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The standard way to join a Garry’s Mod server is to open Find Multiplayer Game, choose the appropriate server list, select a server, and press the blue Join Server button. If you already have the server’s address, the developer console is usually faster: type connect IP_ADDRESS:PORT. Steam’s Join Game command is another useful fallback when a friend is already playing.
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This guide covers public servers, LAN games, direct IP connections, password-protected servers, friend-hosted sessions, blank browser results, filter problems, and missing Workshop content.
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Choose the right way to connect
Your best method depends on what information you have and how the game is hosted. Use the browser when you want to discover public servers; use the console when you know an address; use Steam when a friend is already connected.
| Method | Best for | What you need | Browser required? | Password handling | Workshop content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Find Multiplayer Game | Public Internet servers and servers you want to browse | No address required | Yes | Enter it when prompted by the server | May download automatically while connecting |
| Local Network tab | A server on the same home or office network | Server visible on your LAN | Uses the in-game LAN list | Depends on the host | Required files may download or be missing |
| History or Favorites | Servers you have visited or saved before | A previous visit or saved listing | Uses the corresponding list | Enter it if the server is protected | May still download on a new installation |
| Developer console | A known address, a friend’s server, or a browser that is not showing results | IP address and port, such as 127.0.0.1:27015 |
No | Set the password first when required | Missing files can cause visual errors |
| Steam Join Game | Joining a friend already playing on a joinable server | The friend must be online and joinable | No in-game browsing needed | Steam passes you to the server’s connection process | Any required files still apply |
Join a public server through the server browser
- Launch Garry’s Mod from Steam.
- Choose Find Multiplayer Game on the main menu.
- Select the list that matches your situation. Choose Internet for public servers, Local Network for a LAN game, History for servers you previously visited, or Favorites for saved servers. Legacy Browser opens the older browser interface.
- Choose a gamemode, then select a server listing. Review its name, address, current player count, map, and ping in the server panel.
- Click the blue Join Server button. The Garry’s Mod Wiki from Facepunch describes this as the normal joining action.
- Wait while the game connects. A server can download required files during this process, so the first connection may take longer than later visits.
A low ping generally indicates a shorter network path, but it does not by itself tell you whether a server’s rules, gamemode, map, or addon collection suits you. Read the listing and any information shown before connecting.
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Internet
The Internet tab is the normal starting point for public servers. If a server is online but does not appear, troubleshoot the filters before assuming that it has shut down.
Local Network
Use Local Network when the host and player are on the same LAN. If the host is on another network, the LAN list is not the right discovery method; ask for an address or use Steam’s friend route instead.
History and Favorites
History is useful when you remember visiting a server but did not save it. Favorites is better for a server you expect to revisit. These lists avoid searching the entire Internet list each time, but a saved listing does not guarantee that the server is currently online.
Legacy Browser
The Legacy Browser is the older browser interface. Facepunch’s troubleshooting guidance specifically points players to it when the modern list appears empty or behaves incorrectly.
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Connect directly with an IP address
When a friend, community post, or server directory gives you an address, bypass the browser with the developer console.
- Start Garry’s Mod and reach the main menu or another safe screen.
- Open the developer console with the tilde key (
~) or F10, as documented by Facepunch support. Keyboard layouts can place the tilde character in a different location; F10 is the practical alternative when available. - Type
connect IP_ADDRESS:PORT, replacing the placeholders with the complete address. For example, Facepunch’s support example isconnect 127.0.0.1:27015. - Press Enter and wait for the connection attempt. Garry’s Mod will load the server if the address is reachable and compatible.
Keep the colon between the address and port. Entering only an IP address can send the game to the wrong service when the host uses a non-default port. Copy the address exactly, including every number and the port suffix.
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A protected server may reject a direct connection until the password is set in the console. A dated Steam Community tutorial describes this sequence:
- Open the developer console.
- Enter
password TEST, replacingTESTwith the server’s password. - Enter
connect IP.ADDRESS:9999, replacing both the example address and port with the values supplied by the host. - Press Enter after each command.
This password-first sequence is community guidance rather than an official Facepunch guarantee, and server configurations can differ. If it fails, ask the administrator whether the password has changed, whether the port is correct, and whether the server expects a password prompt instead of a console command.
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Join a friend through Steam
When the in-game browser is slow, filtered incorrectly, or simply does not show your friend’s server, Steam can bypass discovery.
- Open your Steam friends list.
- Right-click the friend who is currently playing Garry’s Mod.
- Choose Join Game.
- Allow Steam to launch or switch to Garry’s Mod and complete the connection.
Facepunch support notes that this works when the friend is in a joinable server. If Join Game is unavailable, the friend may be offline, the server may block joining, or the session may not be advertised as joinable. In that case, request the server’s IP address and port and use the console method.
What happens during the first connection
Garry’s Mod can download files that the server requires while you join. These may include maps, sounds, models, materials, scripts, or other addon data. The download stage can make a first connection substantially slower than a later one, especially for a heavily customized server.
A host may also publish a Steam Workshop collection containing the required addons. If the host gives you a collection link, subscribe to it through Steam before joining and allow the Workshop downloads to finish. Subscribing does not make an incompatible or offline server reachable; it only supplies content that the game may need once the connection starts.
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Missing textures and ERROR models
If required content is absent, props can appear as purple-and-black missing textures, and models can display the word ERROR. PineRiver’s Garry’s Mod hosting documentation identifies missing required content as a cause of these symptoms.
- Check whether the server owner provides a Workshop collection and subscribe to it.
- Let Steam finish downloading and installing the collection before launching another connection attempt.
- Reconnect after the downloads complete.
- If only one server produces the problem, ask its administrator which collection or custom files are required; different servers can use different addon sets.
Do not assume that a missing model means the server itself is offline. A connection can succeed while the client lacks one or more visual assets.
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An empty list is often caused by filters rather than by a worldwide outage. Facepunch’s support procedure uses the Legacy Browser and restores its defaults.
- Open Find Multiplayer Game, then switch to Legacy Browser.
- Inspect the filters and untick Simplified List if it is enabled.
- Restore the default filter values instead of keeping narrow map, region, player-count, or gamemode restrictions.
- Select the Internet tab.
- Press Refresh All and wait for the list to repopulate.
A filter can hide every server that does not match it. For example, a map restriction left over from an earlier search can make a healthy server appear to have disappeared. Resetting first gives you a known baseline before you investigate networking or server status.
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If the list remains empty
Ask a friend for the server’s complete address and port, or obtain it from a server directory, then use the console command connect IP_ADDRESS:PORT. This removes browser discovery from the equation. If the direct connection also fails, verify the address, port, server status, and any required password with the administrator.
Diagnose common connection problems
The server is not listed
- Confirm that you are on the Internet tab for a public server, not Local Network.
- Reset filters and disable Simplified List in the Legacy Browser.
- Press Refresh All after restoring defaults.
- Use a direct address if the server owner can provide one.
“Join Server” does nothing or the connection fails
- Try again after the server finishes loading its listing; a stale result can point to an address that changed.
- Use the console with the exact IP and port supplied by the host.
- Check whether the server requires a password and follow the administrator’s preferred procedure.
- Ask whether the server is full, private, restarting, or restricting new connections.
You are sent back to the menu
Verify that the server is still online and that you have its current port. If the server requires Workshop content, complete the collection download and reconnect. A failed or incomplete content download can prevent the game from completing the join sequence even when the address is valid.
The map or models look broken
Missing textures and ERROR models point to absent required content. Find the server’s Workshop collection, subscribe, wait for Steam to finish, and reconnect. If the administrator supplies a specific addon list, use that list rather than downloading unrelated files.
Steam’s Join Game option is unavailable
The friend must be online in a joinable server. Ask the friend to confirm that they are still connected and that the session permits friends to join. If Steam continues to hide the option, request the server address and connect through the console.
Information to request from a server host
When someone invites you to a private or custom server, ask for all of the following in one message:
- The complete IP address and port, formatted as
address:port. - The server password, if one is required.
- The gamemode and map name, so you can recognize the correct listing.
- A Steam Workshop collection or addon list if custom content is required.
- Whether the server is public, LAN-only, friend-joinable, or temporarily restarting.
This information prevents the most common ambiguity: an address without a port, a password sent separately and mistyped, or a server that requires content the player has not installed.
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- No address, public server: open Find Multiplayer Game, choose Internet, select a listing, and click Join Server.
- No address, LAN server: choose Local Network and select the host’s listing.
- Visited or saved server: use History or Favorites.
- Friend already playing: right-click the friend in Steam and choose Join Game.
- Known address: open the console and run
connect IP_ADDRESS:PORT. - Password-protected address: set the password first if the host instructs you to, then run the connect command.
- Empty browser: use the Legacy Browser, untick Simplified List, restore defaults, select Internet, and press Refresh All.
- Missing textures or ERROR models: install the server’s required Workshop content, finish the download, and reconnect.
Before you try again: a practical checklist
- Is the connection method appropriate for the server: Internet, LAN, Steam friend, or direct address?
- Did you copy the port as well as the IP address?
- Are the browser filters at their defaults?
- Is Simplified List disabled while troubleshooting an empty Legacy Browser?
- Does the server require a password?
- Has Steam finished downloading the required Workshop collection?
- Is the friend’s session currently joinable?
- Did the host confirm that the server is online and accepting players?
For most players, the complete process is simply Find Multiplayer Game → choose a listing → Join Server. When discovery fails, a known address with connect IP_ADDRESS:PORT is the dependable fallback, while Steam’s Join Game option is convenient when a friend is already connected.
Quick Recap
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