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To change the map on a running Garry’s Mod dedicated server, use the server console or an authorized remote console and run changelevel <mapname>. For example, changelevel gm_flatgrass loads gm_flatgrass without the .bsp extension. Use +map <mapname> in the server launch command when you need to choose the map used at startup.
Choose the method that matches what you need
Garry’s Mod has different map controls for a live transition, a server restart, Workshop content, and scripted rotation. Picking the right one prevents avoidable disconnect messages and startup surprises.
| Goal | Command or setting | Where it is used | Important detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change a running server now | changelevel <mapname> |
Dedicated-server console or authorized RCON | Use the map filename without .bsp. |
| Select the map after the next launch | +map <mapname> |
Server launch command | The map must be available in the server’s map directories. |
| Load the next configured map | game.LoadNextMap() |
Garry’s Mod Lua | Follows the nextlevel convar or the active map-cycle file. |
| Provide Workshop maps | +host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID> plus +map <mapname> |
Server launch command | The collection must be public or unlisted, and the map must be included. |
Change the map immediately with changelevel
changelevel is the normal command for a live dedicated server. Facepunch’s dedicated-server documentation describes it as a graceful map change and notes that it can also reload the map that is already active.
Before you run the command
- Have access to the dedicated server’s console or to an authorized RCON connection. A regular player’s client console is not the place to issue a server-level map change.
- Know the exact map filename. Enter the name as it appears on disk, but leave off the
.bspextension. - Confirm that the map is installed under
garrysmod/maps/or inside an add-on’smaps/directory.
Run the live transition
- Open the server console, or connect with the RCON tool already authorized for that server.
- Enter
changelevel <mapname>. - Replace
<mapname>with the filename without.bsp. For example, typechangelevel gm_flatgrass. - Wait for the server to finish loading the new level, then verify that players can join the intended map.
The command is entered on the server side, so do not prefix it with a client-only command such as a chat trigger. If the server reports that it cannot find the map, check the filename and file location before trying again.
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Reload the current map
To reload the level that is already running, use changelevel with that same map’s filename. This uses the same server-side procedure as moving to another map and is useful when you need a fresh level state without changing the map name.
Why changelevel is preferable to map on a live server
Both commands can load a map, but they do not present the same experience to connected players. The archived GMod Wiki explains the player-facing distinction: “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.”
For a normal rotation or administrator-initiated switch, use changelevel so the operation is treated as a level transition rather than a server shutdown message. Reserve any workflow that deliberately restarts the server for situations where a restart is actually required.
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Set the map used when the server starts
If the server should launch into a particular map after a restart, put the map name in the startup command with +map. Facepunch documents the following Windows-style dedicated-server example:
srcds.exe +maxplayers 20 -console +gamemode sandbox +map gm_constructInterpret the startup arguments
+map gm_constructselectsgm_constructas the startup map.- The value after
+mapis a map filename without.bsp. - The example also sets a maximum player count and the Sandbox gamemode; those are separate launch settings and do not replace the map requirement.
Change the startup map step by step
- Find the command, script, shortcut, or control-panel field that starts the dedicated server.
- Locate its existing
+mapargument. If one is present, replace only its map value; if none is present, add+map <mapname>with the other launch arguments. - Use the map’s filename without the extension, such as
gm_constructrather thangm_construct.bsp. - Save the launch configuration and restart the server.
- Read the startup console and confirm that the intended map loaded. If it did not, inspect the final command actually used by the service or script, not just the file you expected it to run.
A startup setting affects the next launch. It does not change a map on a server that is already running; use changelevel for that case.
Change to a Workshop map
Workshop maps require the server to obtain the Workshop content and make the map available to connecting clients. Start the server with a public or unlisted Workshop collection by adding:
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+host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID>Then select the map with the usual startup argument:
+map <mapname>Facepunch’s Workshop documentation says that a map in the server’s collection can be marked for client download. The collection therefore needs to contain the map you intend to load, and its visibility must be public or unlisted so the server can use it.
Workshop startup procedure
- Create or identify the Workshop collection that contains the map.
- Confirm that the collection is public or unlisted and copy its Workshop ID.
- Add
+host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID>to the dedicated-server launch command. - Add
+map <mapname>, using the map’s internal filename without.bsp. - Start or restart the server and watch the console for collection and map-loading messages.
- Have a client connect and verify that the included map is offered for download when needed.
Using cfg/srcds_workshop_ids.txt
Facepunch also documents an optional cfg/srcds_workshop_ids.txt file for listing Workshop IDs. This provides a file-based way to declare the Workshop content instead of placing every ID in the launch command. Keep the collection or IDs aligned with the map you select; loading a map name that is not supplied by the configured Workshop content will still fail.
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Workshop-specific failure checks
- If the server cannot obtain the content, verify the collection’s visibility and the Workshop ID.
- If the map is not available to players, confirm that the map is actually included in the collection and that client download is enabled through the supported Workshop setup.
- If the server starts on a different level, check both the collection configuration and the final
+mapvalue.
Use the correct map filename and file location
The command takes the map’s internal filename, not a display title and not a path. For a file named gm_flatgrass.bsp, the command is changelevel gm_flatgrass. The same naming rule applies to +map.
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For locally installed content, check these locations:
garrysmod/maps/for maps installed directly in the server’s Garry’s Mod directory.- An add-on’s
maps/directory when the map is packaged inside an add-on.
Do not append .bsp to the command. Also avoid substituting the Workshop item’s public title for its internal map filename; the server must receive the filename used by the map file.
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Map cycles, nextlevel, and Lua
Manual map changes and automated rotation are related but separate operations. The Garry’s Mod API reference documents two functions that are useful when a script needs to inspect or advance the map.
Read the current map with game.GetMap()
game.GetMap() returns the current map name without the file extension. A Lua script can use that value when displaying the active level, making a decision based on the current map, or recording which map is running. Because the extension is omitted, code should treat the returned value in the same form used by changelevel and +map.
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Load the configured next map with game.LoadNextMap()
game.LoadNextMap() loads the next map according to the nextlevel convar or the active map-cycle file. Use it when the server’s rotation configuration, rather than an administrator’s one-off choice, should determine what loads next.
If an automated rotation produces an unexpected map, inspect the configured nextlevel value and the active map-cycle file. A manual changelevel command selects the map you provide; game.LoadNextMap() follows the server’s next-map configuration instead.
Quick Recap
Troubleshoot a failed map change
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| “Map not found” or an equivalent load error | Incorrect filename, an added .bsp extension, or a missing file |
Recheck the exact filename without .bsp; confirm the .bsp exists in garrysmod/maps/ or an add-on’s maps/ directory. |
| Nothing happens when the command is entered | The command was sent to a normal client console or to an unauthorized remote console | Run it in the dedicated-server console or through an RCON connection with server permissions. |
| Players see a shutdown message during a change | The map command was used instead of changelevel |
Use changelevel <mapname> for the live transition. |
| A restart returns to the old map | The launch command still contains the old +map value, or another startup configuration overrides it |
Inspect the actual command used to start the service and update its +map argument. |
| A Workshop map cannot be loaded | The collection is unavailable, private, missing the map, or not configured | Verify a public or unlisted collection, the correct Workshop ID, collection membership, and the +host_workshop_collection and +map arguments. |
| The wrong map loads during scripted rotation | nextlevel or the active map-cycle file points elsewhere |
Inspect the rotation configuration used by game.LoadNextMap(). |
A reliable diagnostic order
- Copy the map filename from the actual file or the map’s documented internal name.
- Remove
.bspfrom the command or launch argument. - Confirm the file is under
garrysmod/maps/or an add-on’smaps/directory. - Ensure the command is being run on the server, not only in a player’s client console.
- For Workshop content, verify collection visibility, membership, and the configured Workshop ID.
- If the problem appears only after a restart or automated rotation, inspect
+map,nextlevel, and the active map-cycle configuration.
Quick command reference
| Purpose | Example | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Change a live server to another map | changelevel gm_flatgrass |
The server is running and you want an immediate map transition. |
| Choose the startup map | +map gm_construct |
You are editing the launch command for the next server start. |
| Load the next configured map from Lua | game.LoadNextMap() |
A script should follow nextlevel or the active map cycle. |
| Read the active map from Lua | game.GetMap() |
A script needs the current map name without its extension. |
| Enable a Workshop collection at startup | +host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID> |
The map is supplied through a public or unlisted collection. |
Operational checklist
- For an immediate change, use the dedicated-server console or authorized RCON and run
changelevel <mapname>. - Write map names without
.bsp. - Keep local map files in
garrysmod/maps/or an add-on’smaps/directory. - Use
+map <mapname>when selecting the map for startup. - For Workshop maps, configure a public or unlisted collection, include the map, and use
+host_workshop_collectionwith+map. - Use
game.GetMap()to read the current map andgame.LoadNextMap()when the configured next level or map cycle should control the transition.
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