FiveM

Pros

• Adds in new weapons and vehicles
• Supports private player-created servers
• Improves on the existing GTA:O netcode

Cons

• Servers can reach capacity quickly
• Requires a modest level of technical proficiency

FiveM offers an alternative to Grand Theft Online built for and by Grand Theft Auto fans. The creation of this mod was a bold decision considering how celebrated and well-funded Rockstar Games is, but this player-driven variation of the GTA Online formula has found a loyal base of fans who are frustrated with the increasingly monetized systems that are becoming more prominent as Grand Theft Online ages.

Working in FiveM's favor is Cfx.re. This impressive multiplayer framework helps players easily set up the servers and infrastructure necessary to run private instances of their favorite AAA multiplayer games. What FiveM offers is a level of player agency that's not available in the core experience. While Grand Theft Auto Online is essentially a curated experience overseen by the developers, FiveM puts more control into the hands of the player.

At its most basic, FiveM is a utility that allows you to create your own Grand Theft Auto Online servers. That's a useful capability. Users can set up their own private servers along with invitation rules. Whether you're looking to create a server driven by roleplaying or simply an environment where you don't have to worry about griefers getting in the way of your fun.

Up to 32 players can be on a server at a time. And while the ability to create your own private servers is a huge game-changer, that's just the cornerstone of a wealth of new additions. One of the primary goals here is to create an online experience similar to the single-player version of Grand Theft Auto V. The inclusion of the game's original A.I. helps bridge the gap between single-player and multiplayer experiences.

There are a whole lot of different options for customizing the operations of your server too. Along with the original artificial intelligence, the team behind FiveM has imported a number of other elements from the single-player experience. If you find yourself missing some of the guns and cars from the core experience, FiveM offers your best chance for playing with them in an online space.

Playing a major modern release with mods can be a recipe for disaster. Developers like Bethesda have tried to resolve this problem by integrating player mods into the core experience, but FiveM's developers are unaffiliated with Rockstar Games. Despite that, the security measures here are surprisingly solid. FiveM draws on the same netcode as the core game while optimizing its performance. It also makes use of advanced security features, so you don't need to worry about your credentials being compromised even if you find yourself visiting a FiveM server started by a stranger.

FiveM isn't necessarily a superior experience to Grand Theft Auto Online, but it's a refreshingly distinct experience. Through minor gameplay tweaks and the implementation of greater player agency, they've created an experience that puts the power back into the hands of the player. And while FiveM don't have anything approaching the resources of Rockstar Games, it manages to remain one of the most popular Grand Theft Auto mods in existence.

Pros

• Adds in new weapons and vehicles
• Supports private player-created servers
• Improves on the existing GTA:O netcode

Cons

• Servers can reach capacity quickly
• Requires a modest level of technical proficiency