How to Set Up LinuxGSM for Game Servers

What Is LinuxGSM?

Linux Game Server Managers (LinuxGSM) is an open-source tool that simplifies installing, configuring, and managing dedicated game servers on Linux. It supports 120+ games including Minecraft, Counter-Strike, Valheim, Rust, and ARK.

Requirements

• A Breeze running Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12
• RAM varies by game (2-16 GB)

Step 1: Install Dependencies

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y curl wget file tar bzip2 gzip unzip bsdmainutils \
  python3 util-linux ca-certificates binutils bc jq tmux netcat-openbsd \
  lib32gcc-s1 lib32stdc++6 steamcmd

Step 2: Create a User and Download

# Example: Counter-Strike 2
sudo useradd -r -m -d /opt/lgsm lgsm
sudo -u lgsm bash
cd /opt/lgsm
curl -Lo linuxgsm.sh https://linuxgsm.sh
chmod +x linuxgsm.sh
./linuxgsm.sh cs2server

Step 3: Install the Game Server

./cs2server install

Follow the prompts. LinuxGSM handles downloading the game files, dependencies, and default configuration.

Managing Your Server

# Start/stop/restart
./cs2server start
./cs2server stop
./cs2server restart

# Check status
./cs2server details

# Update the game
./cs2server update

# Console access
./cs2server console

# Run a backup
./cs2server backup

Supported Games

Some popular games supported by LinuxGSM:

• Counter-Strike 2, Team Fortress 2, Garry's Mod
• Minecraft (Java), Valheim, Rust
• ARK: Survival Evolved, 7 Days to Die
• Left 4 Dead 2, Insurgency: Sandstorm
• Unreal Tournament, Killing Floor 2

Auto-Updates and Monitoring

# Add to crontab for auto-updates and monitoring
crontab -e

# Check for updates every 30 minutes
*/30 * * * * /opt/lgsm/cs2server update > /dev/null 2>&1

# Monitor and restart if crashed every 5 minutes
*/5 * * * * /opt/lgsm/cs2server monitor > /dev/null 2>&1