FiveM Artifacts and Game Builds: What They Are and How to Update

In FiveM, artifacts are the server binaries (FXServer) that you download from the official Server Download page, identified by a build number that keeps increasing. The game build is the GTA V content version your players load, chosen with sv_enforceGameBuild in server.cfg (for example, 3095 is The Chop Shop). They are independent: updating the artifacts does not change the game build, and changing the game build does not update the artifacts.

What are FiveM artifacts?

Cfx.re describes a server artifact as "a package that includes the files needed to run/update your RedM or FiveM server". It contains FXServer and, since early 2020, txAdmin as well.

• Windows: server.7z, with FXServer.exe inside.
• Linux: fx.tar.xz, published under runtime.fivem.net/artifacts/fivem/build_proot_linux/master/, which is started with run.sh.

The download page lets you choose the platform (FiveM / RedM or FiveM for GTAV Enhanced, which is in early access and uses different files) and the update branch. This guide covers the classic FiveM platform.

Should you use the Recommended or the Latest artifacts?

The download page offers two branches. Some older guides and tools also mention an optional build; the current page only shows these two:

• Recommended: the build Cfx.re recommends for production. It is supported until six weeks after the next build in line is released.
• Latest: the newest build. It is supported until two weeks after the next one is released.

For a server with players, use Recommended. Latest brings fixes and features earlier, but it changes more often and has had less time in production, so a regression is more likely to reach your server. If you try it, make a backup first and report any problem on the Cfx.re forum.

Do not leave the artifacts unattended for months. Outdated servers show players an end-of-support (EOS) warning, which still lets them join, or an end-of-life (EOL) warning, where the connection can fail. According to Cfx.re, servers running unsupported artifacts older than three months cannot be joined from the server browser.

How to update FiveM server artifacts

Before you start, back up your server data folder and txData. Then:

On Windows

1. Stop the server in txAdmin and close FXServer.
2. Download the Recommended server.7z and extract it into your artifact folder (for example, C:\FXServer\server), replacing the old files.
3. Start FXServer.exe again. By default txData sits in the folder above, so your txAdmin configuration is kept.

On Linux

cd ~/FXServer/server
# stop the server first
rm -rf alpine run.sh
wget "RECOMMENDED_FX_TAR_XZ_URL"
tar xf fx.tar.xz && rm fx.tar.xz
# start the server again (./run.sh or your systemd service)

On Linux, txData lives by default in the same folder as run.sh, so only delete alpine and run.sh, never the whole folder. Copy the exact URL from the download page (FiveM / RedM, Linux, Recommended).

If something breaks after the update, go back to the previous build with your backup and check the server.cfg errors the console shows.

What is the FiveM game build (sv_enforceGameBuild)?

sv_enforceGameBuild selects the game build clients use. It can only be set at startup, so you need a full server restart after changing it. Every build includes all the content and changes from the previous ones. It accepts the number or its alias:

sv_enforceGameBuild 3095
sv_enforceGameBuild mptuner

If you do not set it, FXServer applies a default build chosen by Cfx.re. In older artifacts that default was 1604, which is what many older guides still say, and newer artifacts have raised it. Setting it explicitly means your server does not depend on that default and avoids surprises when you update the artifacts.

Some resources require a minimum build in their fxmanifest.lua (for example, '/gameBuild:h4'). If your server is below it, the console shows Resource 'X' can't run: followed by sv_enforceGameBuild needs to be at least N (current is M). To check which build a server enforces, open http://IP:30120/info.json and look for sv_enforceGameBuild in vars.

On the player side, FiveM loads the DLCs of the build the server enforces. If a player joins from a server with a different build, FiveM may need to restart the game to load the other build.

FiveM game builds and the DLC each one unlocks

• 1: base game without any DLCs
• 1604 (xm18): Arena War
• 2060 (mpsum): Los Santos Summer Special
• 2189 (h4): Cayo Perico Heist
• 2372 (mptuner): Los Santos Tuners
• 2545 (mpsecurity): The Contract
• 2699 (mpsum2): The Criminal Enterprises
• 2802 (mpchristmas3): Los Santos Drug Wars
• 2944 (mp2023_01): San Andreas Mercenaries
• 3095 (mp2023_02): The Chop Shop
• 3258 (mp2024_01): Bottom Dollar Bounties
• 3407 (mp2024_02): Agents of Sabotage
• 3570 (mp2025_01): Money Fronts
• 3751 (mp2025_02): A Safehouse in the Hills
• 3889 (mp2026_01): The Kortz Center Heist

The most recent builds need recent artifacts, so update the artifacts before raising the game build to a newly released one.

Does a newer artifact build increase performance?

Not in a predictable way. A new artifact brings fixes, security patches and features, and keeps your server within the support window, but Cfx.re does not publish performance figures per build. Raising the game build does not make the server faster either: it adds content (vehicles, maps, clothing) that some resources need. If the server lags, the cause is usually a resource. Run profiler record 500 in the server console to capture a profile and find the scripts that consume the most time.