The Tool Desk
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Choose the right map-change method
Garry’s Mod has separate commands for changing the map immediately and selecting the map loaded when the server starts. Use changelevel for a live server transition. Use the +map launch parameter when you want a particular startup map. Workshop maps require an additional collection setting so the server and its clients can obtain the content.
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| Goal | What to use | Where it is entered | Important detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change the map while the server is running | changelevel <mapname> |
Dedicated-server console or authorized remote console | Use the filename without .bsp. |
| Set the map loaded at startup | +map <mapname> |
Server launch command | The value is the map filename without .bsp. |
| Load the next configured map | game.LoadNextMap() |
Garry’s Mod Lua or another server-side script | Follows the nextlevel convar or the active map-cycle file. |
| Use a Workshop map | +host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID> together with +map <mapname> |
Server launch command | The collection must contain the map and be public or unlisted. |
What you need before changing a map
- Server authority: You must be operating the dedicated-server console or an authorized remote console. A normal player’s client console is not the place to issue a server map-change command.
- The exact map filename: Commands use the map’s filename, not its display title. Remove the
.bspextension from the name you enter. - The map installed on the server: A regular map must be present under
garrysmod/maps/or inside an add-on’smaps/directory. - Workshop access when applicable: A Workshop map needs to be available through a public or unlisted collection configured for the server.
If any of these prerequisites is missing, the command can be syntactically correct and still fail because the server cannot locate or provide the requested map.
Change the map immediately with changelevel
1. Open the server console or an authorized remote console
Use the console attached to the dedicated server process, or connect through a remote-console method for which you have authorization. Do not type the command into an ordinary client console while connected as a player; the command must reach the server.
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2. Enter the map filename
Run the command in this form:
changelevel <mapname>For example, to load the standard map named gm_flatgrass.bsp, enter:
changelevel gm_flatgrassThe extension is intentionally omitted. The same rule applies to any other installed map: substitute its filename, but do not append .bsp.
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The server changes the active level and continues running the dedicated-server process. Players may experience the normal loading interruption associated with a level transition, but changelevel is the live-server method documented for changing the active map and can also be used to reload the current map.
Reload the current map
To reload the level already in use, run changelevel with that same map’s filename. This uses the same transition path as moving to another level and avoids having to construct a different command.
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Why changelevel is preferable to map on a live server
The two commands are not equivalent from a player’s point of view. The archived Garry’s Mod Wiki describes 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.”
That difference is why changelevel <mapname> is the better default for an active server. It communicates that the server is moving to another level rather than presenting the change as a server shutdown. If your objective is simply to move everyone to another map while keeping the dedicated server process in service, use changelevel.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstall| Command or setting | Use case | Player-facing behavior or scope |
|---|---|---|
changelevel <mapname> |
Immediate transition on a running server | Designed for changing the active level without treating the action as a server shutdown. |
map <mapname> |
A direct map command with different player-facing behavior | The archived wiki notes that players receive a server-shutdown message. |
+map <mapname> |
Selecting the initial level at process startup | Read by the launch command before the server begins its session. |
Set the startup map with +map
If the server repeatedly starts on an unwanted level, set the startup map in the command that launches the dedicated server. The syntax is:
srcds.exe +maxplayers 20 -console +gamemode sandbox +map gm_constructIn this example, gm_construct is the startup map. The value again excludes .bsp. Replace it with the filename of the map you want the server to load first.
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How to edit the launch command
- Locate the command, shortcut, script, or service definition that starts the dedicated-server executable.
- Find the existing
+mapargument, if one is present. - Set its value to the desired map filename without the
.bspextension. - If no
+mapargument exists, add+map <mapname>alongside the other launch parameters. - Start or restart the server with the edited command and verify that the selected level loads.
A launch command controls startup only. For a server that is already running, issue changelevel instead of editing the command and expecting the current process to change immediately.
Change to a Workshop map
Workshop content needs an additional distribution step. Start the server with a public or unlisted Workshop collection by adding:
+host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID>Then select the map with its filename through +map <mapname>. A representative launch pattern is:
srcds.exe -console +host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID> +map <mapname>Replace <WORKSHOP_ID> with the collection’s ID and <mapname> with the map filename, still without .bsp. The collection must include the map. Facepunch’s server guidance also explains that a map in the server’s collection can be marked for client download, which is essential when connecting players do not already have the Workshop content.
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Optional Workshop ID file
Instead of putting every Workshop ID directly in the launch command, the server can use cfg/srcds_workshop_ids.txt to list Workshop IDs. This is an alternative configuration location for the IDs; the server still needs the relevant collection or item configuration and a valid +map selection for the level you intend to load.
Workshop transition checklist
- Confirm the collection is public or unlisted rather than inaccessible to the server.
- Confirm the map is included in that collection.
- Confirm the launch command contains
+host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID>, or that the IDs are listed incfg/srcds_workshop_ids.txt. - Set
+mapto the map’s filename without.bsp. - Allow the server to make the included map available for client download before asking players to join.
Use map cycles and Lua when the next map is scripted
For one-off changes, the server console command is the simplest option. Automated rotations use the map-cycle and scripting facilities instead.
Check the current map in Lua
The Garry’s Mod API function game.GetMap() returns the current map name without the file extension. Server-side code can use that value when displaying the current level, making a decision about rotation, or logging which map is active.
local currentMap = game.GetMap()The returned value follows the same naming convention used by the console commands: it is the map name without .bsp.
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Load the next configured map
game.LoadNextMap() loads the next map according to the nextlevel convar or the active map-cycle file. This is useful when the server’s rotation is defined in configuration rather than by a single hard-coded destination.
game.LoadNextMap()Use this function when your script should respect the server’s existing next-map setting or cycle. Use changelevel when an administrator has chosen a specific map for an immediate transition.
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| Rotation need | Approach | What determines the destination |
|---|---|---|
| Administrator selects one map now | changelevel <mapname> |
The filename supplied with the command. |
| Script reads the active level | game.GetMap() |
The map currently loaded, returned without .bsp. |
| Script advances the configured rotation | game.LoadNextMap() |
The nextlevel convar or active map-cycle file. |
Troubleshoot a failed map change
The server says it cannot find the map
- Check the spelling of the filename.
- Remove
.bspfrom the command or+mapvalue. - Verify that the file exists beneath
garrysmod/maps/or in an add-on’smaps/directory. - For Workshop content, verify that the item is actually part of the configured collection.
The command appears to do nothing
- Confirm that you entered it in the dedicated-server console or an authorized remote console, not only in a normal client console.
- Check that the server process is accepting administrative commands.
- Try the exact filename with a known installed map to distinguish an access problem from a missing-map problem.
Players see a shutdown message
If the goal was a normal live transition, check whether map <mapname> was used. The archived wiki specifically distinguishes that command from changelevel because the former presents a server-shutdown message to players. Use changelevel <mapname> for the next live transition.
The server starts on the wrong map
- Inspect the launch command and find its
+mapvalue. - Replace an incorrect filename with the intended map name, omitting
.bsp. - Check whether a map-cycle file or
nextlevelconfiguration is changing the level after startup. - If Workshop content is involved, verify the collection ID and the map’s membership in that collection.
A Workshop map loads for the server but not for players
Recheck the collection’s visibility and membership. The configured collection must be public or unlisted, and the map must be included so it can be marked for client download. A correct +map value alone does not replace the Workshop collection setup.
Reliable command examples
Use these patterns as templates, replacing only the map or collection value:
- Immediate change:
changelevel gm_flatgrass - Immediate change to another installed map:
changelevel <mapname> - Startup map:
srcds.exe +maxplayers 20 -console +gamemode sandbox +map gm_construct - Workshop startup:
srcds.exe -console +host_workshop_collection <WORKSHOP_ID> +map <mapname> - Read the active map in Lua:
local currentMap = game.GetMap() - Advance according to configured rotation:
game.LoadNextMap()
Do not copy the angle brackets as literal map names or IDs. They indicate values you must substitute. In every command, the map value is the filename without .bsp.
Pre-change and post-change checklist
Before issuing the command
- Identify whether this is an immediate transition, a startup selection, a Workshop map, or an automated rotation.
- Copy the exact map filename and remove its extension.
- Confirm the file location for a local map or the collection membership for a Workshop map.
- Ensure you have server-console or authorized remote-console access.
After the transition or restart
- Verify that the server reports or displays the intended map.
- For Workshop content, confirm that connecting players can obtain the map through the configured collection.
- If the wrong level appears, inspect
+map, the map-cycle file, andnextlevelsettings rather than repeating the same command. - For scripted rotations, use
game.GetMap()to check the current name and ensuregame.LoadNextMap()is following the intended configuration.
Quick answer
For a running Garry’s Mod server, enter changelevel <mapname> in the server console or an authorized remote console. Use +map <mapname> in the launch command for the startup map. Omit .bsp, make sure local maps are installed in garrysmod/maps/ or an add-on’s maps/ directory, and configure a public or unlisted Workshop collection when the map comes from Workshop.
Quick Recap
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