What is FiveM, and what it needs

FiveM is a modification platform for Grand Theft Auto V that lets players run and join custom third-party multiplayer servers outside Rockstar's own GTA Online, according to fivem.net. It is the software behind most GTA V roleplay servers, custom economy servers, and community game modes you have seen clipped on YouTube or Twitch.

This page covers what FiveM actually is, who owns it, and which copy of GTA V it needs. For the practical side of running one, see how to start a FiveM server. For how a FiveM server differs from playing on Rockstar's own servers, see FiveM vs GTA Online.

What FiveM does

FiveM does not replace GTA V. It runs alongside a legitimate copy of the game and connects you to a server running custom code: different scripts, different economies, different rules, sometimes an entirely different game mode built on GTA V's engine and assets. Server owners install resources (packages of Lua, JavaScript, or C# code) that change how the world behaves, from vehicle handling to entire roleplay frameworks with jobs, housing, and custom crime systems.

Rockstar's own FAQ language, as quoted on fivem.net, is specific about the boundary: "FiveM does not interact with Rockstar Games Online Services other than to validate your game copy the first time you launch it." In practice that means FiveM checks that you own a legal copy of GTA V, then hands the rest of the session to the third-party server you connect to. It is not a GTA Online mode, and progress, currency, and rules on a FiveM server have nothing to do with your GTA Online account.

Who owns FiveM

FiveM is operated by Cfx.re, also known as CitizenFX, the studio that built it. That is no longer an independent, unauthorized project. Rockstar Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., acquired Cfx.re outright in August 2023, according to Rockstar's own Newswire announcement.

The relationship was not always this friendly. Rockstar had banned FiveM's creators from the Social Club back in 2015. A 2022 agreement let the project continue under Rockstar's terms, and the 2023 acquisition made it official: FiveM is now a Rockstar-owned platform, not a fan mod tolerated at arm's length. The site's own footer still carries the line "FiveM is a copyright and registered trademark of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc." That ownership history is also why alt:V and RAGE:MP were shut down in 2026 while FiveM kept operating.

You need a legal copy of GTA V

FiveM requires a legitimate, purchased copy of Grand Theft Auto V. It is not a pirated-game workaround and it does not bypass the need to own the base game. The one-time validation Rockstar describes checks exactly that.

There are now two separate builds to know about, covered in full in GTA V Legacy vs Enhanced:

• FiveM (Legacy) runs on Grand Theft Auto V Legacy, the pre-Enhanced build most people have owned for years.
• FiveM for GTAV Enhanced runs on Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, and reached early access for server owners in 2026.

Custom scripts and assets built for one build are not automatically compatible with the other, since Legacy and Enhanced are separate client/server platforms under the hood. Cfx.re publishes a conversion tool for moving Legacy assets to Enhanced, but a server owner still has to decide which build to run and communicate that to players before anyone connects.

Why server owners and buyers should care about the build split

If you sell FiveM scripts or run a server, the Legacy/Enhanced split is not a footnote. A script written for Legacy will not simply work on an Enhanced server, and a customer who assumes otherwise will file a support ticket, not a bug report. Confirm which build a resource targets before installing it, and say which build your server runs before anyone buys anything tied to it.

FAQ