Facepunch Studios released Garry's Mod on November 29, 2006, built on Valve's Source engine and sold with no objectives at all in its base mode. By November 2024 it had sold 25.56 million copies, which makes it the best selling PC exclusive game ever released. Almost everything people actually play in it, from Trouble in Terrorist Town to DarkRP, is Lua written by the community rather than by Facepunch.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | gm_construct | Physics Gun handling basics | Trouble in Terrorist Town | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | gm_flatgrass | Tool Gun categories mastery | Trouble in Terrorist Town | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | gm_bigcity | Lua gamemodes + gear | Sandbox or Trouble in Terrorist Town | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | rp_downtown_v4c_v2 | Build optimization | Sandbox | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | ttt_minecraft_b5 | Min-max | Sandbox or Murder | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (gm_construct)
One of the two maps that ship with the game and the most recognisable location in Garry's Mod. Flat build areas, a pool, a tunnel and a small skybox room cover almost every sandbox need.
Level/Difficulty: 1 to 20 players Key Rewards: Flat build slabs, water testing, indoor and outdoor lighting
What to Do in gm_construct
- Learn Physics Gun handling. Left click grabs a prop or ragdoll, the scroll wheel pushes it away or pulls it closer, and right click freezes it in place. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Trouble in Terrorist Town as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Install and mount Counter-Strike: Source before you touch the Workshop. A large share of popular maps and addons reference its textures and models, and without it you get purple and black checkerboards plus floating ERROR text where props should be.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Tool Gun or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Physics Gun handling fundamentals
- Trouble in Terrorist Town selected and functional
- gm_construct main content cleared
- Ready for gm_flatgrass
Phase 2: Early Game (gm_flatgrass)
The other default map, an enormous empty grass plane with a small structure at the centre. The lack of geometry is the point: nothing interferes with a large contraption.
Level/Difficulty: 1 to 20 players Key Rewards: Unlimited flat space, long runway distance, clean physics testing
What to Do in gm_flatgrass
- Work on Tool Gun categories. Tools sort into Constraints such as Weld, Rope, Axis, Ball Socket, Hydraulic, Motor, Muscle, Pulley, Slider and Winch, Construction such as Balloon, Thruster, Wheel, Hover Ball, Dynamite, Emitter, No Collide, Remover and Duplicator, plus Posing and Render groups. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Tool Gun if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Freeze props with right click as you place them. Unfrozen props drift, fall and knock the rest of your build apart, and pressing R unfreezes everything at once when you actually want it live.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to gm_bigcity.
- Consider whether Sandbox might suit your playstyle better than Trouble in Terrorist Town.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Tool Gun categories integrated into gameplay
- Tool Gun acquired
- gm_flatgrass fully cleared
- Ready for gm_bigcity
Phase 3: Mid Game (gm_bigcity)
A large urban sandbox map with driveable streets, multi storey buildings and interiors. It is a common home for vehicle addons and for roleplay servers that want something wider than a downtown block.
Level/Difficulty: 4 to 32 players Key Rewards: Road network for vehicles, building interiors, verticality
What to Do in gm_bigcity
- Master Lua gamemodes. A gamemode is a Lua folder that redefines rounds, roles, weapons and interface. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Physics Gun. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Build in constraint order: weld the frame first, then attach wheels, thrusters or balloons. Adding force before the structure is joined tears the contraption apart the moment it moves.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Steam Workshop addons for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Lua gamemodes mastered
- Physics Gun acquired or in progress
- gm_bigcity fully cleared
- Ready for rp_downtown_v4c_v2
Phase 4: Late Game (rp_downtown_v4c_v2)
The standard DarkRP map that most servers still run. A compact downtown block with apartments, shops, a police station and sewers, all sized for the job and property systems.
Level/Difficulty: 10 to 60 players Key Rewards: Rentable property, shop fronts, police and criminal spawn areas
What to Do in rp_downtown_v4c_v2
- Finalize your build. You should be running Sandbox or Trouble in Terrorist Town with optimized gear.
- Physics Gun should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- The Weld tool has an adjustable breaking force. Set it low deliberately when you want a part to snap off under load, and set it high on anything that carries the weight of the build.
- Mounting other Source games optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into ttt_minecraft_b5.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Physics Gun upgraded to max
- rp_downtown_v4c_v2 fully cleared
- Ready for ttt_minecraft_b5
Phase 5: Endgame (ttt_minecraft_b5)
A long serving Trouble in Terrorist Town map built from blocky Minecraft style geometry, with sightlines and hiding spots tuned for the traitor round rather than for building.
Level/Difficulty: 8 to 32 players Key Rewards: Weapon spawns, traitor traps, tester room
What to Do in ttt_minecraft_b5
- ttt_minecraft_b5 tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Use the Duplicator, or the community Advanced Duplicator 2 on servers that run it, to save a working contraption. Rebuilding a machine from memory after a physics failure is the most avoidable time sink in the game.
- The endgame loop: run ttt_minecraft_b5, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Murder for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Mounting other Source games mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- ttt_minecraft_b5 fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Playing without Counter-Strike: Source mounted, then blaming the game for ERROR signs and checkerboard textures
- Attaching thrusters before welding the frame, so the contraption shreds itself on the first key press
- Forgetting to freeze props during a build, then losing an hour of work to one stray collision
- Killing on suspicion in TTT without identifying bodies first, which reads as random deathmatch to everyone else
- Subscribing to hundreds of unrelated Workshop addons and creating Lua conflicts that break the spawn menu
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Install and mount Counter-Strike: Source before you touch the Workshop. A large share of popular maps and addons reference its textures and models, and without it you get purple and black checkerboards plus floating ERROR text where props should be.
- Freeze props with right click as you place them. Unfrozen props drift, fall and knock the rest of your build apart, and pressing R unfreezes everything at once when you actually want it live.
- Build in constraint order: weld the frame first, then attach wheels, thrusters or balloons. Adding force before the structure is joined tears the contraption apart the moment it moves.
- The Weld tool has an adjustable breaking force. Set it low deliberately when you want a part to snap off under load, and set it high on anything that carries the weight of the build.
- Use the Duplicator, or the community Advanced Duplicator 2 on servers that run it, to save a working contraption. Rebuilding a machine from memory after a physics failure is the most avoidable time sink in the game.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Garry's Mod Guides
- Garry's Mod Garry's Mod Overview
- Garry's Mod Best Builds
- Garry's Mod Tier List
- Garry's Mod Beginner's Guide
- Garry's Mod Tips & Tricks
- Garry's Mod Weapons Guide
- Garry's Mod Combat Guide
- Garry's Mod Boss Guide
- Garry's Mod Maps & Locations
- Garry's Mod Crafting Guide
- Garry's Mod Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Garry's Mod, check out these related guides:
- Terraria Walkthrough: sandbox game with similar mechanics
- VRChat Walkthrough: sandbox game with similar mechanics
- Tabletop Simulator Walkthrough: sandbox game with similar mechanics
