FiveM (built by Cfx.re) is a multiplayer modification framework that runs on top of GTA V. The dedicated server software is separate from the game — you don’t need GTA V on the server. Hosted via FiveM’s infrastructure, not Steam. Your licence key from the Cfx.re Keymaster is what authorises your server.
FiveM’s server runtime is primarily single-threaded. Every Lua/JS script event, every player sync tick, every database query handler runs through this single thread. A 5.0GHz Ryzen 9 will outperform a 32-core Xeon at 2.8GHz for a busy roleplay server. This is why managed FiveM hosting on modern hardware so dramatically outperforms cheap VPS solutions.
Popular FiveM roleplay servers are targeted by DDoS attacks constantly — more than almost any other game. Rival communities, griefers, banned players. Enterprise-grade DDoS protection isn’t a marketing feature for FiveM, it’s a fundamental requirement. Any provider without inline DDoS protection will be knocked offline repeatedly once your community grows.
The UK GTARP scene is enormous — thousands of players across communities. Latency over ~80ms makes voice syncing, vehicle physics and interaction timing feel broken in roleplay. A London server gives UK players under 15ms. A Frankfurt server adds 35–60ms. For a text-and-voice RP server, that difference makes the game feel broken for UK players.
FiveM is one of the most complex games to host correctly — and most hosting guides treat it like any other game server. They list providers based on marketing pages without explaining why FiveM is categorically different: it needs a Cfx.re licence key, a MySQL database, txAdmin for management, framework installation (ESX or QBCore), and DDoS protection capable of handling the concentrated attacks that successful UK RP communities attract. If you’re building a serious UK game server, understanding these layers upfront will save you months of frustration. This guide explains every layer, then shows you which providers actually deliver for UK communities in 2026.
- Top 3 picks — UK nodes, GBP pricing
- All providers compared
- Cfx.re licence key & slot limits — the complete guide
- ESX vs QBCore — which framework?
- txAdmin — what it is and why you need it
- Hardware guide — RAM, CPU & database by server size
- server.cfg — key settings explained
- DDoS protection — why FiveM needs enterprise-grade
- Best host by use case
- FAQ
Best FiveM server hosting UK 2026
Ranked on UK/London node, single-core CPU for FiveM’s scripting runtime, DDoS protection quality, txAdmin/framework support and GBP value. DatHost does not offer FiveM — default top 3 is LOW.MS / Host Havoc / GTX Gaming.
LOW.MS
Gold Pick
🇬🇧 London UK
LOW.MS takes the top UK spot for FiveM through hardware quality, DDoS resilience and the setup experience that first-time server owners need. Their control panel handles txAdmin integration, framework installation (ESX, QBCore, vMenu) and database setup from a single interface — the three most common stumbling blocks when launching a new RP server. The London UK node keeps British players under 15ms, which is critical for synchronized roleplay voice, vehicle physics and interaction timing.
Their cloud backup system is essential for FiveM specifically: your MySQL database is the entire memory of your server — every player’s character, money, vehicles, properties, inventory. If it corrupts or disappears, your community evaporates overnight. Automatic cloud backups independent of server uptime are not optional for a serious RP server. 5-day refund gives you time to test framework performance and DDoS response before committing.
- ✓ Ryzen 9 9950X — top single-core for FiveM script runtime
- ✓ London UK — under 15ms for UK RP community
- ✓ Corero 100Gbps inline DDoS protection
- ✓ txAdmin + ESX + QBCore + MySQL all supported
- ✓ Cloud backups · auto artifact updates
- ✓ 5-day refund · 4.8★ Trustpilot
- ✓ from £8.12/mo — strong value for UK node
- ✗ Smaller FiveM-specific documentation than ZAP-Hosting
- ✗ Fewer global locations than BisectHosting
Host Havoc
Silver Pick
🇬🇧 London
Host Havoc is the right choice when your FiveM community has gotten serious enough that server stability — not just hardware — matters. Their sub-10-minute support response is exceptionally valuable for FiveM: script crashes at peak hours, database connection failures, txAdmin misconfigurations and artifact update breaks all need fast human responses to avoid community outrage. At 11pm during a busy UK session is exactly when things go wrong.
Full FTP access for direct resource management, TCAdmin v2 panel with file manager and console access, NVMe SSD for fast asset streaming, DDoS protection. ESX, QBCore and custom frameworks supported. London UK node with 4.8★ from 1,515+ Trustpilot reviews.
- ✓ Own hardware — no CPU throttling on script spikes
- ✓ London UK · <10 min support — critical for FiveM crises
- ✓ txAdmin + all major frameworks supported
- ✓ 4.8★ from 1,515 reviews · NVMe SSD
- ✓ Full FTP · file manager · console access
- ✓ DDoS protection · auto-backups
- ✗ 72h refund (shorter than LOW.MS 5-day)
- ✗ Higher entry price than LOW.MS or GTX Gaming
GTX Gaming
Bronze Pick
🇬🇧 London + Stockholm
Best budget UK
GTX Gaming brings their DDR5 5.7GHz hardware to FiveM hosting on Windows Server 2022 — FiveM’s native OS. Their control panel includes a step-by-step txAdmin setup guide they’ve published publicly, covering Cfx.re account linking, recipe selection (ESX Legacy, QBCore, vanilla), licence key setup and endpoint configuration. This documentation quality matters because txAdmin’s initial setup is the most common failure point for new server owners.
At competitive entry pricing with a 7-day refund and London + Stockholm nodes, GTX Gaming is the best budget UK-node option for FiveM in our list. Their panel supports ESX, QBCore and vMenu frameworks with DDoS protection on all plans. For UK RP communities getting started, this combination of hardware, documentation and pricing is difficult to beat.
- ✓ DDR5 5.7GHz — excellent single-core for FiveM runtime
- ✓ Windows Server 2022 — FiveM’s native OS
- ✓ London + Stockholm UK nodes · 28 locations
- ✓ Published txAdmin setup guide · ESX + QBCore
- ✓ Competitive entry pricing · 7-day refund
- ✓ 4.7★ (1,386 reviews) · DDoS protection
- ✗ Less FiveM-specific KB depth than specialist hosts
- ✗ No dedicated MySQL panel integration
All FiveM hosting providers compared
All prices GBP ($1=£0.741, €1=£0.865, April 2026). 🇬🇧 = confirmed UK/London node. Framework = ESX/QBCore/vMenu support confirmed. ⚠ = verify directly.
| # | Provider | GBP/mo | 🇬🇧 UK? | txAdmin | Framework | Trustpilot | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LOW.MS | £8.12 | ✅ London | ✅ Included | ✅ ESX+QB+vMenu | 4.8★ (193) | Ryzen 9 9950X · 5-day refund · Corero DDoS | Visit → |
| 2 | Host Havoc | from £11 | ✅ London | ✅ Included | ✅ ESX+QB+custom | 4.8★ (1,515) | Own HW · <10 min support · NVMe | Visit → |
| 3 | GTX Gaming | from £7 | ✅ London + Stockholm | ✅ Guide + support | ✅ ESX+QB+vMenu | 4.7★ (1,386) | DDR5 5.7GHz · Win Server 2022 · 7-day | Visit → |
| 4 |  GGServers | ~£4.45 | ✅ London | ✅ Yes | ✅ ESX+QB | 4.6★ (3,407) | Budget UK · London · NVMe | Visit → |
| 5 |  Gaming Deluxe | ~£10 | ✅ London · GBP | ✅ Yes | ✅ ESX+QB | 4.5★ (82) | UK company · GBP billing · 5.0GHz+ | Visit → |
| 6 |  BisectHosting | ~£8.89–13 | ✅ London | ✅ Integrated | ✅ ESX+QB+vMenu | 4.8★ (25,348) | Unlimited slots · 21 locations · live chat | Visit → |
| 7 |  Apex Hosting | ~£11+ | ✅ London + global | ✅ Integrated | ✅ ESX+QB+vMenu | 4.8★ (8,054) | Unlimited slots · beginner-friendly · 7-day | Visit → |
| 8 |  Shockbyte | ~£7.41+ | ✅ EU nodes | ✅ Included | ✅ ESX+QB+vMenu | 3.8★ (10,176) | 100% uptime SLA · AMD EPYC · 72h refund | Visit → |
| 9 |  G-Portal | ~£7/mo equiv. | ✅ Frankfurt DE | ✅ Yes | ✅ ESX+QB | 4.0★ (2,836) | Pay-as-go · easy setup · Frankfurt DE | Visit → |
| 10 |  Nitrado | ~£5–12 | ✅ EU nodes | ✅ Yes | ✅ ESX+QB | 3.6★ (7,403) | Flexible pay-as-go · EU nodes | Visit → |
| 11 |  SparkedHost | ~£9.63 | ✅ EU nodes | ✅ Yes | ✅ ESX+QB | 4.8★ (2,291) | Enterprise HW · 99.99% SLA · Apollo panel | Visit → |
| 12 |  ScalaCube | ~£5.93 | ✅ UK + EU | ✅ Yes | ✅ ESX+QB | 4.5★ (4,713) | Beginner-friendly · UK nodes · auto setup | Visit → |
| 13 |  Indifferent Broccoli | ~£12.59 | ⚠ Germany EU | ✅ Yes | ✅ ESX+QB | 4.4★ (792) | 128GB RAM pool · uncapped · 7-day refund | Visit → |
| 14 |  Hostinger | £7.03 | ✅ UK VPS | ⚠ Manual setup | ⚠ Manual setup | 4.7★ (66k+) | VPS · full root · AMD EPYC · max control | Visit → |
| 15 |  AleForge | £5.93 (8GB) | ⚠ US only | ✅ Yes | ✅ ESX+QB | 4.9★ (139) | Cheapest/GB · US only · 7-day refund | Visit → |
| 16 |  4NetPlayers | ~£4.50 | ✅ EU | ⚠ Verify | ⚠ Verify | 4.4★ (7,900) | Budget EU · verify FiveM availability | Visit → |
| 17 |  Godlike Host | ~£7.41 | ✅ EU | ⚠ Verify | ⚠ Verify | 3.8★ (416) | EU nodes · verify FiveM support direct | Visit → |
DatHost does not offer FiveM. ⚠ = verify support directly. Prices GBP, April 2026. VPS options (Hostinger) require manual FiveM + txAdmin + MySQL setup — powerful but technical. All providers require a free Cfx.re licence key from keymaster.fivem.net in addition to hosting.
Cfx.re licence key & slot limits — everything you need to know
This is the part of FiveM hosting that trips up nearly everyone running their first server. The Cfx.re licence key system is completely separate from your hosting provider — it’s an account you create with Cfx.re (the company that maintains FiveM) that authorises your server and determines how many players you can host.
48 players with OneSync Infinity. OneSync is free for all servers. Standard roleplay server — most UK RP communities start here and many never need more. No payment to Cfx.re required.
64 players with OneSync. Stream custom clothing (EUP). Popular tier for serious RP communities. EUP enables custom police/NHS/civilian uniforms — a major community-builder.
128 players with OneSync Infinity. EUP clothing streaming. For established communities with large regular player counts. Slot limit is now determined by your hardware, not your licence.
2,048 players with OneSync Infinity (theoretical max). EUP, coloured server name, pink server browser highlight. For large public communities. Hardware and network at this scale is a different conversation entirely.
OneSync — what it is and why it’s not optional
OneSync is Cfx.re’s server-side entity synchronisation layer. It replaces GTA V’s built-in P2P networking with a proper server-authoritative system. Without OneSync, your server is capped at 32 players and entities don’t sync correctly. Set set onesync on in your server.cfg. OneSync has been free for all servers since late 2020 — there’s no reason not to enable it regardless of your player count.
ESX vs QBCore — which framework for your UK RP server?
The framework you choose defines the entire ecosystem your server runs on — your scripts, your database schema, your inventory system, your economy. Choosing correctly at the start saves months of painful migration later. Both run on FiveM, both use MySQL/MariaDB, and both are actively maintained in 2026.
ESX (originally es_extended) has been running UK FiveM servers since 2017. The single largest advantage is the script library — thousands of ESX scripts exist for jobs, vehicles, housing, banking, and every possible RP mechanic. The UK RP community has a massive legacy ESX infrastructure. Cheaper premium scripts are more available for ESX due to the longer market existence.
- Largest total script ecosystem
- More UK community resources/tutorials
- More legacy SQL schemas to deal with
- Heavier baseline resource load
- Active maintenance (ESX Legacy team)
QBCore was built from the ground up with performance and modern Lua practices in mind. It’s leaner than ESX, uses a cleaner data structure, and is actively developed with a strong GitHub community. The Ox ecosystem (Ox Lib, Ox Inventory) is tightly integrated and provides modern SQL handling, caching and event management that significantly reduces server-side tick load on busy servers. Growing script library.
- Better baseline performance vs ESX
- Modern Lua coding standards
- Ox ecosystem integration (Ox Lib/Inventory)
- Smaller but growing script library
- Active GitHub development community
vMenu is not an RP framework — it’s a server-side admin menu that gives players access to vehicles, teleport, weather control and game options without a roleplay economy system. Used for freeroam servers, friend groups and testing. No database required. Ideal for casual play rather than structured RP communities. Most serious UK RP servers use ESX or QBCore.
txAdmin — the FiveM server management tool you need to understand
txAdmin is a free, open-source web-based administration panel for FiveM servers, built and maintained by Cfx.re. It runs alongside your FiveM server and provides a full management interface accessible from any browser. Every serious FiveM server runs txAdmin. It’s not optional — it’s how you actually manage the server.
Real-time server console output. Start, stop, restart the server. Monitor resource usage (CPU, RAM, tick rate). Execute server commands directly. View resource load times on startup — critical for identifying slow-loading scripts that hurt server performance.
View all connected players, their identifiers, ping and resource usage. Ban, kick and warn players directly from the web interface. Ban history with notes. Scheduled actions. Whitelist management. Essential for any public UK RP server where moderation is an ongoing necessity.
txAdmin’s deployer installs frameworks from “recipes” — pre-configured setup templates. The ESX Legacy recipe, QBCore recipe and vanilla FiveM recipe install and configure the framework automatically. This is how most managed hosts get your server running: you pick a recipe in txAdmin and it deploys everything.
Schedule automatic restarts with configurable announcements (warns players at 10min, 5min, 1min). FiveM servers accumulate memory leaks — scheduling restarts every 6–12 hours during low-traffic periods is standard practice. txAdmin also auto-restarts the server if it crashes, with configurable restart limits.
http://[server-ip]:40120. Most managed hosts link txAdmin access from their control panel. The first-time setup wizard walks you through choosing a recipe, linking your Cfx.re account and configuring the server.cfg.
FiveM server hardware — RAM, CPU & database by server size
FiveM’s hardware requirements are deceptively complex. The server binary is light, but a fully-loaded ESX or QBCore server with 100+ resources, a live MySQL database, and 32+ players is resource-intensive in ways that depend entirely on your script quality and player count.
| Server Type | Players | RAM | CPU | Database |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small private / testing | <20 | 4GB | 4 cores @ 3.5GHz+ | MariaDB on same server |
| ESX/QBCore (standard RP) | 20–48 | 8GB | 4–6 cores @ 4.5GHz+ | MariaDB 4GB+ dedicated |
| Larger RP community | 48–128 | 12–16GB | 6–8 cores @ 5.0GHz+ | MariaDB 8GB+ on own instance |
| Heavy modded (MLOs, custom vehicles) | 32–64 | 16GB | High single-core 5.0GHz+ | MariaDB 8GB+ SSD-cached |
| Large public RP (100+ concurrent) | 100–256 | 32GB+ | High clock + high cores | Dedicated MariaDB VPS |
FiveM’s server runtime is single-threaded. Every script event, every sync tick, every database callback handler runs on one CPU thread. A 5.0GHz Ryzen 9 handles this orders of magnitude better than a 3.0GHz multi-core server. This is the most impactful spec for FiveM.
ESX and QBCore both require a MySQL-compatible database. MariaDB is preferred. Database performance directly affects server tick rate — slow DB queries block the script runtime. Run MariaDB on NVMe SSD with adequate RAM for query caching. Many managed hosts include MySQL — verify before ordering.
FiveM streams custom content (MLO interiors, custom vehicles, EUP clothing) from server storage to clients as they load. On SATA SSD, large custom content packs cause significant connection delays. NVMe makes streaming fast. Also important for MariaDB performance.
FiveM servers accumulate memory fragmentation and script-level memory leaks over long sessions. Standard practice for UK RP communities: schedule an automatic restart every 6–12 hours via txAdmin during off-peak hours, with countdown warnings. Without restarts, server performance degrades visibly within 24–48 hours.
Required server ports
server.cfg — key settings for a UK RP server
The server.cfg file is the heart of your FiveM server configuration. Managed hosts often expose the most important settings through their control panel — but understanding what each setting does prevents common configuration mistakes that break servers.
Pins players to a specific GTA V build version. Critical for stability — if you don’t enforce a build, players on different GTA versions may experience desync or resource incompatibility. Update this when you update your resources to match the latest GTA build.
Always set to 0 on production servers. ScriptHook allows external GTA V modifications to interact with the game client — commonly used by cheaters and modders. Disabling it is a basic anti-cheat measure for any public RP server.
The connection string for your MariaDB/MySQL database. Format: mysql://user:password@host/database. If running MariaDB on the same server, use 127.0.0.1 for local connection. Most managed FiveM hosts provide a pre-configured connection string.
The order of ensure statements matters — dependencies must load before dependents. Framework (ESX/QBCore) goes first, then database connectors (oxmysql), then libraries (ox_lib), then your scripts. Wrong load order causes “attempt to index nil” errors at startup.
DDoS protection for FiveM — why it’s non-negotiable
FiveM roleplay servers are among the most frequently DDoS-attacked game servers on the internet. The reasons are social: ban a disruptive player, crash their roleplay session, compete for population with a rival server. Every successful UK RP community will be attacked. This is not speculation — it’s near-universal experience.
- Server goes offline completely during attack
- Players experience mass disconnection
- Server IP gets blacklisted by Cfx.re
- Attack floods hosting provider’s network — you get suspended
- Community leaves for a more stable server
- Downtime during peak UK evening hours
- Attack absorbed at network edge before reaching server
- Players experience zero disconnection
- Server continues operating normally during attack
- Attack traffic filtered without affecting legitimate players
- Inline protection (not reactive — doesn’t wait for attack)
- Capacity measured in hundreds of Gbps to Tbps
DDoS protection comparison across our top providers
| Provider | DDoS System | Capacity | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW.MS | Corero Smartwall | 100Gbps+ | ✅ Inline — always on |
| Host Havoc | Enterprise DDoS | Multi-Gbps | ✅ Included all plans |
| GTX Gaming | Premier DDoS | Multi-Gbps | ✅ Included all plans |
| BisectHosting | Enterprise DDoS | 1.3Tbps | ✅ Included all plans |
| SparkedHost | Enterprise DDoS | Multi-Gbps | ✅ Included all plans |
| Shockbyte | Enterprise DDoS | Multi-Gbps | ✅ Included all plans |
Best UK FiveM host for your server type
Ryzen 9 9950X · London UK · Corero inline DDoS · txAdmin + ESX + QBCore · MySQL included · 5-day refund · from £8.12/mo. Best single-core hardware for FiveM’s runtime combined with the DDoS resilience UK RP servers need.
Own hardware · London UK · sub-10 min response · 4.8★ from 1,515 reviews. When your server crashes during peak UK evening hours and your community is waiting, you need someone who responds in 8 minutes, not 8 hours.
From £7/mo · DDR5 5.7GHz · London + Stockholm · txAdmin guide · ESX + QBCore · Windows Server 2022 · 7-day refund. Best for UK communities starting out and wanting solid hardware without overpaying.
100+ concurrent players on QBCore/ESX with MLOs, custom vehicles and EUP demands own/bare-metal hardware. Both offer London UK nodes. Consider a dedicated MariaDB instance alongside your FiveM server at this scale.
Guided setup · London node · unlimited slots · 7-day refund · 4.8★ from 8,054 reviews. Apex’s documentation and support team are specifically good with beginners — they’ll walk you through txAdmin, ESX/QBCore recipes, and licence key setup with patience.
UK-based company · GBP billing · London node · Intel/AMD 5.0GHz+ · txAdmin + ESX + QBCore. Best for UK RP communities wanting to pay in pounds and deal with a British business for invoicing and VAT.
VPS GP2 · AMD EPYC · UK node · full root access · £7.03/mo. Best for technically experienced server owners who want to self-manage FiveM + MariaDB + txAdmin with full OS-level control. Requires significant Linux/Windows Server knowledge.
~£4.45/mo · London UK · NVMe · vMenu support. For non-RP servers (racing leagues, freeroam, drift servers, stunt) that don’t need ESX/QBCore or a database, GGServers is the budget UK pick.
