How to make a FiveM server in 2026: the complete guide
Your own FiveM server is the most fun way to play GTA V the way you want: with your own rules, your own mods and your own community. Whether you dream of a serious roleplay city or just want to race and mess around with a handful of friends, the route there is the same. And honestly: it's less work than most people think. With a hosted server you don't need your own hardware and you can be online within an evening.
What you need before you start
Three things, nothing more:
- A Cfx.re account with a license key. FiveM runs on FXServer, and every server needs a license key. You request one for free through your Cfx.re account. Keep the key somewhere safe, because you'll need it the first time you start your server.
- A legal copy of GTA V. Not for the server itself, but to actually play on your own server. The same goes for everyone you invite later.
- A place to run your server. Running FXServer on your own PC is possible, but then your server is offline the moment you shut down your PC, and you share your home connection with all your players. A hosted server runs 24/7 in a data center with DDoS protection, and for FiveM that last part is no luxury: popular servers are a favorite target.
Also start thinking about what kind of server you want to become. A simple freeroam server with friends puts few demands on your plan. A roleplay server with a framework, a database and dozens of resources needs significantly more memory and processing power. That difference determines which plan makes sense to start with.
Which plan fits your plans?
At MC-Node you literally start for free and grow along as soon as your server needs it. All plans run on our own hardware with NVMe storage in the Previder data center in Hengelo, and you're not tied to anything: everything can be cancelled monthly. These are the FiveM plans:
| Plan | Price per month | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | €0.00 | Testing, learning and playing with a few friends |
| Small | €1.75 | Small freeroam or race servers |
| Start | €3.50 | First steps with scripts and mods |
| Medium | €7.00 | Starting roleplay server with a framework |
| Large | €14.00 | Growing community with more resources |
| X-Large | €21.00 | Serious RP servers with a regular player base |
| Business | €35.00 | Busy servers with many concurrent players |
| Enterprise | €56.00 | Large projects that want maximum room |
Not sure? Then just start with Free or Small and see how your server behaves. If things run smoothly and your player count grows, you upgrade to a bigger plan without hassle. Check out all plans in the MC-Node FiveM server store; after ordering, your server is ready within minutes.
Starting your server for the first time
After installation, log in to your server's control panel. The first start goes roughly like this:
- Start the server. FXServer ships with txAdmin by default, the web panel you use to manage your server. On the very first start, you'll see a PIN code in the console.
- Link your browser. Open txAdmin in your browser, enter the PIN code and log in with your Cfx.re account. That account becomes your main administrator, so don't lose access to it.
- Go through the setup wizard. You give your server a name and choose how you want to start: with a ready-made recipe (such as a roleplay framework) or with an empty base server.
- Enter your license key. During setup, txAdmin asks for the license key from your Cfx.re account. Paste, save, done.
- Start and connect. Start the server, open FiveM on your PC, press F8 and type
connectfollowed by your server's address. If you spawn in the city: congratulations, your server is alive.
Something not working right away? Check the live console first. Almost every error, from a wrong license key to a resource that won't load, is spelled out there literally. That saves a lot of guesswork. Then take a moment for your server settings: the name and description players see in the server list, the maximum number of players and optionally a password while you're still building. That way you prevent strangers from wandering in while half your scripts aren't working yet.
txAdmin: your control room
txAdmin deserves its own mention, because it's the reason FiveM management is so accessible these days. From your browser you can, among other things:
- start, stop and restart your server;
- view the live console and send commands;
- manage and reload resources without a full restart;
- view, warn or ban players;
- schedule automatic restarts at fixed times.
That last one especially is something you want to enable from day one. A FiveM server that keeps running for days slowly gets slower as scripts keep holding on to memory. One or two scheduled restarts per day, at quiet times, keep everything fresh. Beyond that: start small with resources. Every extra script costs memory and every badly written resource can make your entire server stutter. Add things one by one, so you immediately know the culprit when something goes wrong.
Inviting players and keeping them coming back
You bring in your first players simply via a direct connection address: share the address and let friends connect via F8. If you want to be found by strangers, make sure your server name and description in the server list say something about what your server is. "RP Server 123" means nothing to anyone; "Dutch RP | Whitelist | 18+" attracts exactly the players you're looking for.
On top of that, a Discord server is practically mandatory. It's where your rules live, where players ask questions and where you make announcements. A server without a community around it empties out, no matter how good the scripts are. Also expect building a regular player base to take weeks to months; that's normal and says nothing about the quality of your server.
What does make a difference quickly: be present yourself. Servers where the owner plays along, answers questions and visibly works on the server retain new players far better than servers that look abandoned. Actively ask your first players for feedback and visibly act on it; nothing binds a community as strongly as the feeling of being listened to.
Honestly: these are the points to watch
Running a FiveM server is fun, but not free in time. Resources need updates, players have arguments you get to resolve, and a roleplay server without active staff quickly turns into chaos. For a serious RP server, count on several hours per week of management and moderation.
The demands also grow with your ambitions. A free or small plan is fine for learning and building, but if you notice performance dropping with more players or resources, that's the signal to upgrade. And keep FXServer itself up to date: outdated server versions cause weird bugs and connection issues you can easily spare yourself. Accept all of that and you get something beautiful in return: your own piece of Los Santos that runs the way you want it to.