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How to create a Steam GSLT for your server

A Game Server Login Token — GSLT — is the credential that gives a Source or Source 2 dedicated server its own Steam identity. Without one, other players cannot join a Counter-Strike 2 server at all, and a Garry's Mod server sinks in the listings. This is the whole procedure, the rules that come with it, and the mistakes that cost people an evening.

Updated 7 September 2026

What the token is for

Valve's Counter-Strike 2 documentation states the requirement directly: "In order for other players to be able to join your server, you must generate and include the Game Server Login Token (GSLT)." It is not a performance setting or an optional extra — it is how the public internet is allowed to reach your server.

Facepunch explains what it buys you on the Garry's Mod side: the feature "verifies game ownership, makes sure your clients can connect to your server after IP changes and helps keep fake servers at bay". A token is tied to a Steam account that owns the game, so a server carrying one is a server somebody stands behind.

You create the token yourself. Nobody — not a friend, not a host — needs your Steam username or password to set this up. If anyone asks for either, that is the end of the conversation.

Before you start

  • The Steam account must own the base game; Facepunch notes that "a verified purchase on Steam is required to generate a GSLT".
  • Use an account you control long-term. Tokens are tied to it, and so is responsibility for what the server does.
  • Know the app ID of the base game, not the dedicated-server tool. Counter-Strike 2 is 730; Garry's Mod is 4000. Valve notes that the CS2 client and dedicated server were merged under app ID 730, where CS:GO previously used 730 for the client and 740 for the server — which is exactly why old guides get this wrong.

Creating the token

  1. Sign in to Steam and open the game server accounts page at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers.
  2. Enter the base game's app ID in the "App ID of the base game" field — 730 for Counter-Strike 2, 4000 for Garry's Mod.
  3. Enter a memo. Facepunch's advice is that it "can be anything that will help you identify the specific server in a list of other Steam Game Server Accounts". Use the server's real name, not "test". You will have several of these before long.
  4. Press Create. The page reloads with a new row showing the memo, the login token and the app ID it belongs to.

From that same page you can delete tokens you own, regenerate one for a given server, or change a memo. Regenerating means the server has to be updated too: Facepunch's note on that option is "You will need to change it on your server too".

Applying it to the server

The token goes on the server's launch line, not into a map or world config:

+sv_setsteamaccount YOURLOGINTOKENHERE

Valve's own example for Counter-Strike 2 shows it in place alongside the other startup options:

.\cs2.exe -dedicated +sv_setsteamaccount AD2FA80401F0A64821F91AA62671EF65 +map de_dust2

Restart the server after adding it — Facepunch's instruction is to add the option "and restart your server", after which "Your server will now have a static SteamID/Steam Account." If you are renting, this belongs in whatever startup configuration your host exposes; on our Counter-Strike 2 and Garry's Mod availability pages we assume you bring your own.

One token per running server, always

Facepunch puts this in capitals for a reason: "EACH SERVER MUST HAVE UNIQUE LOGIN TOKEN!" Sharing one token between two live servers breaks both, and the symptom is documented: if you see Connection to Steam servers lost. (Steam error code 6) printed in the server console while clients are being disconnected, "it's likely caused by using the same GSLT on two or more servers".

This catches people who clone a working server to make a second one, because the token is copied along with everything else. Before you start the clone, create a second token with its own memo and change it there.

When tokens stop working

  • A bad or expired token stops the server dead. Facepunch: "Specifying an invalid / expired key will prevent the server from starting." If a server that ran yesterday will not boot today, check the token before you check anything else.
  • Changing your Steam password wipes them all. "Changing your Steam password (via any means) will invalidate all active GSLTs, which will need to be re-created". Any password reset counts, including one you did for unrelated reasons — which is why the server can break on a day you never touched it.
  • Hiding a server is a separate switch. If you want a development server that does not appear in the master list, Facepunch documents +hide_server 1. Do that deliberately rather than by leaving the token off.

What gets tokens banned

This part is worth reading before you install anything clever. Steam Support describes GSLT bans as issued "to server operators offering false inventories and/or profiles as a free or paid service via mods on their servers" — mods that misreport a player's inventory or matchmaking status.

The consequence is not a slap on the wrist. Steam's own wording: "A server using your game server login token has been banned. Your account is now permanently banned from operating game servers, and you have a cooldown from connecting to game servers." The cooldown "restricts users from playing Counter-Strike 2 competitive matches and trading in-game items for the duration", and anyone wanting to host again "will need to use a Steam account that has never shared a phone number with a GSLT banned account".

Three practical rules follow. Never run a token that is not yours. Never give yours to anyone, including someone offering to "set it up for you". And be careful about which inventory or skin-display mods you install, because the ban lands on the token holder — you — not on the mod author.

A short checklist

  • Token created under the base game's app ID, on an account that owns the game.
  • A distinct memo per server, matching the server's real name.
  • Applied on the launch line, followed by a clean restart.
  • No token shared between a live server and a test copy.
  • Token page re-checked after any Steam password change.
  • Old tokens for retired servers deleted rather than left active.

Where RadarHost fits

RadarHost rents game servers hosted in Beauharnois, Quebec, Canada, priced in Canadian dollars, with no setup fee and cancel any time. Sixteen games are listed in Standard, Premium and Diamond plans — Minecraft (Paper, Forge or Vanilla), Rust, ARK: Survival Evolved, Garry's Mod, Terraria, Valheim, Palworld, Enshrouded, Satisfactory, Factorio, Project Zomboid, 7 Days to Die, DayZ, Conan Exiles, Arma 3 and SCUM. Counter-Strike 2 and every other title are request-only and are never priced in advance. After payment, our team reviews the order and emails setup details or next steps within 24 hours. The plans section lists every tier we currently price.

Common questions

Which app ID do I use to create the token?

The base game's. Counter-Strike 2 is 730 and Garry's Mod is 4000. Valve notes the CS2 client and dedicated server were merged under 730, where CS:GO used 730 for the client and 740 for the server, which is why old guides get this wrong.

Where do I put the token?

On the server's launch line, not in a map or world config: +sv_setsteamaccount YOURLOGINTOKENHERE. Facepunch's instruction is to add it and restart the server, after which the server has a static Steam account.

Does my host need my Steam password?

No. You create the token yourself on the Steam game server accounts page and hand over only the token. Anyone asking for a Steam username or password to set this up should not be given one.

My server ran yesterday and will not start today. What changed?

Check the token. Facepunch states an invalid or expired key will prevent the server from starting, and that changing your Steam password by any means invalidates every active token, so an unrelated password reset can break a server you never touched.

What happens if a token gets banned?

Steam Support describes GSLT bans for servers offering false inventories or profiles through mods. The account is then permanently banned from operating game servers and gets a cooldown from connecting to them. Never run someone else's token.

Sources

What happens after you order. After payment, our team reviews the order and emails setup details or next steps within 24 hours. Prices are in Canadian dollars, there is no setup fee, and you can cancel any time.

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