Scaling a Garry’s Mod server to support 100+ players requires a departure from “standard” settings. By adjusting how the engine calculates physics and how data packets are split, you can significantly reduce “Server Lag” and improve the experience for distant players.
| Reading Time | Difficulty | Last Updated |
|---|
| 7 minutes | Intermediate | January 2026 |
1. Networking Rates
High-capacity servers need wider “pipes” for data. Add these to your server.cfg:
sv_minrate 35000 // Set min rate to 35kbps
sv_maxrate 0 // Allow unlimited max rate
net_splitpacket_maxrate 1048576
sv_minupdaterate 16
sv_maxupdaterate 66
2. Physics Optimization
Physics interactions (collisions between props and players) are the #1 cause of CPU spikes.
| Variable | Recommended | Effect |
|---|
gmod_physiterations | 2 | Doubles performance by slightly reducing collision precision. |
sv_turbophysics | 1 | Prevents players from becoming “physics objects” when standing on props. |
phys_timescale | 1.0 | Do not change this; it breaks movement timing. |
3. Tickrate Considerations
While competitive shooters use 128 Tick, massive GMod servers must go lower to maintain stability.
- Recommended Tickrate: 16 or 33.
- Setting your server to 66 or 100 Tick with 80+ players will likely cause the server thread to “hitch” and timeout players. Modify this in your Startup command parameters.
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Last Updated: January 2026 | GMod: Optimization applied.