The short version
- FXServer, the FiveM server software, is free, and the free tier now includes 48 player slots.
- Element Club licensing runs $15 to $60 a month and is billed through the Cfx.re Portal, not Patreon, since December 2025.
- Managed FiveM hosting starts at a few dollars a month; dedicated hardware for large servers runs $80 to $280.
- The biggest costs are not hosting: scripts, maps, vehicles and staff time dominate serious budgets.
- None of this is a GTA 6 price. It is the benchmark Rockstar's own acquired platform has set.
This page exists because the GTA 6 hosting question has no honest numbers yet, and the dishonest ones are already for sale. Companies are taking pre-orders for GTA 6 servers with no specifications, no platform and no product behind them.
What does exist is fifteen years of real hosting economics on the platform Rockstar now owns. FiveM runs thousands of GTA V roleplay servers today, its costs are public, and they are the closest thing to evidence about what community hosting costs when Rockstar's own ecosystem sets the terms.
- Server software (FXServer)
- Free and open
- Player slots, free tier
- 48 slots
- Element Club Argentum
- $15 per month, more slots and streaming features
- Element Club Aurum
- $25 per month, 64+ slots, EUP clothing streaming
- Element Club Platinum
- $60 per month, up to 2,048 slots
- Billing
- Cfx.re Portal directly; Patreon billing ended December 1, 2025
- Managed hosting entry
- A few dollars a month for a small slot count
- Dedicated hardware
- Roughly $80 to $280 a month for large communities
Where the money actually goes
Three separate bills make up a FiveM server budget, and only one of them is what most people mean by hosting.
1. The machine
A starter roleplay server runs comfortably on a rented game host or a modest VPS, the class of hardware that costs less per month than one fast-food meal.
Big communities with 100 or more players online rent dedicated machines. That is the $80 to $280 a month band.
2. The licence
Cfx.re monetises scale, not entry. Running a server is free until your community outgrows 48 slots or wants streaming features; then the Element Club tiers apply.
Since December 2025, those plans bill through the Cfx.re Portal, not Patreon. Since mid-2026, active tiers also bundle 30-day hosting offers from partner hosts. In other words: Rockstar's platform already runs a hosting marketplace.
3. The content
Serious servers spend more on being worth joining than on staying online: custom scripts, maps, vehicles and jobs bought through creator marketplaces, plus the unpaid hours of staff and developers.
Many servers spend three to five times more on content and development than on the machine. Hosting is the cheap part.
Three realistic FiveM budgets, September 2026
Blended from published host pricing and Cfx.re licensing. Every number is a GTA V number.
| Community size | Monthly cost | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Friends server, under 48 players | $0 to $10 | Free licence tier plus entry-level managed hosting |
| Established roleplay server | $40 to $120 | Aurum licence, solid managed host or small VPS, some paid scripts |
| Large whitelisted community | $150 to $400+ | Platinum licence, dedicated hardware, paid development and content |
What this signals for GTA 6
Rockstar bought the team that runs this economy two years before launch. That is the strongest structural signal about what GTA 6 community hosting could look like: sanctioned, framework-based, monetised at the platform level rather than by selling you a box.
The honest inference
If GTA 6 hosting follows the FiveM shape, entry will be free or cheap. Licence fees will scale with community size. Partner hosts will run the machines, not files you run at home.
That is an inference, clearly labelled. The announcement itself is what our GTA 6 server hosting page exists to track, and the modding policy shows where Rockstar draws its lines.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a FiveM server cost per month?
A small server is free to run beyond a few dollars of hosting: the software is free and 48 player slots are included. Established roleplay communities typically spend $40 to $120 a month, and large ones $150 to $400 or more.
Is FiveM itself free?
Yes. The FiveM client and FXServer software are free. Cfx.re charges for scale through Element Club tiers from $15 to $60 a month, billed through its own portal since December 2025.
How much will a GTA 6 server cost?
Unknown and unknowable: Rockstar has announced no server model, so no legitimate price exists. FiveM's current economics are the only honest benchmark, and anyone quoting GTA 6 prices today is selling an unannounced product.
Can I buy GTA 6 server hosting now?
No. Nothing sold as GTA 6 hosting in 2026 is a real product. Our server hosting page tracks the official status and is updated the day Rockstar announces anything.
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