How to connect to your FiveM server

You can join your FiveM server from the in-game server list, or by typing connect and your address in the F8 console. Either way you need the address and port from the address card on Overview, like northbay.play.wilderack.com:30412.

What every player needs

• A Windows PC. FiveM doesn’t run on consoles, Mac or Linux.
• A legal copy of GTA V on PC, from the Rockstar Games Launcher, Steam or the Epic Games Store, kept up to date. FiveM checks that you own it.
• The FiveM client from fivem.net. Most servers run FiveM Legacy, which needs GTA V Legacy. FiveM for GTA V Enhanced is in early access and needs GTA V Enhanced. Players need the same one as the server.
• A Cfx.re account linked to FiveM. The client asks you to sign in the first time you open it. If it doesn’t, choose Link account at the top of the window.

Your address and port

Your server’s address is its name on our play domain, plus a port (the number after the colon). The address card on Overview shows both, with a copy button:

northbay.play.wilderack.com:30412

The port is picked for your server. It is not FiveM’s usual 30120, so always copy it from the card. With a Dedicated IP add-on, your server can use 30120 instead.

Join with the F8 console

This works every time, even when the server isn’t in the list yet.

1. Open FiveM and wait for the main menu.

2. Press F8 to open the console.

3. Type connect and your address, then press Enter:

   connect northbay.play.wilderack.com:30412

4. Wait while FiveM downloads the server’s resources. The first join on a big server can take a few minutes.

Join from the server list

1. Open FiveM and select Browse Servers.
2. Search for your server’s name, as you wrote it on the Cfx.re Portal.
3. Select the server to see its details, then select Connect.

Players can also look your server up on servers.fivem.net in a web browser.

A new server can take up to 8 minutes to show up after it starts. If it never shows, check these:

• The license key works. The Console should say Server license key authentication succeeded.
• The listing details are filled in on the Portal. See your license key.
• server.cfg doesn’t have sv_master1 "" without a # in front. That line makes the server private and greys out its Connect button.
• The server files aren’t too old. Players can’t join from the list if the server’s artifacts are more than three months out of date.

Keep strangers out

FiveM has no join password. Instead, servers use an allowlist (also called a whitelist). txAdmin has one built in, with four modes:

• Admin-only: only your txAdmin admins can join. Handy while you build.
• Approved license: players ask to join, and an admin approves them.
• Discord member: only people in your Discord server can join.
• Discord role: only people with a role in your Discord can join.

Players who aren’t allowed in see a message and can’t connect. If you want your listing to show a padlock, add sets sv_appearAllowlisted true to server.cfg.

If your server is asleep

FiveM servers stay awake by default. If you turned on sleep under Settings > Sleep, two things change:

• Joining by address wakes it. The F8 connect command reaches our gateway, which wakes the server and holds the connection while it starts. You can also send friends the wake link, play.wilderack.com/w/northbay.
• It leaves the server list while asleep. The list only shows servers that are running. Once it wakes, it can take a few minutes to appear again.

If your players find you through the server list, keep the server always-on.

Can’t connect?

• “Couldn’t load resource” while joining: see common errors.
• A game build mismatch message: see game build errors.
• “You’re not authorized to join this server” or another allowlist message: see turned away by the server.
• Timed out or connection refused: check that the server shows Running on Overview, and that you copied the port from the address card.

The full list is in common FiveM errors.