Best Garry's Mod Addons & Gamemodes for 2026

Garry's Mod is less a game than a sandbox of endless possibility, and the addons and gamemodes you choose define what your server actually *is*. For 2026, a core set of community favorites remains the foundation of nearly every great GMod server. Here are the best addons and gamemodes to build around.

The Big Gamemodes

Most GMod servers are built around a gamemode, and three dominate.

DarkRP is the king of roleplay. It gives players jobs, money, property, and an entire simulated town economy — become a cop, a gun dealer, a mayor, or a criminal. DarkRP is endlessly customizable, which is exactly why it's the most popular gamemode to host. Its huge addon ecosystem means you can tailor jobs, entities, and rules to build a completely unique community.

Trouble in Terrorist Town (TTT) is the beloved social-deduction gamemode: innocents versus hidden traitors, full of suspicion, accusations, and clutch moments. It's easy to pick up, endlessly replayable, and perfect for community servers where the fun is in the mind games.

Prop Hunt rounds out the trio — the hide-and-seek classic where hiders disguise as props while hunters try to root them out. It's approachable, hilarious, and a perfect low-stakes party gamemode that keeps players laughing.

Essential Admin Tools: ULX

No public server survives without administration, and ULX (with its companion ULib) is the standard. It provides a complete admin suite — kick, ban, mute, teleport, gag, and dozens of commands — plus a permissions system to define staff ranks. Whether you run DarkRP or TTT, ULX gives your moderators the tools to keep things fair and fun.

Creative Powerhouses

Sandbox creativity is where GMod shines, and a few addons unlock enormous depth.

PAC3 (Player Appearance Customizer) lets players heavily customize their character models — attach props, effects, and accessories to build unique looks. It's a staple on roleplay servers where identity matters.

Wiremod brings logic and engineering to the sandbox, letting players build working contraptions — everything from automatic doors to computers and vehicles — using wired components. It has a devoted following of builders.

VJ Base is the framework behind a massive library of NPC addons, powering advanced AI, custom enemies, and combat scenarios. If you want interesting NPCs on your server, VJ Base is almost always a prerequisite.

Advanced Duplicator 2 lets players save and paste complex builds, so elaborate Wiremod contraptions or bases can be shared and re-spawned instantly. It's essential for any serious building community.

Building a Coherent Server

The secret to a great GMod server isn't installing everything — it's choosing a clear identity. Pick your gamemode first (DarkRP, TTT, or Prop Hunt), add ULX for administration, then layer in the creative and content addons that fit your theme. A focused DarkRP server with the right job and economy addons will always outperform a kitchen-sink server that tries to do everything at once. Test your addon combination for conflicts, keep your server content organized, and prune addons that aren't pulling their weight.

How GMod Loads Addons

All of these come from the Steam Workshop, and the cleanest way to manage them is a Steam Workshop Collection — a single bundle of every addon your server uses. Your server references the collection, and clients download the content when they join, so everyone sees the same props, models, and content without manual installs.

Run It on Nxeon

Assembling and maintaining a GMod addon list — collections, server config, and content delivery — is much easier with the right tools. Nxeon's Garry's Mod server hosting includes a one-click Mods manager that lets you link a Workshop Collection, install gamemodes, and manage addons from a clean dashboard, with clients pulling content automatically on join. Pick DarkRP, TTT, or Prop Hunt, add your favorite addons, and go from empty server to thriving community in minutes.

Whatever GMod experience you want to build, the right addon list and a good host are all you need to get started.