Create a GSLT tokenThe Steam token for the public server list

Published on September 2, 2026 · last updated on November 4, 2026

What the token is for

The token links your server to your Steam account. For games on the Source engine, it is the usual way to get a server listed publicly so that players find it in the browser.

For a private round, you do not need it: anyone who knows the fixed server address made up of IP and port connects directly - regardless of whether the server is listed. For a game night with friends, that is entirely sufficient.

Create the token

1. Use your Steam account. The token is created in the game server account management of your own Steam account.
2. Select the game. When creating it, you specify which game the token applies to - this requires the ID of Garry's Mod.
3. Add a memo. A meaningful name helps if you run several servers later.
4. Copy the token and enter it in the server.cfg.
5. Restart the server. At startup, it logs in with the token.

A token belongs to exactly one server. If you run two - for example TTT and DarkRP separately -, you create two.

Treat it like a password

The token identifies your server to Steam - it is tied to your account. Accordingly, it does not belong in screenshots, public repositories or on Discord.

If rules are broken via a token, it can be banned - and in repeated cases, that affects your account. That is no reason to worry, but a good reason not to pass it on.

If a token does fall into the wrong hands: it can be revoked in the same management page where you created it. Then you create a new one and enter it.

Public or private - a conscious decision

Before you enter the token, it is worth asking whether your server should be public at all. Both ways have their merits:

• Private. No token, no entry in the list, joining via the server address. Ideal for a game night with a fixed group - and without any moderation effort.
• Public. Enter the token, appear in the list, strangers can join. This is the way if you want to build a community - but it comes with moderation, see admin rights with ULX.

A middle way also works well: publicly listed, but with a password in the server.cfg. That way, people find the server but only get in with credentials - handy for communities organized on Discord.

When the server is not listed

• Token not entered or truncated while copying.
• Token created for the wrong game.
• Token expired. Tokens that remain unused for a long time lose their validity - then simply create a new one.
• Restart forgotten. The token is read at startup.
• The server is reachable but invisible. Check whether joining directly via address and port works - then it really is a listing issue and not a reachability problem.

How address and ports are made up is explained in ports and firewall.

Visibility is not everything

A listed server is only the first step. Whether someone stays is decided in the first few minutes - and other things count there:

• Short loading time. Without FastDL, many drop out before they have seen the server.
• A meaningful server name. It is the only thing in the list that reveals what your server is about.
• Someone who is there. An empty server stays empty - you get the first players through friends and Discord, not through the list.

So the token is a prerequisite, but it does not do the job on its own. Working on the server - gamemode, maps, moderation - remains the real lever.

Frequently asked questions