How to Make a SA-MP Server (and open.mp)

SA-MP or open.mp — and what you need

First, the version question, because it decides everything else:

• SA-MP 0.3.7 — the long-standing standard with the widest compatibility and the biggest library of gamemodes.
• SA-MP 0.3.DL — adds custom-model (downloadable content) support.
• open.mp — the actively maintained open-source successor, backward-compatible with SA-MP scripts. For a new server in 2026, this is the recommended pick.

Whichever you run, you will also need:

• Players with GTA: San Andreas and the matching SA-MP or open.mp client — they connect with one IP and port.
• A machine that stays on, reachable on UDP port 7777 (the SA-MP default), or hosting that handles it.
• A gamemode — the Pawn script (.amx) that defines your server (roleplay, freeroam, racing).

Path A: Self-host the server

The server software is free. These steps use open.mp (SA-MP is the same shape with samp-server).

1. Download the server package. Get the open.mp server build (or the SA-MP 0.3.7 server) for Windows or Linux and unpack it into its own folder.
2. Add a gamemode. Put your gamemode's .amx in the gamemodes/ folder (open.mp uses a config file; SA-MP uses server.cfg).
3. Configure the server. Set the essentials — your gamemode, player limit, a strong RCON password and the port:

   gamemode0 my-gamemode
   maxplayers 100
   rcon_password CHANGE_ME_NOW
   port 7777
   filterscripts 

4. Start it. Run omp-server (or samp-server.exe). The console should report the gamemode loading and the server listening on 7777.
5. Forward the port. Forward UDP 7777 on your router to the machine.
   Heads up: this exposes your home IP with no DDoS protection, and SA-MP servers are attacked often. The machine also has to stay on 24/7 — the reasons a public server usually belongs on hosting.

Path B: Rent a SA-MP server (online in minutes)

Hosting handles the port, the uptime and the database. On HytHost SA-MP hosting plans are slot-based — pick how many players can be online at once, and it is provisioned automatically:

1. Pick your slots. 50 for a friends server, 100 for a growing community, 200 for a busy roleplay or freeroam server, 400 for large public servers with heavy scripts.
2. Check out. The server installs and comes online on its own; your panel login arrives by email. A MySQL database is included for persistent accounts, houses, factions and stats.
3. Upload your gamemode. Drop your .amx, filterscripts, plugins and includes in through the file manager or SFTP, point the config at your gamemode, and start.
4. Share the address. Players add your IP and port in their SA-MP or open.mp client and connect — no port forwarding on anyone's side.

The server stays up with a target of 99.9% uptime behind Voxility DDoS protection on high-clock CPUs, with a high stream rate so players and objects render smoothly, and live chat support 8 AM – 11 PM (Chișinău time). Popular plugins and includes work out of the box.

Gamemodes, filterscripts and plugins

A SA-MP server is defined by its Pawn scripts:

• Gamemode — the main script (.amx, compiled from .pwn) that sets what your server is: a roleplay world, a freeroam sandbox, a race server.
• Filterscripts — smaller add-on scripts loaded alongside the gamemode for extra features (admin systems, mini-events), listed in your config.
• Plugins and includes — server extensions (like MySQL and streamer includes) that gamemodes depend on. Upload them and reference them in the config.

Most community gamemodes are written for 0.3.7 and run on open.mp thanks to its compatibility, so you are not locked out of the huge back-catalogue by choosing the modern server. Persistent gamemodes (roleplay accounts, houses, stats) need MySQL — which is why a database is included on our SA-MP plans.

A word on "free" SA-MP hosting

People search for free SA-MP hosting, so here is the honest picture: you can self-host for free on your own PC (fine for testing and development), but free hosted SA-MP servers are rare, and the ones that exist tend to be unreliable — shared, capped, ad-supported, or offline as often as not, with no DDoS protection.

For a community you actually want people to return to, a low-cost slot-based plan is the honest answer: it stays online, survives attacks, includes a database, and gives you full control — for the price of a coffee or two a month. Use free to build and test; move to paid when real players are counting on it being there.

Keep your server safe and online

• Set a strong RCON password. rcon_password is admin access to your server — never leave it default, and never share it. A weak one is the most common way SA-MP servers get hijacked.
• Take DDoS seriously. SA-MP servers, especially popular roleplay ones, get attacked constantly. A home line has nothing in front of it; datacenter hosting puts filtering (Voxility, here) between the internet and your server.
• Back up your database. Your MySQL database holds every account, house and faction — snapshot it regularly, and before any big gamemode update.
• Keep the version matched. Players must run the same client version (0.3.7, 0.3.DL or open.mp) as your server to connect.