GMod Server Status Checker

Why Check GMod Server Status?

Garry's Mod servers can go offline due to updates, restarts, or unexpected crashes. When a server is down, players cannot join sandbox or roleplay sessions, and ongoing scenes are interrupted. For DarkRP, TTT, prop hunt, and other community game modes, every minute of downtime means lost engagement and frustrated regulars.

Checking server status helps players and server administrators quickly see whether a server is reachable before joining, saving time and avoiding frustration. It is especially valuable for community managers responding to player reports, content creators verifying servers before streams, and event organizers preparing for scheduled gamenights.

Common Reasons a GMod Server Goes Offline

Garry's Mod servers run on the Source engine but support a massive ecosystem of Lua addons, gamemodes, and Workshop content. This flexibility comes with a unique set of failure modes:

• Lua addon crash: A custom Lua addon threw an unhandled error and brought the server down. The most common cause of GMod downtime by far.
• Workshop content failure: A required Workshop addon was removed or updated incompatibly, causing the server to fail on startup.
• Memory exhaustion: Long-running GMod servers with many addons leak memory until they exhaust available RAM and crash.
• Source engine update: Valve pushed an engine update and your server has not been updated yet, making it incompatible with new clients.
• SteamCMD update failure: Auto-update via SteamCMD failed silently, leaving the server on an outdated version.
• Map load failure: The server tried to load a map that has missing dependencies or is corrupted, causing a crash on map change.
• Database connection issue: DarkRP and other gamemodes that use MySQL fail when the database is unreachable.
• DDoS attack: Popular GMod servers, especially DarkRP and TTT communities, are frequent DDoS targets during peak hours.
• Hosting provider outage: Game hosting platforms occasionally have network or hardware issues affecting your server.

Diagnosing GMod Connection Problems

When players cannot connect to your GMod server, work through this checklist:

• Use this tool to check externally. If the server responds, the issue is on the player's side or device-specific.
• Check the server console for Lua errors. The most common cause is a recently updated addon throwing errors. Look at recent console output for stack traces.
• Verify the Workshop collection is accessible. If your server uses a Workshop collection, make sure it has not been deleted or made private.
• Confirm port 27015 is open. GMod uses the standard Source engine port. Both UDP and TCP traffic must be allowed by the firewall and forwarded by the router.
• Check the server version. If Valve recently pushed a Source engine update, you may need to update via SteamCMD before clients can connect.
• Restart the server. A clean restart often resolves transient memory or addon issues.
• Review recent changes. If the server stopped working after an addon update, configuration change, or new map, revert the change as a first step.
• Check the host's status page. If you use a managed GMod hosting service, they should have a public status dashboard.

Continuous Monitoring for GMod Server Owners

For active GMod communities — especially DarkRP and TTT servers with regular players — continuous monitoring is essential. Players in active communities have low patience for unannounced downtime, and a server that goes down at the wrong moment can lose long-standing regulars permanently.

With UptyBots, you can configure a port-based monitor for your GMod server that:

• Connects to the server's port every 1 to 5 minutes.
• Verifies the server actually responds to a connection request.
• Sends instant alerts via email, Telegram, or webhook when the server stops responding.
• Tracks long-term uptime for transparency with your community.
• Provides an embeddable status widget for your community website or Discord.

Most GMod admins find out about outages from frustrated player messages in Discord. Continuous monitoring flips that — you know about the problem in seconds, not minutes, and can usually fix it before your community even notices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the default GMod server port?

Garry's Mod uses the standard Source engine port: UDP 27015. Custom servers and managed hosting providers may use other ports — append the port to the address with a colon, like example.com:27016.

Why does my server crash after every map change?

The most common cause is a missing or corrupted dependency on the new map (textures, models, or sounds). Check the server console for "couldn't load" errors during the map change, then verify all required Workshop content is properly installed.

My server is up but not appearing in the public server browser. Why?

Your server may not be sending heartbeats to Valve's master list because of a firewall issue, configuration error, or temporary delisting. Verify that outbound connections to Valve's master servers are not blocked, and check your server.cfg for the correct master list settings.

Is this checker free?

Yes. The GMod Server Status Checker is completely free, with no signup or limits. For continuous monitoring with alerts and historical uptime tracking, sign up for a free UptyBots account.

Does this work for DarkRP, TTT, and other gamemodes?

Yes. The checker connects at the network level and works identically regardless of which gamemode the server is running. DarkRP, TTT, prop hunt, sandbox, deathrun, and any other GMod gamemode are all supported.