How To Create a FiveM Server (2024 Updated!)

FiveM is a popular GTA V modification that allows you to customize your gameplay experience with different mods. You can create a FiveM server that allows you and your friends to play. Making a FiveM server is a great way to keep your GTA V gameplay fresh and new. There are many different mods available for FiveM, so you can customize your server to fit your own needs. Whether you’re looking for a new challenge or just want to have some fun with your friends, FiveM is a great option. You can also join other people’s servers to explore new mods and gameplay possibilities. There are many different communities around FiveM, so you’re sure to find one that fits your interests.

In this blog, we’ll be going over how to install your own FiveM server along with the requirements for hosting a server.

What is FiveM?

FiveM is a modification of GTA V allowing players to use custom mods that have been created by community developers. These mods can range from map changes, to completely new game modes. The advantage of FiveM over the base game is that it allows players to have more control over their gameplay experience and supports more players. FiveM servers are hosted by the community and can be found via the FiveM server list. FiveM mostly revolves around roleplay, roleplay is the act of assuming a role in a story or setting. There are many different types of roleplay, some more serious than others. One of the more notable roleplay servers is Nopixel, which helped with FiveM’s growth due to numerous streamers playing on the server. However, FiveM isn’t just about roleplay, you can play on drift servers, deathmatch servers, transport/trucking servers and so much more. The possibilities are endless!

What is a FiveM Server?

A FiveM server is a computer or server which hosts the FiveM server software and allows players to connect and play together. Creating a FiveM server allows you to take control of the gameplay experience as you can choose which mods you want to play with, along with which rules you want to enforce. A FiveM server can be hosted on a variety of platforms, including Windows, and Linux computers, as well as dedicated servers that are rented from server hosting providers (such as Iceline Hosting).

Setting up a FiveM server can be a tricky task if you haven’t done it before, you will also need to be informed of what is required to ensure a smooth gameplay experience for you and your players. For example, a FiveM server with 128 players may require a lot more RAM than you anticipated.

If you are interested in creating your own FiveM server, follow our instructions below where we go over the initial installation and configuration, maintenance of your server and other helpful info.

Hardware & Software Requirements

To host a FiveM server on your PC/server will need to meet certain requirements, both hardware and software. The requirements may differ depending on the number of players and mods.

Hardware Requirements:

The best FiveM server specs are outlined below:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5800X/3800X
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 25GB NVMe SSD

We recommend the specs above to provide you with the best performance when hosting a server; however, any modern PC/server that meets the minimum requirements for FiveM should be able to run a server without issue.

Software Requirements:

In addition to hardware requirements, you’ll also need to install software in order to host a FiveM server. The following software is required:

• FiveM Client: You can download the client here
• FiveM Server Files: Download the Windows or Linux files
• Windows or Linux Operating System (Ubuntu Recommended)

Initial Steps

Depending on how you decide to host your server (self-hosted, server provider, etc) the instructions will differ for you. The instructions in this article are orientated around hosting a FiveM server with Iceline Hosting.

Once you have downloaded the server files, configured the startup parameters, and started the server, you will need to find your server IP. If your server is hosted locally it will be your public IP address. If your server is hosted remotely or at Iceline Hosting, it will be the CFX address provided to you on the panel.

You will also need to generate a FiveM license key from the FiveM keymaster. This will allow your server to start and be listed within the FiveM server list.

To generate a server license key:

1. Navigate to FiveM keymaster
2. Click “Register”
3. Enter the server info (Iceline Customers can find it under Startup tab > FiveM License Key Info)
4. Once you’ve done that, press “Generate” and copy-paste your key into the server.cfg (or Startup parameters if using Iceline)

Connecting to Your Server

Once you have located your FiveM server connection address, it’s time to connect! Open up the FiveM client, and navigate to “Servers”. You can then type in your CFX/IP address and connect!

Configuring Your FiveM Server

Once you have successfully connected to your FiveM server and you know everything is working, it’s time to start configuring! The initial configuration may include changing the server name, generating a Steam API key, enabling Onesync, etc.

Editing Server Config

You can change many of the server variables from within the server.cfg which can be found in the FiveM server files. Make sure you understand what you are changing before doing so as you can accidentally break your server. Before making any edits to this file, make sure to turn off your server. Once edits have been made, feel free to start the server back up.

Set Yourself as Superadmin

Setting yourself as Superadmin on your FiveM server allows you to moderate your server. You will be able to execute specific in-game commands such as /noclip, /kick, and /ban.

To set yourself as Superadmin, you will first need to make sure you are connected to the FiveM server. Then follow these instructions:

• When fully loaded, press the arrow up until the player’s dialog appears. (Otherwise try F10 or F11)
• In the player’s dialog find your user ID
• Open your FiveM server console
• Type in: setgroup USERID superadmin. You need to replace USERID with your ID you copied
• Press ENTER. The command will now run and set your user to superadmin
• Open the game and type an admin command to test. If it doesn’t work then please restart the game and run the in-game command again

If it’s not working or you are stuck, make sure to check out our tutorial How to Set Yourself as a Superadmin in Your Server.

How to Update Artifact Version

You may wish to update/change your artifacts version manually, this can be done by:

1. Going to the Windows or Linux artifact files
2. Download the Latest Recommended or specific version you want
3. Go to your FiveM server files
4. Drag the artifact files and replace the files in your server
5. Restart your server

If you are stuck, please check out our tutorial How to Update Your Artifact Files

Generating a Steam API Key

You may need to generate a Steam API key if you are using a framework such as ESX. Generating a Steam API key for your FiveM server is fairly easy with these instructions:

1. First, go to the Steam API key site by clicking here
2. Login with Steam
3. Type in a domain name, you can type your server name
4. When you have generated, you will see the copy, copy it
5. Go to your FiveM server.cfg (or Startup parameters if using Iceline), and paste your Steam API key

Once this is done, you can restart your server and join.

Enable OneSync

If you are going to use OneSync on your FiveM server follow these instructions:

1. Find your startup parameters (Windows/Linux: The startup file) (Iceline: In the game panel under “Startup”)
2. Either paste +set onesync on or type “on” under OneSync if using Iceline Game Panel
3. Restart the server

If the instructions have been followed correctly and you have a Patreon license key, OneSync will now be enabled!

Add EUP

To add EUP to your FiveM server, follow these instructions:

• Make sure your server has (at least) the “FiveM Element Club Argentum 💿”. 

• Download the EUP resource from here.
• Download the NativeUI resource from here (only required if you want the menu).
• Drag the “NativeUI”, “eup-stream” and “eup-ui” folders into your servers resources folder via an FTP browser.
• In your server.cfg start the resources in this order:

start NativeUI

start eup-stream

start eup-ui

• Save the server.cfg file and then clear your server’s cache by deleting the cache folder, then restart your FiveM server.

Not working correctly or having trouble? Follow our tutorial How to Install EUP on Your FiveM Server.

Install FiveM Server Scripts/Mods

If you are interested in installing scripts/mods onto your FiveM server, follow these instructions:

1. Download the script/mod you want to install
2. Once you have downloaded the script make sure there is a __resource.lua in the folder.
3. Go to your server files
4. Upload the contents of the script you downloaded into the folder named “resources”
5. Go into your server.cfg and type in the resource file name. (This is the folder name and is Cap Sensitive). For example: start vMenu.

Alternatively, if you are using the Iceline Game Panel you can install mods from the mod installer:

Facing any issues? Follow our tutorial How to Install Resources Into Your FiveM Server.

Managing Your FiveM Server

Installing and configuring a FiveM server aren’t the only steps when hosting a FiveM server. After your FiveM server has been setup and is running, you’ll need to maintain and manage it. At Iceline Hosting, we provide you with the tools you need to easily manage your FiveM server. Your server management might include monitoring server performance, player management, backups, and more. Below we’ll go over the most important parts of managing a FiveM server.

Monitoring Server Performance

Monitoring your server’s performance is extremely important if you want to ensure a smooth gameplay experience. Depending on the number of players and mods your server has, your resource usage might fluctuate. Monitoring your server performance allows you to ensure your server has the right specs. Here at Iceline, we provide you with all the necessary performance monitoring tools from within our custom game panel. From the console page, you can monitor CPU, RAM, and Disk usage:

Iceline Game Panel – Console Stats

If you notice usage is too high (CPU 100% or RAM usage full), it’s likely due to the following things:

• Outdated scripts/artifacts
• Need more RAM to support amount of players/mods
• Server may require restart (do you have scheduled restarts setup?)

Configuring Backups

Creating regular backups of your FiveM server is extremely important, this includes both the files and the database (if using one). Reasons for having regular backups:

• Accidental deletion of files/data
• Server crashes
• Players deleting your data / griefing your server

In this article, we’ll show you how to create backups of your FiveM server using a variety of different methods. If you are self-hosting your FiveM server you’ll need to use a third-party tool such as Cobian Backup or FileFort Backup.

If you are hosting your FiveM server with Iceline Hosting, creating regular backups is easy. With the Iceline Game Panel, you automatically have 10GB of free cloud backup storage, you can pay for additional space if you wish. You can create a backup by clicking “Create a backup”. Your backup will then be created and stored on our Iceline Cloud.

You can automate backups and also configure the backup retention. This allows for automatic deletion of backups older than X. You can restore a backup at any time by selecting the backup and clicking “Restore”.

Configuring Schedules

You may wish to create schedules to automate specific tasks such as server reboot, creating a backup, send a command. You can schedule these tasks with third-party software if hosting self-hosting the FiveM server such as Windows Task Scheduler or RoboTask. However, if you are using Iceline Hosting you can configure schedules from the Iceline Game Panel.

You can add numerous tasks under the same scheduled time. For example, you can send a command to say the server is rebooting, then perform the reboot.

Reinstalling Your FiveM Server

You may wish to reinstall your FiveM server if you want to start over or if you made a mistake and wish to perform a restore. You can reinstall a FiveM server by deleting all the files, and reuploading the artifacts and server.cfg. If using Iceline Game Panel, we make the process easy by going to the “Settings” tab and clicking reinstall.

FiveM Server Support

If you have purchased hosting from Iceline Hosting you get access to our support. Our support team will assist you with any issues you have with your FiveM server.

How to Contact Support?

You can contact our support team by creating a ticket here. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Providing Staff Access

If you have opened a ticket and have been requested to accept a staff request to your FiveMserver, you will need to accept to allow us to diagnose and troubleshoot any issues you are having. You can accept a staff request by going to the Iceline Game Panel and going to the “Staff Requests” tab.

How to Upgrade/Downgrade?

Upgrades/downgrades can be made at any time, if you need to upgrade/downgrade your FiveM server plan you can do this within Iceline Billing. The upgrade/downgrade process will take place straight away (depending on if the invoice is paid). Your server will need to be rebooted for the process to be completed.

That’s It!

We have covered everything you need to know when creating your own FiveM server which is either self-hosted or hosted by a provider. Make sure to check out our other tutorials which can be found here.