rotation and nextlevel value when the server moves somewhere unexpected.
Reading the current map in a script
game.GetMap() returns the current map name without the file extension. A server-side script can use that value when it needs to compare the active level with a rotation rule or decide whether a map-specific action should run.
local currentMap = game.GetMap()The API result is the name, not a path and not a value ending in .bsp. Keep that format in mind when comparing it with map names in configuration or Lua code.
Advancing through the configured rotation
When your objective is “load whatever the server considers next,” use the map-cycle or nextlevel workflow rather than hard-coding a map name in every script. game.LoadNextMap() delegates the choice to that existing configuration. When your objective is a specific immediate destination, use changelevel <mapname> instead.
Troubleshooting a failed map change
The server says the map does not exist
Check the spelling against the actual file. Remove .bsp from the command and confirm the file is located under garrysmod/maps/ or an add-on’s maps/ directory. A map installed only on your personal computer is not automatically available to the dedicated server.
The command does nothing from the client console
Move the command to the dedicated server console or an authorized RCON connection. A normal client console does not have the server authority required to change the shared level.
Players see a shutdown-style message
Check which command was used. The archived GMod Wiki specifically distinguishes map from changelevel because map can present the change as a server shutdown. Use changelevel for the routine live transition.
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A Workshop map will not load
Verify that the collection is public or unlisted, that the map is actually included, and that the server starts with the collection ID. Then confirm that +map uses the map’s filename without .bsp. A collection can be configured correctly while the selected map name is still wrong.
The server starts on a different map
Read the launch command exactly as executed and inspect map-cycle and nextlevel configuration. An incorrect +map value explains startup behavior; a later automated rotation can explain a subsequent change.
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Remember that game.GetMap() returns only the map name, without its extension. Compare the returned value with the extensionless names used by changelevel and +map.
Practical command examples
Move a Sandbox server to Construct
changelevel gm_constructRun this from the server console or authorized RCON while the server is online.
Start a server on Flatgrass
srcds.exe +maxplayers 20 -console +gamemode sandbox +map gm_flatgrassThis selects Flatgrass at process startup. It does not perform a live transition on a server that is already running.
Start with a Workshop collection and choose one of its maps
srcds.exe -console +host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID> +map <mapname>Replace both placeholders with the collection ID and the map filename. Make sure the selected map is part of that collection and that the collection is public or unlisted.
Ask Lua to load the configured next map
game.LoadNextMap()Use this when the desired destination is the one defined by nextlevel or the active map-cycle file, rather than a manually specified map.
Final pre-change checklist
- Is this a live transition or a startup selection?
- For a live transition, are you using
changelevelin the server console or authorized RCON? - Does the map name omit
.bsp? - Does the server contain the map in
garrysmod/maps/or an add-on’smaps/directory? - If it is Workshop content, is the collection public or unlisted and does it include the map?
- If the server chooses another level later, have you checked
nextleveland the active map-cycle configuration?
For most administration tasks, the decision is straightforward: use changelevel for a specific map on a running server, put +map in the launch command for the initial map, and use the Workshop collection settings when the map is delivered through Steam Workshop.
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