How to Create a FiveM Server in 2026: Complete Beginner Guide

Creating your own FiveM server is more accessible than ever in 2026. Whether you want to run a small private community for friends, build a serious roleplay (RP) server, or experiment with custom scripts and maps, the path from zero to a running server is well-documented and free.

This guide walks you through every step: from choosing your hosting, installing txAdmin, picking a framework (ESX, QBCore, or QBox), to launching your first scripts. No prior server administration experience required.

By the end, you'll have a working FiveM server ready for your players.

Table of contents

1. What is FiveM?
2. Before you start: prerequisites
3. Step 1: Choose your hosting
4. Step 2: Install txAdmin
5. Step 3: Pick a framework (ESX, QBCore, QBox)
6. Step 4: Install your first scripts
7. Step 5: Open your server to players
8. Common mistakes to avoid
9. FAQ

What is FiveM?

FiveM is a free platform for playing Grand Theft Auto V in multiplayer on custom servers. It lets players join roleplay worlds, modded servers, or community-built experiences around the GTA universe — with custom gamemodes, maps, vehicles, scripts, and entire roleplay (RP) economies.

The most popular use case is GTA V roleplay: communities where players take on character roles (police, criminal, civilian) and play out long-form narratives in a persistent world.

FiveM is developed by CFX.re, the same team behind RedM (the Red Dead Redemption 2 equivalent). It is officially licensed by Take-Two Interactive since 2023, making server hosting and monetization fully legal.

You'll need three things to host a successful server:

1. A machine to run it (VPS, dedicated server, or local PC for testing)
2. A FiveM license key (free, obtained from portal.cfx.re)
3. txAdmin to manage your server (free, ships with FiveM by default)

Before you start: prerequisites

Before you spin up a server, get these ready:

• A CFX.re account — register at portal.cfx.re and generate a free server license key. This key authenticates your server with CFX.re. You can generate multiple keys for testing/production.
• A MariaDB database — most frameworks (ESX, QBCore, QBox) require a MySQL-compatible database. MariaDB is the recommended choice for FiveM — it's faster, fully MySQL-compatible, and what most production servers use. Your hosting provider usually includes one. For local testing, install MariaDB directly and use HeidiSQL (bundled with MariaDB on Windows) to manage it.
• Basic file management skills — you'll be moving folders, editing config files (in any text editor, Notepad works), and reading error logs.
• A Discord server — not strictly required, but essential. Every FiveM community communicates through Discord. Create yours before launching.

• A copy of GTA V on the server machine (only players connecting need GTA V)
• Coding experience (helpful later, not required to start)
• A premium FiveM subscription (only needed for higher player slots, see CFX.re tiers)

Step 1: Choose your hosting

Your hosting choice determines your server's performance, uptime, and cost. There are three realistic options.

Option A — Local PC (testing only)

Run the server on your own machine. Great for learning, testing scripts, and developing. Bad for public communities because:

• Your home upload speed throttles player connections
• Your PC must stay on 24/7
• Players can't connect when you're using your PC for other things
• Security risks (opening ports on your home network)

Option B — VPS (Virtual Private Server)

The most common choice for small-to-medium servers. Providers rent you a slice of a powerful machine — typically 4-8GB RAM, 2-4 CPU cores, SSD storage — for $10-30/month.

• Hetzner — cheap, reliable, EU-based (~€5-15/month)
• OVH (Game Servers) — France/Canada, DDoS protected
• Contabo — cheapest tier, slightly less reliable
• DigitalOcean — premium, well-documented

Option C — Specialized FiveM hosting

Some hosting providers offer FiveM-specific plans with one-click setup, pre-installed txAdmin, and game-server-aware support. These can be convenient for absolute beginners who don't want to touch a Linux terminal.

The trade-off versus a VPS: easier setup and FiveM-aware support, but less flexibility and usually higher pricing per resource. Providers in this niche include ZAP-Hosting, Pebble Host, GTXGaming, and others — compare current reviews, pricing tiers, and DDoS protection before subscribing, as quality and prices change frequently.

Step 2: Install txAdmin

It's bundled with FiveM by default. You don't install it separately, you launch it.

Setup overview (Windows)

1. Install prerequisites — Git and a .7z extractor like 7-Zip.
2. Download the latest server build from the Windows artifacts page. Pick the latest recommended build (green tag).
3. Extract server.7z into a folder (e.g., C:\FXServer\server).
4. Run FXServer.exe — txAdmin launches automatically and opens your browser.
5. Enter the PIN shown in the console, click Link Account, and authenticate with your CFX.re account.
6. Create your admin password, name your server.
7. Choose a recipe — select "Popular Recipes", then pick "CFX Default FiveM" to get started (no database required). For RP servers, look for QBCore, ESX, or QBox recipes in the list (these require MariaDB).
8. Enter your license key from portal.cfx.re and run the recipe.
9. Click Save & Run Server — your server is live.

Full reference: docs.fivem.net/docs/server-manual/setting-up-a-server-txadmin.

We have a dedicated step-by-step guide for txAdmin: txAdmin Setup Guide: Install, Configure, and Manage Your FiveM Server.

Step 3: Pick a framework (ESX, QBCore, QBox)

A framework is the foundation that handles core gameplay systems: player accounts, inventory, money, jobs, vehicles, housing. Without a framework, FiveM is just an empty multiplayer GTA V instance.

In 2026, three frameworks dominate the FiveM RP scene:

ESX (Extended)

The oldest and most widely-used framework. Massive script library (thousands of community resources), well-documented, easy to find tutorials. The downside: ESX has accumulated technical debt over the years, and many older ESX scripts have performance issues.

• Best for: beginners who want maximum script compatibility
• Documentation: docs.esx-framework.org
• License: Free, open-source

QBCore

A more modern alternative to ESX. Cleaner codebase, better-organized core, popular for serious RP servers. Slightly steeper learning curve for absolute beginners, but the community is large and active.

• Best for: dedicated RP communities wanting a modern foundation
• Documentation: docs.qbcore.org
• License: Free, open-source (GPL-3)

QBox

A fork of QBCore aimed at being more performant and modular. Highly compatible with QBCore resources but with better architecture. Smaller community than QBCore (yet), but growing fast.

• Best for: technical server owners who prioritize performance
• Documentation: qbox.re
• License: Free, open-source

Standalone (no framework)

You can also run FiveM with no framework at all — just pure FiveM with vMenu or custom scripts. Best for minigame servers, DM servers, drift servers, or any non-RP gamemode.

Which should you choose?

For a quick recommendation:

• New to FiveM, want to follow tutorials easily? — ESX
• Building a serious RP community? — QBCore
• Care about performance and modular code? — QBox
• Not doing RP? — Standalone

Step 4: Install your first scripts

Once your framework is installed, you'll want to layer resources (scripts) on top. A typical RP server runs 50-200 resources for everything from car keys to phone systems to weather.

The essentials every server needs

These are the first scripts to install on any new RP server:

1. A voice system — pma-voice (free, the de facto standard) or mumble-voip
2. A clothing system — illenium-appearance (free) or fivem-appearance
3. A vehicle keys system — qb-vehiclekeys (for QBCore) or esx_vehiclelock (for ESX)
4. An inventory — qb-inventory / ox_inventory are the most popular
5. A weather system — qb-weathersync (free, basic) or a premium solution like HZ-Weather Pro for zones, seasons, and natural disasters
6. A phone resource — qb-phone (free), lb-phone, or qs-smartphone-pro
7. A money/banking system — usually bundled with the framework
8. An admin menu — vMenu (free) or framework-specific tools

How to install a resource

Generic process (most resources follow the same pattern):

1. Download the resource (zip from GitHub, Tebex, or your script shop)
2. Extract it into your server's resources/ folder
3. If required, run the SQL file in your MariaDB database
4. Add ensure resource_name to your server.cfg
5. Restart the server

A few HZ-Scripts you can drop in immediately

If you're looking for premium resources that work out-of-the-box with any framework:

• HZ-Weather Pro — Replaces qb-weathersync with zones, seasons, tornadoes, tsunamis, and a phone weather app
• HZ-Television — Synced TVs for cinema, restaurants, and homes (YouTube, Twitch, custom streams)
• HZ-AudioMixer — Per-player audio control (finally lower the rain without killing dialogue)

Step 5: Open your server to players

By default, your server is private until you list it on the FiveM server browser.

To make it discoverable:

1. In your server.cfg, set sv_master1 "" to disable the master server, or leave it blank to list publicly
2. Configure your sv_hostname, sv_projectName, and sv_projectDesc — these are what players see in the browser
3. Set your sv_maxClients (slot count, depends on your CFX.re license tier)
4. Add tags via sets tags "roleplay, qbcore, custom-mlo" so players can filter
5. Restart your server

Promoting your server

Just listing isn't enough. To actually get players:

• Discord first — every successful server has an active Discord community
• CFX.re forum — post in forum.cfx.re (Server Bazaar section)
• FiveM Reddit — r/FiveM has a weekly server promotion thread
• YouTube/TikTok — short clips of unique features drive massive traffic to RP servers

Common mistakes to avoid

A few mistakes that kill new servers fast:

What's next?

Now that you understand the overall flow:

1. Get hands-on with txAdmin — txAdmin Setup Guide
2. Choose your framework carefully — ESX vs QBCore vs QBox Comparison
3. Build your script stack — First Scripts to Install on Your FiveM Server

Building a FiveM server is a marathon, not a sprint. Take the time to learn each layer. The communities that succeed in 2026 are the ones built on solid foundations, not the ones rushed to launch in a week.

Good luck, and welcome to the FiveM dev community.

FAQ

See the FAQ above each section as you read, or jump to specific topics in our other guides.