FiveM Economy Server Guide — Build a Thriving In-Game Economy

Your economy needs three layers: currency (main money used for transactions), items (consumables, resources, goods), and assets (vehicles, houses, businesses). Set these from day one — changing later causes player backlash. Define your economy tier: survival (low pay, expensive items — hardcore RP), balanced (medium pay, realistic prices — standard RP), generous (high pay, cheap items — casual RP). We recommend starting balanced and adjusting based on player feedback.

Jobs are your economy's faucet (money creation). Balance by time investment and skill: low-skill jobs (trucker, delivery, fishing) pay $500-1,000/hour. Medium-skill (mechanic, taxi, tow truck) pay $1,000-2,000/hour. High-skill (police, EMS, judge) pay $2,000-4,000/hour. Entrepreneur (business owners) earn variable profits. Illegal jobs (heists, drug running) pay $3,000-6,000/hour with risk. Test job pay with 10 players for a week — adjust by 10-20% based on actual economy performance.

Create item value tiers: basic (food, water, phone) — cheap, always available ($1-50). Common (tools, vehicle parts) — moderate price ($50-500). Uncommon (weapons, armor) — expensive ($500-5,000). Rare (custom items, limited cosmetics) — very expensive ($5,000+). Price items based on usefulness, not rarity. A fishing rod used constantly should be cheap ($50). A rare weapon skin with no gameplay impact can be expensive ($10,000). This creates a natural economy where players spend on what matters.

Vehicles are the biggest money sink in most servers. Price tiers: starter cars ($5,000-20,000), daily drivers ($20,000-50,000), luxury ($50,000-150,000), supercars ($150,000-500,000), hypercars ($500k+). Limit high-tier vehicle spawns — supercars should need a special license (roleplay + cash). Monthly maintenance: use qb-fuel or similar to add fuel cost. Vehicle repairs should cost based on damage. Property parking: charge weekly fees for garage spaces. These sinks prevent hyperinflation.

Money sinks remove currency from the economy. Essential sinks: housing rent (weekly $500-2,000 based on property size), vehicle maintenance (fuel + repairs), job licensing fees (one-time $1,000-10,000), business taxes (weekly $1,000-5,000), item decay (weapons lose durability, require repair), gambling (casino/lotto with 60-70% payout rate). Sink target: remove 60-70% of newly created money through sinks. Monitor total server economy value monthly — if it doubles, add more sinks.