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Garry's Mod Chromium Build on Linux

By apple

Nowadays with mods getting increasingly more demanding, it's difficult to stay in the default 32-bit build of Garry's Mod. For Windows users the solution is as simple as just changing the game to the Chromium build, but for Linux users this is a different story.
It's with that in mind that I created this guide, to show you how to setup and play the Chromium build on Linux.

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Created by

apple
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Category: Modding or Configuration

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

25 Jul, 2023 @ 2:29pm

22 Jan, 2024 @ 3:32am

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Guide Index

Overview

Setting Up The Chromium Build

First Launch & CEF Codec Patch

Fixing Up The Scalling

Final Notes

Credits

Comments

Setting Up The Chromium Build

First things first, you're going to need to select the Chromium build of Garry's Mod on Steam.
If you know how to do this, skip this step but for those who don't here it is:

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

But wait we are not done yet!

First Launch & CEF Codec Patch

You might notice that after selecting the build, the game will become a bit unstable, with crashes and the buttons being misplaced in the screen.

To properly play Garry's Mod with that build on Linux you will need to patch it. Thankfully patching it is not difficult at all.

First download the patcher here[github.com]

Just look for the latest release on the right side of the page.

After dowloading it, make sure to place the file in a folder with no spaces or case sensitive letters. Idealy on /home/*your_username*/

Now you will need to mark the file as an executable, simply right click on the file, go to permissions and click on the "Allow this file to execute like a program".

(On your distro this text might be a bit different)

Now execute it and let it patch the files. After it's done simply type "yes" or "y" and hit enter once.

Fixing Up The Scalling

Before we end this guide, there's one more thing we have to do.

This might only be useful for those with two or more monitors, however it's still very important to include here.

After patching the game you might notice that the resolution scale is wrong, either being stretched or the buttons on the screen are misplaced.

To fix this we have to install Gamescope.

You can find it here[github.com]

After installing it, simply add an argument on the launch options of Garry's Mod.

Like this:

Easy Copy & Paste:

gamescope -w 1920 -h 1080 -f %command%

Final Notes

Now you're done! You can enjoy Garry's Mod in it's full Chromium potential.

Just make sure to always launch the game using the patcher executable and not on Steam or using a shorcut.

However if you happen to launch it again on Steam just execute the patcher again and it will do the process again without any issues.

Also for those who needed to use Gamescope to fix the scalling, you might need to manually end the process on the Task Manager everytime you close game, because quitting the game does not close it entirely, due to the Gamescope process still running in the background.

To fix this, just end the Gamescope process after quitting the game.

Credits

I want to thank Solstice Game Studios for developing the CEF Codec Patch and allowing us to play and enjoy Chromium Garry's Mod on Linux.

Link to their GitHub Page[github.com]

13 Comments

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apple [author] 2 Jun @ 7:03am

I'm glad you found my guide useful. As for gamescope, yeah it doesn't play well with some debian based distros, so it's better to just install it through a package manager if available, like you said.
Although, I must add that gamescope is not a requirement for the patch to work, it's only ever useful if your resolution scale is screwed up after patching. In my case, I haven't been using gamescope for quite a while now, since it looks like the scaling just fixed itself.
I am not sure what caused this, but it's worth mentioning for any future readers that you may not need to install gamescope to fix this issue.

Jess 1 Jun @ 8:34pm

Awesome guide, wouldn't have found this out on my own. I will add that building gamescope is particularly screwy for anyone on ubuntu 24.04/debian based distros, highly recommend seeing if the apt package is available for you before trying to build it yourself, especially since valve didn't attach a particularly detailed installation guide.

apple [author] 11 Jan @ 7:32am

I've only played on private servers with friends, but from the github page it seems to be safe to play online. However, expect some servers to kick you out due to the files not matching.

Hanswurst 9 Jan @ 10:39am

Is this VAC-safe? It's not a cheat, but it's still patching binaries, isn't it?

apple [author] 27 Jun, 2024 @ 10:57am

I haven't tried on mine, but I'd wager it's worth a shot.

Doctor Timbrwulf 27 Jun, 2024 @ 8:16am

Is this necessary for Steam Deck? Despite the stability issues I've had on it, I was wondering if this fix would get it to run the Chromium version.

Rallygator 24 Jun, 2024 @ 1:34pm

Such a simple fix. Very happy that people like those at solstice game studios exist to make my life easier.

apple [author] 18 Jun, 2024 @ 7:04pm

You're welcome! If you encounter any problems be sure to post them here, and I'll try my best to help you with them.

Wheatley 17 Jun, 2024 @ 9:56am

thanks for this cause as a steamos and linux person i always wanted gmod when i buy gmod ill try to use this or whatever

apple [author] 11 Feb, 2024 @ 4:13pm

Of course you can use it! Just credit me if possible.
I'm just glad to have helped :)

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