How much RAM does a Garry's Mod server need?
Garry's Mod usage is decided almost entirely by addons, to the point where the base game is close to irrelevant to sizing.
Recommendation
You need a server with at least
4GB
- Engine / Base OS:
- 2 GB
- Player Overhead:
- +1.6 GB
- Estimated Raw Usage:
- 3.6 GB
- Suggested cores:
- 4
- Disk to allow:
- 30 GB+
Addon Lua runs on the main thread, so a heavy addon list is a CPU problem as much as a memory one.
View 4GB PlansWhat actually drives Garry's Mod memory use
A stock sandbox server is very light. A DarkRP server with a large addon list is not, because every addon loads its own Lua, models and materials at startup and keeps them resident. Prop-heavy gamemodes add further cost at runtime as players spawn physics objects that persist until cleaned up.
The mistake to avoid
Sizing from the gamemode name. Two DarkRP servers can differ several-fold depending on their addon lists, so count the addons rather than trusting a general recommendation — and set a prop limit, because without one, players will find the ceiling for you.