What is FiveM? The 2026 guide, and when you need your own server
FiveM is a modification platform for the PC version of GTA V that lets you play on custom multiplayer servers, with their own rules, cars, maps and scripts. It's made by Cfx.re, which has been part of Rockstar Games since August 2023. You need a legitimate, up-to-date copy of GTA V on PC: the regular FiveM client works with GTA V Legacy, and since 21 July 2026 there's also a separate client for GTA V Enhanced in early access. You don't need your own server to play; you simply join an existing one.
What is FiveM? A modding platform for GTA V, from Cfx.re and so from Rockstar
On fivem.net, Cfx.re describes FiveM as a "multiplayer-enabled modification framework" for Grand Theft Auto V. According to its makers, the M stands for modifications, not multiplayer. On 11 August 2023, Cfx.re announced that the team had officially become part of Rockstar Games, and in April 2025 txAdmin, the management panel that comes built into the server software, officially joined Cfx.re.
In practice, FiveM is a separate launcher that sits alongside your GTA V. Server owners decide what happens on their server: vehicles, maps and weapons are streamed to you when you join, and they write scripts in Lua, C# or JavaScript. According to its makers, FiveM doesn't modify your GTA V installation, so you can switch freely between GTA Online and FiveM. It doesn't exist on console: FiveM only runs on PC.
Which GTA V you need: Legacy or Enhanced (as of 23 September 2026)
You need a legitimate, fully updated PC version of GTA V; FiveM doesn't work with pirated copies. There are two editions on PC: Legacy, the original PC version, and Enhanced, the upgraded version with the features of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series edition. Since this summer, each edition has its own FiveM client:
| FiveM (Legacy) | FiveM for GTAV Enhanced | |
|---|---|---|
| Requires | GTA V Legacy | GTA V Enhanced plus the Rockstar Games Launcher |
| Status | current client, still supported | early access since 21 July 2026 |
| Minimum | Windows 10, 4 GB RAM | Windows 10, 8 GB RAM, graphics card with 4 GB, SSD |
| Server software | FXServer | Cfx Server |
Where you bought GTA V makes little difference for Legacy. Cfx.re support lists default folders for the Rockstar Games Launcher, Steam, the Epic Games Launcher and the Xbox app for PC. If FiveM can't find your game, set the path yourself in CitizenFX.ini on the IVPATH= line. For the Enhanced client, Cfx.re requires both the Rockstar Games Launcher and GTA V Enhanced to be installed.
The key point: there's no crossplay between the two. You can only join a Legacy server with the regular FiveM client, and an Enhanced server only with FiveM for GTAV Enhanced. Cfx.re itself expects most existing servers to stay on Legacy for a while yet, partly because Asset Escrow (the protection for paid scripts) is missing from the early access. So first check which version the server you want to join is running.
You join a server through the server list, F8 or a cfx.re link
- Download FiveM from fivem.net (
FiveM.exe, or the separate download for Enhanced), install it and launch it from the Start menu. - Pick a server in the server list. Since a client update in May 2026, a server can show a padlock next to its name to indicate that it has an allowlist: you first need to get access, for example through an application or a Discord server.
- If you've been given an address, press F8 and type
connectfollowed by the IP address and port (30120 by default) or a cfx.re link, such asconnect cfx.re/join/xxxxxx.
The first time, FiveM downloads that server's cars, maps and scripts to a cache on your PC; your GTA V files themselves stay untouched. Cfx.re recommends reading the description and rules beforehand, and testing your microphone if the server uses voice chat.
On a roleplay server you play a character in a city with rules
Roleplay (RP) is the best-known type of FiveM server. You create a character and play it consistently: you apply to join the police or the ambulance service, earn money with a job and stick to the rules of the city. A server like that runs on a framework such as ESX, QBCore or Qbox, which provides the basics for money, jobs and inventory, usually with a database behind it. Serious RP servers are often allowlisted: you fill in an application or have an interview before you're let in.
There's more than RP. Cfx.re distinguishes drift, racing, PvP, freeroam and zombie survival servers, among others. If you're new, start with the featured servers on the right of the server list: by Cfx.re's criteria, those are accessible servers without roleplay and without an allowlist. Which framework suits which kind of server is covered in ESX or QBCore.
Your own server needs a license key, txAdmin, resources and slots
- A license key. Every server needs a free license key, linked to your Cfx.re account. For a long time that went through Keymaster; Cfx.re is moving that management to the Cfx.re Portal, and that's where the documentation now has you create the key. In
server.cfgit appears assv_licenseKey "...". Step by step: requesting and setting up a license key. - txAdmin. The server software (FXServer for Legacy, Cfx Server for Enhanced) has txAdmin built in. On the first start, you link your Cfx.re account using a PIN code from the console and use a recipe to deploy a basic server or a framework.
- Resources. Everything you add is a resource: a folder in
resources/with anfxmanifest.lua, which you start inserver.cfgwithensure name. Every extra resource costs memory and processing time. - Slots and OneSync.
sv_maxClientsranges from 1 to 2048. Larger servers run on OneSync, FiveM's synchronisation system, which is free up to 48 slots. For more players you need a paid Element Club subscription from Cfx.re, from the Argentum tier upwards. See enabling OneSync.
A server on your own PC goes offline as soon as you switch your PC off; a hosted server runs day and night. At MC-Node you get txAdmin and a game panel based on Pterodactyl, with console, file manager, backups and startup variables. The servers run on our own hardware with NVMe storage in the Previder data centre in Hengelo, with additional game nodes in Frankfurt, Warsaw and Beauharnois (Canada). DDoS protection is included and you can cancel monthly. The FiveM packages start with Small at €1.75 per month, followed by Start (€3.50), Medium (€7.00) and Large (€14.00). What to do first after ordering is covered in I bought a FiveM server, now what?
When you don't need your own server
- You just want to play. If you want to roleplay, race or drift, join an existing server. At the time of writing, fivem.net reported well over 120,000 players online; plenty of choice.
- You're looking for a lively RP city. A roleplay server lives on its players and on staff who enforce the rules. An empty city of your own isn't much fun.
- You only want to try it out or learn scripting. In that case, run the server software on your own PC first. Only once other people need to get on as well does a hosted server make sense.
Your own server does make sense if you play with a regular group of friends and want your own rules, if you're going to build a community, or if you write scripts you want to test on a real server. Unsure about the size? Read how many players your server can handle first.
GTA 6 doesn't change anything for FiveM for now
Rockstar gives 19 November 2026 as the release date for Grand Theft Auto VI, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. There's no PC version on that list, and FiveM only exists on PC. Cfx.re hasn't announced a FiveM for GTA 6. What that means for anyone starting a server now is covered in GTA 6 and FiveM.
Frequently asked questions
Is FiveM free?
You can download the FiveM client free of charge from fivem.net; you do need a legitimate PC version of GTA V. The license key for your own server is free too, and OneSync is free up to 48 slots. You only pay for more slots (Element Club) or for hosting.
Does FiveM work with GTA V Enhanced?
Yes, since 21 July 2026, through the separate client FiveM for GTAV Enhanced, which is still in early access. For that you need GTA V Enhanced and the Rockstar Games Launcher. The regular FiveM client keeps working with GTA V Legacy; which one you need depends on the server, because there's no crossplay between the two.
Can you play FiveM on PS5 or Xbox?
No. FiveM only works on PC, because it uses techniques that are only available on the open PC platform. So you need a Windows PC that meets the system requirements.
Will you get banned from GTA Online for playing FiveM?
According to its makers, no. FiveM doesn't modify your game files and only contacts Rockstar's online services on first launch, to check that you own GTA V. A ban on a FiveM server itself is a separate matter: that's handed out by the admin of that server.