GTA:Starter Guide
CLICK HERE for fixes to common issues/bugs, CLICK HERE for FAQ's
Getting Started
Create Your Character
Now that you’ve installed FiveM and have connected to the server you will have the option to setup your first character. If you haven't got this far yet, take a look at the Installing FiveM Guide first.
You can have multiple characters, all with different backstories, jobs and bank accounts.
You are now ready to go and explore Los Santos, but before you do that make sure to read the rules.
Initial Interactions
You will now be stranded in a apartment complex on Hawick Avenue, so what’s next? Have a chat with the local leaning against the pillar, he might have some useful information. There are similar locals at most job sites around the city that can give you useful information. Now you need to get yourself a ride! You can for example call a taxi (using your phone by pressing F2) if you buy a mobile phone, or use one of the many Boris Bikes marked on the map. The majority of the players hang around some key areas - for example Legion Square and the gang turfs. Head here to find other players to RP with.
Mission Row Police Station is worth making a note of as its where you'll have the best chance of finding a police officer to report a crime or just ask a question. Pillbox Hospital is also worth remembering for when you or a friend require some medical assistance.
It's also worth creating a Tweedle account in the F2 phone so you can interact with other players in-character to ask questions or just chat. You can also ask people for their phone numbers and build up your contacts.
Make Some Money
You have a couple of options starting off. You can try get yourself a car and do some Food Deliveries, located next to Vespucci Station. Alternatively you can head off to the mineshaft and get mining, quite hard labour but pays well.
If you’re not one for labour-intensive jobs you can buy a mechanic, taxi or commercial delivery license at the City Hall. With one of those licenses in your wallet you can start earning some real money.
Find more jobs at the bottom of the GTA Wiki homepage.
What's Next?
So you now know your way around and you’ve made some money. What now? There is a long list of opportunities available to you on San Andreas with some of them being:
Help and Support
Game Issues
Many game issues can usually be fixed by a quick Game Restart, You may face issues from disconnecting without quitting from the game.
Clear Game Cache
If you are still having issues you can try removing FiveM Cache. To do this: 1) Close FiveM
2) C:\Users\**YOUR USER ACCOUNT**\AppData\Local\FiveM\FiveM.app
3) Delete the folder called cache
4) Start FiveM & let it update
Alternatively / If that fails Google can be a lot of help or popping a message in Discord #gta-fivem-roleplay to see if a member of the community are able to assist.
Configure Voice Chat
In order to hear people you need to ensure that Voice Chat is set up properly. ESC > Settings > Voice Chat
Make sure 'Voice Chat' and 'Microphone' is Enabled, the Output and Input Device is correct and the Volume's are High enough. (If your game crashes on setting changes, try in SinglePlayer)
Key-binds:
- Press G to Change Voice Range (Displayed in Top Left). (Whisper, Normal, Shouting).
- Press N for Push to Talk (Can be changed in ESC > Settings > Key Bindings > GTA Online)
UI Issues (Windows Stuck Open etc)
The following commands can be used in the F8 console to reset different parts of the UI:
resetui
resetweaponwheel
openphone
openinventory
playermenu
gangmenu
pnc
Slow/Laggy UI
Some players may find that when any of the game UI's are open they find a drop in FPS or poor performance. One way to attempt to fix this is to toggle the "Enable NUI in-process GPU" setting within FiveM. This is found via the settings from the FiveM main menu and cannot be changed while on the server.
If it is currently enabled, try to disable it. If it is disabled, try to enable it as results on it's use will vary depending on your computer.
Vehicles Issues
Unlocking Cars
Sometimes the Vehicle will 'Unlock' but you are still unable to enter it. Try the following: Toggle between 'Locked' and 'Unlocked' Slowly waiting around 5 seconds between each press.
Missing Cars
If you have lost your vehicle (not returned it to a garage) then you can retrieve it at the Impound Lot marked on the map. It could either have been picked up by your insurance or have been impounded by the Police. If you are still unable to locate your vehicle post a single message on Discord in #help, stating that you have lost your vehicle on FiveM, with the vehicle plate if possible. If you don't have it, your character name will be required.
Falling Through The Ground
This is an issue that occurs often due to a lack of memory on your computer (or at least runs out of memory for what GTA choses to utilise). If you find the floor or other textures become blurry or disappear, and you fall through it often then you should change your Texture Quality setting to Normal (or lower) in your GTA Settings.
If you are falling through the map you maybe able to prevent yourself falling indefinitely. If you are in a vehicle you should attempt to exit it. While falling press E in attempt to stop falling and be brought back up to the surface after a few seconds. If you have passengers in your vehicle they should also try to do so the same. If this does not rectify the problem you should disconnect, restart FiveM and reconnect where you should be placed either on the surface or at a location underground where a red circle will allow you to return.
Hearing Lots of Players Talking
All of the in-game voice chat is proximity based, or transmitted via a radio or on a phone call. Therefore, you should not hear the whole server as if they are standing next to you - but sometimes it can happen. There is a known issue with the Arctis SteelSeries headsets which if you have one, is likely the most common cause to this bug. See below.
If you do not have the headset then it is recommended you try turning Voice Chat off and back on again. To do this go to ESC > Settings > Voice Chat > Voice Chat Enabled - and toggle this off and back on after 20-30 seconds.
Arctis SteelSeries Headset Users
The SteelSeries software creates two output audio devices - 'Game' and 'Chat. GTA will pick one to use for the audio output. Quite often it will pick the 'Chat' one which is what causes the problem with everyone being heard, as this doesn't use a stereo channel (that is needed for the 3D positional sound).
To fix this press ESC > Settings > Voice Chat > Output Device > Change to the 'Game' SteelSeries device. You may have to toggle Voice Chat off and back on again for the change to take effect.
