Set up a custom loading screen for Garry's Mod

The loading screen is the first thing your players see when they join your Garry's Mod server. By default, the game shows a generic screen - so why not replace it with a page in your own style, featuring your logo, server rules, Discord link or an introduction to your gamemode? It matters all the more because downloading addons can take several minutes: a polished loading screen makes the wait more pleasant and instantly gives your community a professional image.

Good news: Garry's Mod supports this feature natively through the sv_loadingurl command. No addon to install - everything happens in a single configuration file.

Prerequisites

• An active Garry's Mod server and your game panel credentials;
• A publicly accessible web page (HTTP or HTTPS) that will serve as your loading screen - a simple HTML/CSS page hosted on any web hosting plan will do;
• A few minutes to edit one file and restart the server.

Step 1: Prepare your loading screen page

Create (or grab) the web page that will be displayed during connection. Keep two rules in mind:

1. The page must be publicly accessible. Test its URL in a browser, ideally in private browsing mode: if it does not open for you, it will not open for your players either.
2. Keep it lightweight. The game's built-in browser is less capable than a modern one: go for a simple HTML/CSS page with optimized images rather than heavy animations or scripts.

If you do not want to start from scratch, plenty of free GMod loading screen templates exist and can be customized in minutes.

Step 2: Add sv_loadingurl to server.cfg

First, go to your game panel, log in, and follow these steps:

1. Select your Garry's Mod server, then open the Files tab in the panel.
2. Navigate to the garrysmod/cfg folder and open the server.cfg file.
3. Add a line with your custom URL to change your loading screen, for example: sv_loadingurl "https://lordhosting.fr". The quotes around the URL are mandatory.
4. Save the file.

Step 3: Restart and test

Open the Console tab in the panel and click Restart to reboot your server: the command is read at startup. Then launch Garry's Mod and connect to your server - your page should be displayed throughout the loading process, replacing the default screen.

😉 TIP: You can also use %s or %m in the URL to pass the Steam ID and map name.

In practice, a URL like sv_loadingurl "https://yoursite.com/loading?steamid=%s&map=%m" lets your page display a personalized welcome message or the name of the map currently loading.

Common issues

The default screen still shows up. Check that the line is indeed in garrysmod/cfg/server.cfg, that the URL is wrapped in quotes and starts with http:// or https://. Then fully restart the server: the change is not applied until the server re-reads its configuration.

The page stays blank or renders poorly. The game's built-in browser does not support every modern web feature. Simplify your page (HTML/CSS, optimized images), avoid heavy scripts, and make sure all resources (images, fonts) load correctly in a regular browser.

Your URL gets overwritten on every restart. Some gamemodes or configuration files can set their own sv_loadingurl value. Search for the command in your other .cfg files (such as autoexec.cfg) and keep only a single line.

If the problem persists, contact our support team via ticket or Discord: we will check the configuration with you.

Conclusion

In three steps - a web page, one line in server.cfg, a restart - your Garry's Mod server gets a loading screen that matches your identity. Remember to update it whenever your rules or gamemode change: it is your server's shop window.

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