Improving performance

FiveM servers with custom maps and vehicles are heavier than base GTA V, so even strong PCs can struggle with default settings. Work through the steps below in order — the first two fix the majority of performance complaints.

Lower the heavy graphics settings

Open Settings → Graphics in FiveM and reduce the settings with the biggest cost first:

Extended Distance Scaling — set to the lowest value. This is the single most expensive slider in the game.
Shadow Quality — High instead of Very High/Softest looks nearly identical and saves a lot of frames.
Reflection Quality and Reflection MSAA — Normal / Off.
Post FX — Normal. Motion blur and depth of field cost frames for no gameplay benefit.
Population Density / Variety — these matter less in the city since the server controls most population, but lower values still help.

Clear your FiveM cache

A stale cache causes stutter, long loads, and texture glitches after server updates:

Close FiveM completely.
Press Win + R, enter %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data.
Delete the contents of the cache folder (keep the folder itself).
Restart FiveM and reconnect — the first join will re-download assets, then loads will be faster and smoother.

Fix UI lag

If your frames are fine but menus and HUD elements feel delayed, follow the Slow/Laggy UI guide — it's a single checkbox in the FiveM settings.

Check the basics outside the game

Make sure GTA V / FiveM is installed on an SSD — texture loading from a hard drive causes constant pop-in and stutter.
Close browsers, Discord overlays, and recording software you aren't using; they compete for the same GPU.
Update your graphics drivers (NVIDIA / AMD).
On laptops, make sure FiveM uses the dedicated GPU, not the integrated one (Windows Settings → Display → Graphics).

Still struggling?

If textures are missing or flickering rather than just slow, see the Missing Textures guide. For anything else, post your specs and a description in the support channel on Discord.