Purple and black checkers mean the game can't find a texture. A big red ERROR means it can't find a model. Almost every case is content you don't have yet: a game that isn't mounted, or server files that didn't download.
Work through the fixes below in order. Most people are sorted by the first or second one.
What the Errors Mean
| What you see | What's missing |
|---|---|
| Purple and black checkerboard | A texture (the surface image on a wall, floor or prop) |
Red ERROR text floating in the world | A model (the 3D shape of a prop, weapon or player) |
| Both at once on a whole map | Usually a whole game's content, most often Counter-Strike: Source |
Garry's Mod comes with Half-Life 2's content. Many maps, gamemodes and addons also use content from other Source games. If you don't have that game mounted, its props and textures show up as checkers and ERROR signs.
Mount Counter-Strike: Source and Other Games
Counter-Strike: Source is the game most servers expect you to have. Prop Hunt, Jailbreak and many roleplay maps borrow its models and textures. Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two and Team Fortress 2 come up too.
To use another game's content, you need to own it on Steam, install it, and mount it in Garry's Mod.
Install the Game
Buy the game on Steam if you don't own it, then install it from your library. Owning it isn't enough. It must be installed on this PC.
Open the Games List
Start Garry's Mod. On the main menu, click the game controller icon in the bottom right corner. It sits next to the language flag.
Tick the Game
Find the game in the list and tick its box. A red cross means you don't own it. A folder icon means you own it but haven't installed it.
Restart and Rejoin
Close Garry's Mod fully, start it again, then rejoin the server or reload the map.
Skip the Free CSS Content Packs
Workshop and website packs that bundle Counter-Strike: Source files are copies of a paid game. Facepunch's own support pages call them pirated. They also break when the game updates. Buy and mount the real game instead.
Before you buy anything, check what the server or map actually needs. A map's Workshop page usually lists the games it uses. Some servers ship everything in their own content pack, so you won't need another game at all.
Get the Server's Content
Servers send their custom models, textures and maps when you join. If that download fails or gets skipped, you see checkers and ERROR signs only on that server.
Allow Downloads
Open the console with the ` key and type:
cl_downloadfilter allIf this is set to none, mapsonly or noworkshop, the game skips files the server tries to send you.
Subscribe to the Server's Collection
Most servers have a Workshop collection or content pack. Find it on their website or Discord and click Subscribe. Steam then downloads it before you join, so loading is faster too.
Let Downloads Finish
Wait for Workshop downloads to finish on the main menu, then restart the game. Joining while addons are still downloading is a common cause of missing content.
Playing on Justified
Justified sends its content to you when you join. To get it ready before you join, subscribe to the Justified DarkRP Content Pack.
Verify Your Game Files
If content is mounted and downloaded but still broken, a file on your PC may be damaged. Steam can check every file and replace the bad ones.
Open Properties
In your Steam library, right-click Garry's Mod and choose Properties.
Verify
Go to Installed Files and click Verify integrity of game files. Wait for it to finish.
Repeat for Mounted Games
Do the same for every game you've mounted, such as Counter-Strike: Source. A broken file in a mounted game breaks its content in Garry's Mod too.
Don't worry if Steam says a few files failed to verify. Those are your own settings files, and Steam doesn't replace them. Don't run verification on two games at once.
Remove a Broken or Clashing Addon
Sometimes one addon replaces a texture or model with a broken copy. You can find out which addon a file comes from with the whereis console command.
Look at the broken surface and type this in the console:
mat_crosshairIt prints the material's name. Add materials/ to the front and .vmt to the end, then look it up:
whereis materials/building_template/building_template007b.vmtThe answer names the addon or game folder the file is loaded from.
Still Seeing Checkers?
That server's content isn't reaching you. Check cl_downloadfilter all, subscribe to its collection, and ask its staff which games it expects you to mount.
Verify Garry's Mod and every mounted game. Then start the game with -noaddons -noworkshop in your launch options to rule out an outdated addon. Remove those options when you're done testing.
Garry's Mod only sees games installed through Steam on this PC. Install the game from your library, restart Garry's Mod, and check the list again.
Every mounted game uses memory. Untick games you don't need, or switch to the 64-bit version of Garry's Mod. See Fix Garry's Mod Crashing for more.
If the game won't start at all, go to Garry's Mod Won't Launch. For low FPS once everything loads, see the performance guide.
Want a server to try it on? Justified is a Garry's Mod DarkRP server: justified.gg.
