How to Set the GSL Token on Your Garry's Mod Server

The GSL Token (Steam Game Server Login Token, GSLT for short) links your server to a Steam account. Since the May 2020 update, every Garry's Mod server should have such a token – servers without one receive a severe penalty in the server list ranking and are therefore hard to find. A direct connection via IP and port (Join Server) works without a token as well.

Steam account requirements

To create a token, your Steam account must meet the following requirements:

• The account is neither community banned nor locked.
• The account is not a limited account.
• A qualifying phone number is registered on the account.
• You own Garry's Mod on this account.

Create the token

1. Open the Steam Game Server page
   Open https://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers and sign in with your Steam account.

2. Enter the App ID
   Enter 4000 (Garry's Mod) in the field for the App ID of the base game.

   Warning

   Always use the App ID 4000. The App ID 4020 belongs to the dedicated server tool and is wrong here.

3. Create and copy the token
   Create the token and copy it. It then appears in the list of your game server accounts.

   Example

   A token looks similar to this (example value, not usable):

   EXAMPLETOKEN00000000000000000000

Important

Every server needs its own token. If the console shows the message Connection to Steam servers lost. (Steam error code 6) and players are disconnected, this is usually caused by using the same token on several servers.

Set the token in the dashboard

1. Open the dashboard
   Open the dashboard of your server.

2. Open the settings
   Navigate to the Settings.

3. Enter the token
   Paste the token into the Steam Account Token field. The field expects exactly 32 characters made up of letters and digits. Your server then starts with the parameter:

   +sv_setsteamaccount EXAMPLETOKEN00000000000000000000

4. Restart the server
   Save the setting and restart your server for the token to take effect.

Verify the token

1. Open the console
   Open the console in the dashboard of your server and watch the startup.

2. Check the startup
   An invalid or expired token prevents the server from starting. If your server does not start, check the token in the Steam Account Token field for typos and spaces and compare it with the token in the list at Steam Game Server Accounts.

Renew the token

If your token has fallen into the wrong hands or no longer works, simply create a new one.

1. Regenerate the token
   Open https://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers again and select Regenerate token for the affected token. This invalidates the old token.

2. Enter the new token
   Enter the new token in the Steam Account Token field as described above, save the setting and restart your server.

Note

If you change the password of your Steam account or it is reset, all of your existing tokens become invalid. Tokens that no server logs in with for a long time also expire. In both cases, generate a new token and enter it in the dashboard again.

Warning

Never share your token with third parties. If you have shared it, delete it at Steam Game Server Accounts. If a game server account is banned, you may be restricted from playing Garry's Mod.