How do I start a Garry's Mod server at MC-Node?

Garry's Mod is an evergreen sandbox game averaging 26,000 players — and that number is still growing. Whether you want to build a DarkRP community, play TTT with friends or just build in sandbox mode: with your own server at MC-Node you're online within 1 minute. In this article we walk through ordering, choosing a plan, the first start and connecting.

Step 1: Order your server

1. Go to the Garry's Mod page in our store.
2. Choose a plan starting at €3.00 per month. All plans run on NVMe storage and include DDoS protection.
3. Choose a server location: the Netherlands, Germany, Poland or North America. Pick the location closest to your players for the lowest ping.
4. Complete the order. All plans can be cancelled monthly, so you're not locked into anything.

Step 2: Choose the right plan

Garry's Mod is light on resources, so even a small plan will serve you well. Our plans range from 2 to 20 GB of RAM:

• 2-4 GB — fine for a server with friends or a small sandbox or TTT server with few addons.
• 6-8 GB — room for more players and a sizeable collection of workshop addons, for example for DarkRP.
• 10 GB and up — for large community servers with many players and heavy addon packs.

Not sure? Start small: you can always upgrade as your community grows.

Step 3: First start via the panel

1. Log in at panel.mc-node.net with the credentials you received by email.
2. Open your Garry's Mod server in the overview.
3. Click Start on the Console tab. The server installs itself and is online within 1 minute.
4. Watch the console until you see that the server has fully started.

Good to know: since July 2025, most CS:S and HL2 content is included with Garry's Mod for free, so your players will see far fewer missing textures and models than before.

Step 4: Connect to your server

1. Look up your server's IP address and port in the panel (visible at the top of the server page).
2. Launch Garry's Mod on your PC.
3. Open the console window in-game and type connect ip:port, for example connect 123.45.67.89:27015.
4. You can also find the server via the server browser in the multiplayer menu.

What's next?

Your server is running! The next step is installing workshop addons and choosing a gamemode such as DarkRP or TTT. Have fun — and if you have any questions, our support team is here for you.