FiveM Server Optimization: The Definitive 2026 Playbook

Audience: Experienced server owners & sys‑admins who want to push a production FiveM instance to its limits while maintaining stability and GDPR‑compliant data handling.

Goal: Concretely cut frame time, reduce join latency, and free CPU cycles without compromising gameplay.

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Start – Measure Before Tweaking

1. Backup first. Create an off‑site copy of your entire server-data folder and database. (here’s how to backup)
2. Establish a reference run:# In console resmon 1 # live metrics – see Section 1 profilemode server sv_maxclients 32 # match current population for apples‑to‑apples numbers
3. Record:
   • Tick time (ms)
   • Average resmon usage per resource
   • Join‑to‑spawn time (stopwatch)

     Why? Optimization without a baseline is guess‑work. Store these numbers so you can roll back any change that makes things worse.

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     Using resmon Like a Pro  (detailed guide)

     

     Command	What it does	Typical target
     resmon 1	Starts live resource monitor.	Development server.
     resmon_log <seconds>	Dumps averages to a CSV.	Production sampling.

     Rules of thumb

     • ≤ 0.40 ms idle usage → keep.
     • 0.40 – 1.00 ms → optimise soon.
     • > 1.00 ms → refactor or disable.

     If CPU % spikes coincide with ~33 FPS server FPS drops, the bottleneck is your script, not host hardware.

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     Configuration‑Level Tweaks

     2.1 server.cfg Essentials

# Networking
onesync on              # mandatory for >32 slots
sv_maxclients 64        # raise ONLY if tick time < 6 ms after optimisation
sv_maxrate 65000        # bytes/s per client (≈ 520 kbps)
sv_minrate 25000
sv_packetLoss 0.05      # disconnect if 5 % loss sustained
# Performance
set sv_enhancedDriver true   # newer FXServer builds only
sets gamename "gta5"          # avoid legacy fallbacks

Uncertainty note: sv_enhancedDriver is experimental in artifacts < 6368; verify changelog.

2.2 OS & Host

• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Windows Server 2022
• Disable C‑states (BIOS) and set Performance governor
• Bind FXServer to high‑performance cores:taskset -c 2-7 fxserver +exec server.cfg

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3 · Resource‑Level Optimisation

3.1 Refactor Expensive Loops

-- ⚠️ Anti‑pattern (runs every frame)
Citizen.CreateThread(function()
    while true do                 -- NO wait
        local p = PlayerPedId()
        SetPedInfiniteAmmoClip(p, true)
    end
end)
-- ✅ Good: cache + delay
local p = PlayerPedId()
Citizen.CreateThread(function()
    while true do
        SetPedInfiniteAmmoClip(p, true)
        Wait(1000)                -- 1 sec
    end
end)

3.2 Leverage the FiveM Script Optimizer (AI) → try it

Paste your Lua script – the model flags tight infinite loops, redundant natives, and offers auto‑patch suggestions. Always review diff output line‑by‑line before deploying.

3.3 Disable Unused Resources

ensure only what you actually need. Comment out legacy scripts:

# ensure old_vehshop

3.4 Dynamic LOD / Streaming Budget

Use the r_drivepad cvar to lower draw distance for AI traffic when FPS < 50 on clients.

More asset advice in Section 4.

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4 · Asset‑Level Optimisation

Asset type	Hard limit	Tooling
.ytd texture	≤ 16 MiB	Texture Toolkit, GIMP DDS export
Prop polycount	≤ 50 k	Blender decimate + auto LODs
.awc audio	48000 Hz mono	Audacity resample

Streamed data lives in RAM. Keep stream/ under 1 GB total or risk out‑of‑memory client crashes.

Further reading → Optimise loading times.

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5 · Database & I/O

• Use mysql‑async or oxmysql; avoid synchronous MySQL.Sync.fetchAll inside ticks.
• Add indices on columns frequently queried in SELECT ... WHERE ... clauses.
• Cache immutable data (e.g., vehicle names) in Lua tables, not DB hits.

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6 · Continuous Monitoring & Regression Guards

1. Automated nightly resmon_log 120 – pipe CSV to Grafana.
2. Git pre‑commit hook invoking the AI Script Optimizer.
3. Load test every PR with ≥ double current slot count.

Additional server‑side pointers → Boosting performance: optimise scripts.

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7 · When Hardware Is the Wall

• Ryzen 7 7800X3D > Intel i9‑14900K for single‑thread latency.
• 64 GB DDR5 6000 CL30 to minimise page faults.
• NVMe Gen 4 SSD > 5000 MB/s for fast map streaming.

Host with at least 1 Gbps up/down; disable shared vCPU plans.

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8 · GDPR & Privacy

Do not log IPs longer than operationally necessary (Recital 39). Hash identifiers (SHA‑256) if you need analytics.

Ensure any third‑party analytics scripts set SameSite=Lax and clear on logout.

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9 · Checklist (for your Admin Team)

So, what to do? Here in a nutshell:

#	Task	Concrete action / command	Pass criteria
Pre-flight
1	Snapshot & tag	tar -czf backup_$(date +%F).tgz ~/fivem/server-data && mysqldump -u root -p --single-transaction fivem > db.sql Tag Git: git tag prod-$(date +%F)	Archives stored off-site & Git CI green
2	Artifact parity	Document FXServer build tested in staging (e.g. b6362)	Same build number ready in prod
3	Maintenance window	Inform players, set sv_login_token "" or enable txAdmin maintenance mode	No new joins; current players warned
Deploy
4	Stop services cleanly	txadmin stop or Ctrl-C in console; wait “Saving map…”	No orphan FXServer processes
5	Upgrade binaries	Replace FXServer & alpine from validated artifact zip	./FXServer +set version shows new build
6	Apply optimised server.cfg	Copy‐in reviewed file; run +exec server.cfg +set comlint 1	No “unknown cvar” errors
7	Trim resources	Move unused scripts to resources-disabled/; confirm with ensure <name> list	resmon shows removed entries
8	Clear & rebuild cache	rm -rf cache/* then save_gta_cache mymap if large maps	Cache folder repopulated
9	DB migration	Run ALTER/CREATE INDEX scripts; test with EXPLAIN	No full-table scans in query plan
10	Start bound to P-cores	taskset -c 2-7 ./FXServer +exec server.cfg	Server boots; CPU affinity correct
Verification (10 min)
11	Live metrics	resmon 1 in console	No resource > 1 ms long-run idle
12	Automated sample	resmon_log 600 → CSV	Average tick ≤ 6 ms; 99-th ≤ 8 ms
13	Join latency	Stop-watch join-to-spawn with fresh cache	Time ≤ baseline – 10 %
14	Functional smoke test	Teleport, buy item, drive vehicle, save garage	Core gameplay paths succeed
Post-deploy guards
15	Grafana feed	Cron: `resmon_log 120	curl -XPOST …/influx`
16	CI regression hook	Pre-commit runs AI Script Optimizer diff; blocks > +0.20 ms new cost	Hook exits 0 only on green
17	Log rotation & hashing	Cron: 24 h find logs/ -mtime +1 -exec shasum -a 256 {} \; -exec rm {}	IPs retained ≤ 24 h (GDPR Recital 39) gdpr-info.eu
18	Backup verify	Restore last snapshot to staging; boot test-server	Snapshot boots; data intact
19	Release notes	Post changelog & uptime window in Discord; archive to /docs/releases.md	Stakeholders acknowledged
20	Rollback plan ready	git checkout prod-<date> and copy previous backup manifest	Rollback tested in staging

Before going live, freeze binaries and config, cut a clean backup, deploy with CPU affinity, re-run resmon until every resource sits < 1 ms, and keep IP logs no longer than 24 h to stay under GDPR storage-limitation.

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Conclusion

Establish a numeric baseline, refactor heavy scripts with resmon and the AI optimizer, slim assets, tune server.cfg, and iterate until tick time stays below 6 ms at peak load.

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Sourcs

• How to optimise FiveM server performance
• Optimise loading times
• Boosting performance – optimise scripts
• FiveM Script Optimizer (AI tool)
• How to use resmon