How to install gamemodes and filterscripts on SA-MP — complete guide

Customizing a SA-MP (San Andreas Multiplayer) server starts with picking and installing the gamemode — the main script that defines the game mode — and the filterscripts, which add modular features like admin commands, anti-cheat, or special events. Without this part configured correctly, the server boots empty (running the default grandlarc) or simply shuts down right after the boot.

This tutorial covers the full workflow: organizing the folder structure, compiling .pwn files into .amx, editing server.cfg correctly, loading required plugins, and diagnosing the errors that show up in server_log.txt. It’s aimed at server owners who already have SA-MP installed and want to deploy a custom gamemode.

Estimated time: 25–40 minutes, depending on whether you need to compile from scratch or use pre-compiled .amx files.

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of Pawn helps you read compilation errors, but it’s not required if you’re going to use already-compiled .amx gamemodes.

SA-MP folder structure

Before copying any file, it’s worth understanding where each thing lives. The server’s root folder (samp03 on Linux, usually samp-server on Windows) has a fixed structure that the executable expects:

• gamemodes/ — .amx files of the game modes (only one runs at a time)
• filterscripts/ — .amx files of auxiliary scripts
• plugins/ — native libraries (.so on Linux, .dll on Windows) such as sscanf, streamer, mysql
• scriptfiles/ — files read/written at runtime (logs, JSON, SQLite databases, gamemode configs)
• pawno/ (optional) — folder with the Pawn compiler and includes (.inc)
• server.cfg — main server configuration
• server_log.txt — log generated at runtime (essential for debugging)

The .pwn files (source code) can sit inside gamemodes/ or filterscripts/ during development, but the executable only loads the compiled .amx.

Installing a gamemode

Most public gamemodes ship as a .zip or .rar package containing the .pwn, the already-compiled .amx, specific includes, and sometimes a scriptfiles/ folder with default configs.

scp my-gamemode.amx user@your-server:/samp03/gamemodes/

scp includes/*.inc user@your-server:/samp03/pawno/include/

nano /samp03/server.cfg

gamemode0 lvdm-edit 1

cd /samp03
./samp03svr

Compiling a gamemode from .pwn

When you need to edit the gamemode (change commands, tweak the economy, fix bugs), the workflow is to edit the .pwn, recompile to produce a new .amx, and replace the file on the server.

./pawncc my-gamemode.pwn -o my-gamemode.amx

Header size:           1234 bytes
Code size:            56789 bytes
Data size:           123456 bytes
Stack/heap size:      16384 bytes
Total requirements:  197853 bytes

Installing filterscripts

Filterscripts follow the same pattern as the gamemode, with two differences: they live in filterscripts/ and the server can load several of them simultaneously.

scp anti-flood.amx user@your-server:/samp03/filterscripts/
scp admin-cmds.amx user@your-server:/samp03/filterscripts/

filterscripts anti-flood admin-cmds gl_actions

Filterscript 'anti-flood.amx' loaded.
Filterscript 'admin-cmds.amx' loaded.

Configuring required plugins

Many modern gamemodes and filterscripts depend on external plugins — compiled libraries that extend what Pawn can do. The most common ones are sscanf2 (command parsing), streamer (unlimited objects/checkpoints), mysql (database), and crashdetect (debugging).

scp sscanf.so streamer.so user@your-server:/samp03/plugins/

plugins sscanf streamer crashdetect

Verification

To confirm everything came up correctly, run two checks:

tail -f /samp03/server_log.txt

You should see, in order: plugin loads, gamemode load (Loaded 1 gamemodes.), each filterscript loading, and finally Number of vehicle models: NN indicating the server is ready.

Then open SA-MP on the client and connect to the server’s IP. If the gamemode actually loaded, you’ll see its custom name (and not Grand Larceny) in the player list and the spawn messages.

Troubleshooting

”Failed to load gamemode” error

Shows up when the .amx isn’t inside gamemodes/ or the name in server.cfg is wrong. Check that the file exists (ls gamemodes/) and that the gamemode0 line points to the correct name without extension.

”Plugin failed to load” error

Common cause: the plugin’s architecture doesn’t match the executable (32-bit vs 64-bit) or the plugin was compiled for a different SA-MP version. Download the version compatible with your server — 0.3.7-R2 and 0.3.DL require different plugin builds.

Server restarts in a loop

This is usually a filterscript that crashes inside OnFilterScriptInit. Comment out all filterscripts in server.cfg, restart, and add them back one at a time until you find the culprit. Use crashdetect to capture the stack trace.

”Symbol already defined” when compiling

You included the same .inc twice or have a duplicate function between the gamemode and an include. Search for the symbol name across the .pwn and the includes — only one definition can exist.

Next steps

With the gamemode and filterscripts running, a few directions are worth investing in:

• Set up automatic backups of scriptfiles/ (where the gamemode’s persistent data lives)
• Implement a database layer with the MySQL plugin to scale beyond .ini files
• Configure RCON with a strong password and restrict access by IP
• Monitor CPU and memory usage — poorly optimized gamemodes can consume 100% of a core under load
• Study ALS hooks to extend filterscripts without modifying the original gamemode

If you’re running SA-MP in production and want low latency for Brazilian players, Hostini’s game hosting ships with servers in São Paulo, edge DDoS protection, and a panel to manage plugins without needing SSH.