FiveM Download 2026: Legacy or Enhanced, Size and Install

Download FiveM only from fivem.net, and pick the button that matches your copy of GTA V: Download FiveM gets you FiveM.exe for GTA V Legacy, and Download FiveM for GTAV Enhanced gets a separate installer for GTA V Enhanced, in early access since 21 July 2026. Both downloads are free, and the one you need depends on the servers you want to play on, because a FiveM server is built for one of the two.

Everything below was checked on 25 October 2026 against fivem.net, Cfx.re's help center, its documentation and its announcements on the Cfx.re forum.

The two downloads side by side

The file sizes are the ones Cfx.re's download servers reported on 25 October 2026. Both files are small installers that fetch the rest of FiveM when you run them. The disk figures are the ones fivem.net prints under its system requirements.

Which one should you download?

Start with the server you want to join. A FiveM server runs either FXServer, the server software Legacy servers use, or Cfx Server, the new package Cfx.re released with Enhanced. Cfx.re's Development Update #2 says Enhanced uses a new connection handshake "completely replacing the one currently used on FiveM", and it describes the two clients as available "side by side for the time being", with the longer-term goal "to bring the two experiences together into one place, with one centralized server list". Until that happens, install the client your server runs. If its Discord or website does not say, ask before you download a game of more than 100 GB.

Cfx.re itself expects established servers to take their time. In the same update it wrote that Asset Escrow, the system that protects paid scripts, "will arrive in a later update", and that "most production servers will want to wait for this feature before moving to GTAV Enhanced". When we checked on 25 October 2026, its list of changes still marked Asset Escrow on Enhanced as "Not implemented yet".

Then check your PC. Enhanced needs an SSD, a graphics card with 4 GB of memory such as an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 or AMD Radeon RX 6400, and at least an Intel Core i7-4770 or AMD FX-9590. FiveM on Legacy starts on far older hardware, down to a 1 GB NVIDIA 9800 GT or AMD HD 4870. Our FiveM system requirements guide has both tables in full.

You can also keep both. They are separate programs, and on Steam the GTA V Enhanced package includes GTA V Legacy: the store lists "Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced" and "Grand Theft Auto V Legacy" among its three items. In the Dutch Steam store it lists at €29.99, and on 25 October 2026 a sale had it at €14.99 until 5 November (Steam).

How to download and install FiveM (Legacy)

1. Install GTA V Legacy and let it update. Cfx.re's docs say FiveM needs "a fully updated installation of GTAV" and will not work with pirated copies.
2. Go to fivem.net and select Download FiveM. You get FiveM.exe.
3. Run FiveM.exe. If you start it in an empty folder, FiveM installs into that folder; otherwise it installs into %localappdata%\FiveM (Cfx.re docs).
4. From then on, start FiveM from the Start menu. Cfx.re's client issues page says you do not need the downloaded FiveM.exe anymore once it is installed.
5. On the first launch, FiveM asks you to link your Cfx.re account (help center). If it has to update its local game data first, it tells you how much it will download and asks before it starts (help center).

If FiveM says it could not find the game, it is looking in the wrong folder. Open %localappdata%\FiveM\FiveM.app\CitizenFX.ini in Notepad and point the IVPATH= line to your GTA V folder. Cfx.re lists these default folders in its help center:

• Rockstar Games Launcher: C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V
• Steam: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto V
• Epic Games Launcher: C:\Program Files\Epic Games\GTAV
• Xbox app for PC: C:\XboxGames\Grand Theft Auto V\Content

Once FiveM runs, our guide to playing GTA RP covers finding a server and making your first character.

How to install FiveM for GTAV Enhanced

1. Install the Rockstar Games Launcher and GTA V Enhanced first. Cfx.re's install article asks for both before you run the installer.
2. On fivem.net, select Download FiveM for GTAV Enhanced. You get FiveM_Installer.exe.
3. Open the installer and select Install. Cfx.re says this "may take a few minutes". The installer lets you choose where FiveM goes, put the cache of server files in a separate folder or on another drive, and add Desktop and Start menu shortcuts (Development Update #3).
4. Review the terms of service and select Accept.
5. Open FiveM for GTAV Enhanced, select Link Account in the top right, then Sign In With Cfx.re, and sign in in the browser window that opens (help center).

The same installer repairs or removes the client later, and the Windows app list can uninstall it as well. If something breaks, Cfx.re collects Enhanced bug reports on GitHub Discussions and asks for the log files in %AppData%\FiveM for GTAV Enhanced\logs.

How many GB is FiveM?

The download is tiny, the game is not. fivem.net lists the disk FiveM needs on top of GTA V as 4 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended, for either client. Steam lists the game itself at 125 GB for GTA V Legacy and 105 GB for GTA V Enhanced, and Enhanced has to sit on an SSD.

Cfx.re's help center article for Legacy recommends 10 GB for FiveM rather than 8, so leave a little room above the totals.

The last row is where the space goes over time. Every server you join can send you custom cars, maps, weapons and more, and on Legacy those files stay. Development Update #3 puts it plainly: in Legacy "every resource file you downloaded from any server stayed on your disk forever, even after the server stopped using it or you never went back." Enhanced deletes cached files that servers no longer serve, and Cfx.re plans automatic cleanup for servers you have not visited in a while, plus a view of the cache in the client settings. On Legacy, clearing the cache yourself is the fix, and our FiveM cache guide shows how.

FiveM server download: FXServer or Cfx Server

If you run a server, both server packages come from Cfx.re's Server Download page, which has a FiveM / RedM tab for FXServer and a FiveM for GTAV Enhanced tab for Cfx Server. On 25 October 2026 it offered:

On Windows, Cfx Server also needs the Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable installed before it starts.

Two dates matter for Legacy servers. Cfx.re set 15 October 2026 as the end of the compatibility window for FXServer versions older than 35245, the build that brought support for The Kortz Center Heist update; its announcement says that from then on, "Connections to older FXServer versions will no longer be possible." And Cfx.re's help center says unsupported artifacts older than three months "will not be joinable from the server browser". On Enhanced, keep Cfx Server current as well: hotfix 6 on 29 July changed the connection handshake, and Cfx.re warned that "clients on this build will not be able to connect to servers running an older build" (announcement thread). Our FiveM artifacts guide covers updating FXServer.

Which one should a server owner run?

For a live community, Legacy, for now. The reasons are all in Cfx.re's own list of changes:

• Asset Escrow is "Not implemented yet" on Enhanced, so escrowed scripts cannot run there yet.
• Every player needs GTA V Enhanced and a PC that meets its higher minimum.
• Moving takes work. 3D assets need converting with Alchemist, which runs on Windows 11 and comes from the Cfx Portal. Resources can carry Enhanced assets in a new stream_enhanced folder, key-value database files must be migrated with kvdb-migrator, player server IDs are now reused after a disconnect, Mono makes way for .NET 10, and Mumble voice is deprecated in favour of a new voice system.
• Pure mode is always on in Enhanced, so your players cannot use graphics mods during early access.

What Enhanced gives you in return is real. The sync tick rate is configurable up to 120 per second (sv_syncTickRate, default 60), against 30 on Legacy, or 40 with sv_useAccurateSends. Cfx.re also says it optimised memory per player and per entity, "reducing RAM usage by up to 50%". The safe route is to keep the live server on Legacy and try Enhanced on a separate test server with a copy of your resources. Our guide to FiveM Enhanced for server owners goes deeper into that test. For the Legacy server itself, our FiveM hosting comes with txAdmin pre-installed, from €3.99 a month for 2 GB and up to 16 slots.

FAQ

Is FiveM free? Both downloads on fivem.net cost nothing. What you pay for is GTA V: you need a legitimate copy of the version that matches the client, Legacy for FiveM and Enhanced for FiveM for GTAV Enhanced.

Can Legacy and Enhanced players play on the same server? Cfx.re has not announced a way to do that. Enhanced has its own server software and a new connection handshake, while Legacy servers run FXServer. Cfx.re's stated goal for later is "one centralized server list" for both.

Will I get banned from GTA Online for playing FiveM? fivem.net's FAQ says no. FiveM only talks to Rockstar's online services to validate your copy of the game the first time you launch it, and it does not modify your game files, so you can switch between FiveM and GTA Online.

Can I play FiveM on a console or on Linux? No. fivem.net calls console support "not feasible", and Cfx.re's platform FAQ says the FiveM client cannot run on Linux. FiveM servers do run on Linux.

Where is FiveM installed? Legacy installs into %localappdata%\FiveM, unless you ran FiveM.exe in an empty folder. Enhanced goes where you chose in its installer and writes its logs to %AppData%\FiveM for GTAV Enhanced\logs.

Can I use graphics mods with FiveM for GTAV Enhanced? Not during early access. Cfx.re's docs say pure mode is always on in Enhanced and that "graphic mods cannot be used" while it is in early access.