Project ROME Explained: Rockstar's Modding Engine and the Future of FiveM

Table of Contents

• The State of Play: March 2026
• What is Project ROME?
• The Cfx.re Acquisition: How We Got Here
• The Fallout: Former Employee Statements
• alt:V Shutdown: The Last Competitor Falls
• FiveM on Steam: 200,000 Concurrent and Climbing
• GTA 6 Launches November 19, 2026
• What Happens to Your FiveM Server?
• How Project ROME Could Change Everything
• Practical Advice for Server Owners
• The Bottom Line

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The GTA modding landscape is shifting faster than it has in a decade. Rockstar owns FiveM now, alt:V is shutting down, GTA 6 is eight months away, and a rumored first-party modding engine called Project ROME threatens to rewrite the rules for everyone building custom GTA experiences. If you run a FiveM server, develop scripts, or play on roleplay communities, these changes will affect you directly.

This is everything we know as of March 2026 -- sourced from official announcements, credible leaks, and firsthand accounts from people who built FiveM.

The State of Play: March 2026

Before diving into Project ROME specifically, it helps to understand the current landscape. Three things happened in rapid succession that define where the GTA modding scene stands right now:

1. FiveM launched on Steam in December 2025 and hit 202,756 concurrent players on March 15, 2026 -- a record that put it above many standalone multiplayer games.
2. alt:V received a shutdown notice from Take-Two Interactive, with a full closure deadline of July 6, 2026.
3. GTA 6 was confirmed for November 19, 2026, delayed from the original May 2026 window.

These are not isolated events. They are pieces of a strategy that began in August 2023 when Rockstar acquired Cfx.re -- and they all point toward Project ROME.

What is Project ROME?

ROME stands for Rockstar Online Modding Engine. It is Rockstar's rumored first-party modding and multiplayer platform designed specifically for Grand Theft Auto VI.

Rockstar has never officially confirmed Project ROME. There has been no press release, no Newswire post, and no trailer. What we have instead is a pattern of credible leaks, industry reporting, and circumstantial evidence that paints a remarkably consistent picture.

Here is what the leaks suggest ROME will include:

• Official modding tools supporting JavaScript, TypeScript, and Lua alongside visual scripting interfaces
• Real-time map editing and the ability to hot-reload game assets without restarting servers
• Custom server hosting with official infrastructure, similar to what FiveM provides today but integrated into the game
• A creator economy where modders can monetize their work through revenue sharing, virtual item sales, and potentially brand sponsorship deals
• An evolving world with community-generated cities, missions, and game modes layered on top of Rockstar's seasonal content updates

The ambition, according to multiple reports, is to transform GTA 6 from a game into a platform -- something closer to Roblox or Fortnite Creative than a traditional single-player-with-multiplayer release. Rockstar has reportedly been meeting with UGC creators from both platforms to understand how creator economies scale.

If even half of this is accurate, Project ROME would be the most significant shift in GTA modding history. It would mean going from a world where modders reverse-engineer game code in legal gray areas to one where the publisher hands you official tools and invites you to build.

The Cfx.re Acquisition: How We Got Here

To understand Project ROME, you have to understand the acquisition that made it possible.

On August 11, 2023, Rockstar Games acquired Cfx.re, the team behind FiveM and RedM. At the time, the announcement was cautiously optimistic. Cfx.re had built the infrastructure that powered thousands of custom GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 servers. Their technology was battle-tested, their community was massive, and their codebase represented nearly a decade of reverse engineering work.

The irony was thick. In 2015, Rockstar and Take-Two had explicitly called FiveM "an unauthorized alternate multiplayer server that contains code to facilitate piracy." One of FiveM's original developers was banned from GTA Online. Eight years later, the same company paid to acquire the project.

The stated reasons for the acquisition were straightforward: formalize the RP ecosystem, bring community technology in-house ahead of GTA VI, establish clear compliance and monetization boundaries, and build toward official creator tools.

What happened after the acquisition tells a different story.

The Fallout: Former Employee Statements

By mid-2024, every original Cfx.re team member had left or been pushed out of the project. The most detailed account came from Disquse, a former FiveM lead developer, who published a lengthy statement in early 2026 that was reported across multiple gaming outlets.

His core claim: "When Rockstar acquired our projects, we were promised continuous support and 'improved relations with the broader GTA modding community.' Now, more than three years later, it is painfully clear that these promises were lies. The acquisition was not about collaboration or growth -- it was merely a calculated step toward destroying what we, the community, fans, and creators, had built over many years."

Other former employees described being placed in "an extremely toxic environment" characterized by "major mismanagement, lies on a regular basis, lack of any communication, and lack of internal transparency."

A 73,000-word document detailing internal problems at Cfx.re post-acquisition circulated through the GTA community, with GamesRadar reporting that "no original devs are left and the project is dying" according to the claims within.

These accounts matter because they speak to Rockstar's likely intentions. The original FiveM team built something Rockstar wanted to control. Once they had control, the people who built it became expendable. This is not necessarily nefarious -- corporate acquisitions frequently result in team turnover -- but it does suggest that Rockstar views FiveM as a transitional technology rather than a long-term platform.

The knowledge extracted from Cfx.re's engineers almost certainly informed Project ROME's development. The question is whether ROME will inherit FiveM's community-first DNA or become something more locked down and commercially oriented.

alt:V Shutdown: The Last Competitor Falls

In February 2026, Take-Two Interactive contacted the alt:V Multiplayer team and instructed them to begin a structured shutdown. The reasoning was blunt: FiveM is the only authorized platform for GTA V multiplayer modding as defined in Rockstar's Platform License Agreement.

The shutdown follows a phased timeline:

Date	Action
March 2, 2026	No new community servers can be created; public server toolkit discontinued
May 4, 2026	Public server listing goes offline
July 6, 2026	All remaining community servers cease operations

After nine years of development, alt:V -- which had built a loyal community and a technically distinct approach to GTA V multiplayer -- was told to close. Server owners were encouraged to migrate to FiveM.

This move eliminated the last independent GTA V multiplayer platform. FiveM now operates as a sanctioned monopoly under Rockstar's umbrella. For server owners, that means one less alternative if Rockstar makes decisions they disagree with. For players, the immediate impact is minimal since FiveM was already dominant, but the long-term implications for competition and innovation are worth watching.

The timing is not coincidental. Clearing the field of unauthorized multiplayer platforms before GTA 6 launches ensures that ROME (or whatever Rockstar's GTA 6 modding solution turns out to be) faces no established competition on day one.

FiveM on Steam: 200,000 Concurrent and Climbing

Against this backdrop of corporate consolidation, FiveM itself is thriving.

The platform appeared on Steam in December 2025 under App ID 2676230. By March 15, 2026, it set a new all-time concurrent player record of 202,756 -- and that number only reflects Steam users. Players accessing FiveM through Epic Games Store copies, Rockstar Launcher copies, or direct downloads are not counted in Steam's statistics. The actual concurrent player count is likely significantly higher.

For context, 200,000 concurrent players would place FiveM among Steam's top 15 most-played titles on any given day. It regularly outperforms games with dedicated marketing budgets and publisher backing.

This growth matters for two reasons. First, it validates FiveM as a platform, not just a mod. Second, it gives Rockstar commercial proof that the RP and custom server ecosystem generates genuine, sustained engagement. That proof is the business case for investing in Project ROME.

The Steam release also marked a technical milestone. FiveM is now working on support for GTA V Enhanced Edition, with a rebuilt OneSync networking layer that will support up to 2,048 players per server. Existing Lua, JavaScript, and C# scripts will continue to work without modification. The update drops legacy low-capacity sync modes entirely in favor of the new high-performance architecture.

GTA 6 Launches November 19, 2026

Rockstar confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI will launch on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The PC release is expected to follow, likely before the end of the year or in early 2027.

The original release target was May 26, 2026, announced in a Rockstar Newswire post. The delay to November was confirmed during Take-Two's quarterly earnings call, with the company citing the need for additional polish.

For the FiveM community, the November date creates a clear eight-month window. Between now and launch, FiveM will remain the only way to play custom GTA experiences at scale. After launch, attention will inevitably split between GTA V's established modding ecosystem and whatever GTA 6 offers.

The PC delay is particularly significant. Even after GTA 6 launches on consoles, PC players -- who make up the entirety of FiveM's player base -- may not have access to GTA 6 for weeks or months. This extends FiveM's window of relevance even further.

What Happens to Your FiveM Server?

This is the question every server owner is asking. The honest answer has three parts.

Short-term (now through November 2026): Nothing changes. FiveM is growing, player counts are at all-time highs, and there is zero indication that Rockstar plans to shut down FiveM for GTA V. The FiveM Enhanced update with 2,048-player support will further strengthen the platform.

Medium-term (November 2026 through mid-2027): GTA 6 launches, and some portion of the community's attention shifts to the new game. However, GTA 6 launches on consoles first, and Project ROME's timeline is unknown. FiveM servers will likely see a temporary dip in player counts as curiosity drives people to GTA 6's single-player campaign, followed by a return to FiveM when players want the RP experience that GTA Online 2.0 likely will not provide on day one.

Long-term (2027 and beyond): This is where Project ROME becomes the deciding factor. If ROME delivers on its promises -- official tools, creator monetization, persistent servers, JavaScript/Lua/TypeScript scripting -- it could gradually absorb the server owner community. If ROME launches with restrictions, limited scripting capabilities, or aggressive monetization, FiveM on GTA V could maintain a parallel community for years, similar to how players maintained Counter-Strike 1.6 servers long after CS:GO launched.

Your existing scripts, MLOs, vehicles, and server configurations will continue to work on GTA V indefinitely. The codebase is not going anywhere. What may change is where the players are.

How Project ROME Could Change Everything

If the leaks are accurate, Project ROME represents something the modding community has never had: a publisher actively building tools for the kinds of experiences that modders have been creating through reverse engineering for over a decade.

Consider what FiveM server owners deal with today. You need to understand Lua or JavaScript. You need to configure frameworks like ESX, QBCore, or QBox. You need to manage databases, install third-party resources, debug synchronization issues, and handle hosting infrastructure. The barrier to entry is high, the documentation is scattered, and breaking changes are common.

ROME could lower that barrier dramatically. Visual scripting tools would open server creation to people who do not code. Integrated map editors would replace the current workflow of modeling interiors in Blender, exporting to CodeWalker, and streaming them through FiveM. Official hosting infrastructure would eliminate the need to manage VPS instances and database clusters.

The creator economy angle is equally significant. Today, FiveM modders sell through platforms like Tebex or the Cfx Marketplace. Revenue depends on building an audience and competing with free alternatives. ROME's rumored revenue-sharing model -- where creators earn a cut of virtual item sales -- would create a fundamentally different economic structure, one closer to Epic's Creator Economy or Roblox's Developer Exchange.

The risk, of course, is that official tools come with official restrictions. Rockstar's track record with GTA Online modding has been adversarial at best. The company that issued cease-and-desist letters to modders and called FiveM piracy-enabling software is now building modding tools. Whether they apply GTA Online's strict content policies to ROME or embrace the creative freedom that made FiveM successful will determine the platform's fate.

Practical Advice for Server Owners

Given everything above, here is what makes sense right now.

Do not stop building. FiveM is at its peak. 200,000+ concurrent players, Steam integration, and a GTA V Enhanced update incoming. Servers that establish strong communities now will be in the best position regardless of what happens with GTA 6.

Invest in transferable skills. If ROME supports JavaScript, TypeScript, and Lua -- which the leaks suggest -- then the scripting skills you are building today will transfer directly. Focus on writing clean, modular code that could be adapted to a new platform. Our FiveM scripting guide covers these fundamentals.

Build community, not just a server. Discord servers, content creators, and loyal player bases are platform-independent. When the transition to GTA 6 modding eventually happens, the server owners who survive will be the ones whose communities follow them, not the ones with the most complex script configurations.

Keep your framework modern. If you are still running heavily customized legacy ESX, consider migrating to QBCore or QBox. Modern frameworks are better documented, more actively maintained, and more likely to have community support for adapting to new platforms.

Watch for official announcements. Rockstar has historically been poor at communicating with the modding community, but the FiveM Steam launch and alt:V shutdown suggest they are becoming more active. Follow the Cfx.re forums and Rockstar Newswire for official updates.

Diversify your revenue. If your server generates income through Tebex or donations, ensure you are not entirely dependent on a single platform. Build email lists, maintain a website, and develop relationships with your most engaged players.

The Bottom Line

Project ROME, if it exists as described, will eventually reshape GTA modding. That is not speculation -- it is the logical conclusion of Rockstar acquiring Cfx.re, shutting down alt:V, putting FiveM on Steam, and preparing to launch the most anticipated game in history with built-in creator tools.

But "eventually" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. ROME has not been officially announced. GTA 6 launches on consoles first. The PC version could be months behind. And even when ROME does arrive, the first iteration will almost certainly lack the depth and flexibility that FiveM has built over more than a decade.

The servers running today are not legacy infrastructure waiting to be replaced. They are the proving ground for an entirely new category of gaming. The skills, communities, and creative work being produced in the FiveM ecosystem right now are exactly what Rockstar is trying to capture with Project ROME.

The smartest move is to keep building, stay informed, and be ready to adapt. The future of GTA modding has never looked more interesting -- or more uncertain.