How to host an HLRally server on Linux
guides · Half-Life: Rally · Mar 3, 2026
This is a step-by-step guide about how to host an HLRally sever on a Linux VPS/dedicated server. Written by Rails from headcrab.party for anyone else who wants to at least give a bit of life on this awesome (and buggy) HL mod.
If you're here to find how to play HLRally instead, check this Steam guide:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3098623532
NOTES:
1. This guide expects you to know at least some basic Linux, being on a Debian-based distro and how to port forward on your router (ignore this if you're using a VPS or dedicated server).
* If you cannot port forward, then use a UDP tunnel like "playit.gg", but beware those could be instable in terms of ping.
2. This guide points to some static versions of some files (to make this easy to do). Check the original sources in case of updates.
3. I'm not going to use SteamCMD for this. Instead I'll just use a predownloaded HLDS 8684 from archive.org, it's the same shit anyways.
4. I'm not going to show you how to make a FastDL on this guide, check that by yourself on other guides.
ISSUES:
1. Playing Hot Potato maps (hp_) on Linux makes the server to crash.
2. The server will ignore the download of custom radar sprites on custom maps. The only way to fix this is using this AMXX plugin https://forums.alliedmods.net/showthread.php?p=583443 and add the missing sprite files by yourself.
1. Install these required packages:
sudo apt update -y
sudo apt install tmux wget unzip nano -y
2. Create a new user account for gameservers (it will requires you to type a password):
sudo adduser gameserv
sudo usermod -aG sudo gameserv (if this doesn't work then do sudo visudo and add yourself "gameserv ALL:ALL (ALL)")
sudo su gameserv
3. Create a new directory and get HLDS from archive.org:
wget https://archive.org/download/hlds_steam_collection_20240829/hlds-linux.zip/hlds-p48-b8684-linux.zip
unzip hlds-p48-b8684-linux.zip && rm hlds-p48-b8684-linux.zip
4. Install ReHLDS which solves crash issues with this mod and also if you're going to use AMX Mod X/Metamod:
cd ~ && mkdir rehlds && cd rehlds
wget https://github.com/rehlds/ReHLDS/releases/download/3.14.0.857/rehlds-bin-3.14.0.857.zip
unzip rehlds-bin-3.14.0.857.zip && rm rehlds-bin-3.14.0.857.zip
cd bin/linux32
mv * ~/hlds/
cd ~/
rm -rf rehlds/ # We don't need it anymore as it's now "installed" in our HLDS directory.
5. Get the HLRally Linux server files from the official website:
cd ~/hlds
wget https://www.hlrally.net/media/page_media/hlrally/downloads/server/hlrallyb11.tar.gz
tar -xvf hlrallyb11.tar.gz && rm hlrallyb11.tar.gz
6. Configure your server.cfg file and edit your motd.txt with some useful info:
cd hlrally/
nano server.cfg
nano motd.txt
# On nano, when you completed editing, press CTRL+X and press Y to save the file.
# For a list of CVARs HLRally uses, consult the manual:
# https://www.hlrally.net/hlr_manual/customization.htm (4.1.5 - Basic Server Options)
7. Install this little .SO patch:
wget https://archive.org/download/hlrally-b11-linux-server-fix/hlr-b11-ded-lin.tar
tar -xvf hlr-b11-ded-lin.tar && rm hlr-b11-ded-lin.tar
8. Create and copy this little Bash script and save it on your main HLDS directory to launch your HLRally server:
cd ~/hlds/
chmod +x hlds_run hlds_linux
nano start_hlr.sh
#!/bin/bash
IP="0.0.0.0"
PORT=27015
MAP="rc_avalanche"
CFG="server.cfg"
MAXPLAYERS=8
DLL="metamod.so" # This is for Metamod and AMX Mod X, explained later in the guide
./hlds_run -game hlrally +ip $IP -port $PORT +map $MAP +exec $CFG +maxplayers $MAXPLAYERS -tos -pingboost 2
chmod +x ./start_hlr.sh
9. Create a new tmux session to leave your server running in background.
tmux
./start_hlr.sh
# On tmux, pressing CTRL+B+D allows you to return to your main session.
# To go back, just type "tmux a". In case you have more than 1 session, use "tmux ls" and "tmux a -tX", where X is the number of your tmux session.
# To close a tmux session, just press CTRL+D or write "logout" or "exit".
10. Open HLRally and check if your server appears in the server list. If not then try connecting by using "connect IP:PORT" in console.
11. And there you go, a new HLRally server in 2026!
And with that you would basically have your own HLRally server running. But it doesn't end here.
If you want something else, like administration plugins, RTV, and other things, then it's time to install AMX Mod X and Metamod.
1. Get the latest Linux build of AMX Mod X from its offical website:
cd ~/hlds/hlrally/
wget https://www.amxmodx.org/amxxdrop/1.10/amxmodx-1.10.0-git5474-base-linux.tar.gz
tar -xvf amxmodx-1.10.0-git5474-base-linux.tar.gz && rm amxmodx-1.10.0-git5474-base-linux.tar.gz
2. Get this fork of Metamod-P (made by the APG clan) from its GitHub repo, which adds some improvements and other stuff:
wget https://github.com/APGRoboCop/metamod-p/releases/download/v1.21p40/metamod_1_21-p40-APG_i686.zip
unzip metamod_1_21-p40-APG_i686.zip && rm metamod_1_21-p40-APG_i686.zip
3. Go back to your main HLDS directory and edit the "start.sh", adding the Metamod DLL to the launch parameters.
cd ~/hlds/
nano start.sh
...
./hlds_run -game hlrally +ip $IP -port $PORT +map $MAP +exec $CFG +maxplayers $MAXPLAYERS -tos -pingboost 2 -dll $DLL # <--
4. Now launch your server (assuming you're still on tmux) and you should see this in the console:
Metamod version 1.21p-APG Copyright (c) 2001-2013 Will Day
Patch: Metamod-P-APG (MM-P-APG) v42 Copyright (c) 2004-2024 Jussi Kivilinna & RoboCop
Metamod comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `meta gpl'.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
under certain conditions; type `meta gpl' for details.
AMX Mod X version 1.10.0.5467 Copyright (c) 2004-2015 AMX Mod X Development Team
AMX Mod X comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `amxx gpl'.
This is free software and you are welcome to redistribute it under
certain conditions; type 'amxx gpl' for details.
5. Congrats, you now have AMXX and Metamod installed, but that's not all.
6. Go to your "hlds/hlrally/addons/amxmodx" and edit the file "users.ini". Add at the end a new line with your SteamID and this for be admin in your server:
"STEAM_0:0:12345" "" "abcdefghijklmnopqrstu" "ce"
7. Go back to your tmux session and change to another map. You should now be admin in your own server. Try doing "amxmodmenu" in console to check.
8. Now, in order to install AMXX plugins, it's just getting one from forums.alliedmods.net, get the .AMXX file which is sometimes at the end of any post and leave it on your "plugins" folder and load it by editing the "config/plugins.ini" file. For those that only comes with an SMA then it means you need to compile them on the "scripting" directory.
And for Metamod pluigns, you just need to leave the directory of the plugin to your "addons/" folder and adding its SO file to "addons/metamod/plugins.ini".
Take in mind some Metamod plugins requires having ReHLDS as it uses modern APIs.
This is a few list of AMXX plugins I recommend:
* https://forums.alliedmods.net/showthread.php?t=77391 (Galileo, for RTV)
* https://forums.alliedmods.net/showthread.php?p=583443 (Precacher, mentioned at first)
And for Metamod, the only one I can recommend is this one:
* https://jukivili.kapsi.fi/web/#playername
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