FiveM Infinite Loading Screen: Complete Fix Guide

FiveM loading screen hangs occur when client-server handshake fails, resources exceed streaming capacity, or network paths block essential UDP traffic on ports 30110-30125. This guide provides systematic diagnostics and fixes for all three failure categories.

Immediate Diagnostics

Press F8 during hang to access console:

Connecting to server...
Handshaking with server...
Downloading content...

Stuck phase determines fix path.

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Scope

Covers: Network timeouts, resource streaming failures, cache corruption, authentication loops
Excludes: Server crashes, game installation issues, hardware failures
Target audience: Server administrators, mod developers, advanced users with console access

Success Metrics

• Connection established within 60 seconds
• All resources loaded without timeout
• Console shows no WARNING: or ERROR: entries
• Frame time remains <16ms post-load

Required Tools

• Administrative access to Windows
• F8 console enabled
• Network diagnostic privileges
• Text editor for configuration files

Proceed to Initial Diagnostics section for step-by-step resolution.

Initial Diagnostics

1. Identify Loading Stage

Press F8 to open console during loading. Check for:

Loaded @resourcename/client.lua (xxx ms)
Started resource resourcename
Creating script environments for resourcename

Last loaded resource indicates failure point.

2. Connection Timeout vs Resource Hang

Test Direct Connect:

connect serverip:port

If successful, issue is launcher-related. If not, proceed to network diagnostics.

Monitor Resource Loading:

-- Add to client console
resmon 1

Resources using >50ms indicate optimization issues.

Network-Based Solutions

1. DNS Resolution Fix

netsh int ip set dns "Local Area Connection" static 8.8.8.8
netsh int ip add dns "Local Area Connection" 8.8.4.4 index=2

2. MTU Optimization

Find optimal MTU:

ping -f -l 1472 google.com

Decrease by 8 until successful, then set:

netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Ethernet" mtu=1492 store=persistent

3. Port Forwarding Requirements

Router configuration:

• TCP: 30120, 30110
• UDP: 30120, 30110
• FiveM Voice: UDP 30125

Client-Side Fixes

1. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

$fivemPath = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\FiveM\FiveM.app\FiveM.exe"
$bytes = [System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($fivemPath)
[System.IO.File]::WriteAllBytes($fivemPath, $bytes)
(Get-Item $fivemPath).Properties["Compatibility"].DisableFullscreenOptimizations = $true

2. Clear Specific Cache Types

:: Server-specific cache only
for /d %%i in ("%localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data\server-cache\*") do rmdir /s /q "%%i"

:: Keep priv but clear everything else
move "%localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data\cache\priv" "%temp%\priv_backup"
rmdir /s /q "%localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data\cache"
mkdir "%localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data\cache"
move "%temp%\priv_backup" "%localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data\cache\priv"

3. Shader Cache Rebuild

Delete DirectX shader cache:

rmdir /s /q "%localappdata%\D3DSCache"
rmdir /s /q "%localappdata%\NVIDIA\DXCache"
rmdir /s /q "%localappdata%\AMD\DxCache"

Server-Specific Issues

1. Resource Streaming Problems

For servers with large MLO/YMAP files:

-- server.cfg adjustment
set sv_streamingTickRate 120
set adhesive_cdnKey "your_cdn_key"
set sv_requestParanoia 0

2. Authentication Timeout

-- Increase connection timeout
set sv_endpointprivacy false
set sv_authMaxRetries 10
set sv_authMinTrust 5

3. Queue System Conflicts

Disable conflicting queue resources:

# Check for multiple queue systems
grep -r "deferrals" resources/

Keep only one queue system active.

Advanced Debugging

1. Network Trace Analysis

netsh trace start capture=yes tracefile=fivem.etl provider=Microsoft-Windows-TCPIP level=5
:: Attempt connection
netsh trace stop

Analyze with Message Analyzer for packet loss.

2. Resource Loading Order

Create __resource.lua in problem resource:

dependency 'baseresource'
client_script {
    '@baseresource/client.lua',
    'client.lua'
}

3. Memory Allocation Issues

For 16GB+ RAM systems:

-- citizen.ini in FiveM.app folder
[Game]
DisableOSVersionCheck=1
PatchLethalForce=1
HeapAdjust=2048

Platform-Specific Fixes

Steam Version:

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Rockstar Games\GTAV" /v "InstallFolder" /t REG_SZ /d "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto V" /f

Epic Games Version:

Delete %programdata%\Epic\EpicGamesLauncher\Data\Manifests cache files.

Rockstar Launcher:

<!-- commandline.txt in GTA V directory -->
-verify
-safemode

Timeout Prevention

1. Preload Assets Locally

-- client.lua in custom resource
Citizen.CreateThread(function()
    RequestModel(`prop_cs_cardbox_01`)
    while not HasModelLoaded(`prop_cs_cardbox_01`) do
        Wait(0)
    end
end)

2. Connection Retry Script

:retry
start "" "%localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\FiveM.exe" +connect serverip:port
timeout /t 30
taskkill /f /im FiveM.exe
goto retry

Uncertainties

• Windows 11 memory integrity features may cause undocumented loading delays
• Cloudflare-protected servers require browser verification (no automated solution)
• Some ISPs throttle UDP traffic on non-standard ports unpredictably

Standards Reference

• CitizenFX Streaming Protocol v2.4.1
• RFC 4787 (NAT Behavioral Requirements for UDP)

Conclusion: Loading screen freezes typically stem from network path issues, corrupted cache, or server-side resource streaming bottlenecks requiring systematic isolation.