Add MLOs and custom vehiclesBring your own buildings and cars to the server

Published on September 2, 2026 · last updated on November 3, 2026

The stream folder

Everything the server delivers to its players - models, textures, map content - sits in a subfolder called stream inside a resource. The client downloads these files when connecting and keeps them in its cache.

Two things follow from this: first, every such resource needs its fxmanifest.lua and its ensure line like any other, see install resources. Second, every piece of content you add is a download for every new player - and that is exactly the point where many servers lose their visitors.

Add MLOs

An MLO replaces or adds a building interior in the game world. The process is always similar:

1. Upload the resource - via SFTP, because there are usually many files.
2. Set the ensure line - MLOs belong in the load order like any other resource.
3. Restart and drive there - only in the game can you see whether the interior loads correctly.

Two traps are typical. First, overlaps: two MLOs that claim the same building result in walls nested inside each other. Second, the load order - some MLOs require a particular base resource to have started first. As always, what the console says is the fastest way to the cause.

Add vehicles

With vehicles, the vehicle definition comes on top of the stream folder - handling, class, price category and the internal model name. These metadata live as configuration files in the same resource.

For a vehicle to be purchasable in the game, it also has to be known to your framework: with ESX and QBCore, this happens via an entry in the vehicle list that lives in the database. The classic mistake is right here: the model is on the server, but nothing shows up at the dealership because the database entry is missing - see set up the database.

What it costs the server

MLOs and vehicles are the main reason why RP servers need larger packages - from two directions:

• Storage. An extensive fleet quickly adds up to several gigabytes. You find the package sizes under how much does a FiveM server cost?.
• Memory. Streamed content sits in memory as soon as the server runs - regardless of whether anyone is standing in the building right now.

On top of that comes the loading time on the player side. Anyone who waits five minutes on their first connection is often gone before they have stepped out of a car for the first time. Hence the uncomfortable but right question for every new package: does the server really need this - or is it just nice to have?

Keep things tidy

A server with fifty vehicles and twenty MLOs only stays maintainable if the structure is right. What has proven itself:

• Category folders by purpose: [mlos], [vehicles], [maps].
• One resource per vehicle or vehicle pack - so you can remove individually whatever causes trouble.
• A simple list of which vehicle comes from where. By the first update at the latest, it is worth its weight in gold.

And as with all third-party content: back up first, then install. A database export before importing new vehicle lists takes one minute.

When something does not show up

The error patterns are surprisingly uniform:

• Vehicle does not appear at the dealer - database entry missing.
• Vehicle spawns as a standard model - the model name does not match the entry.
• MLO stays empty - resource not started, or another MLO overlays the same building.
• Players see nothing, but you do - then it is often the cached state on the client; clearing the cache helps.

If the server becomes noticeably sluggish after installing content, measuring helps more than guessing - described in improve server performance.

Frequently asked questions