New player starter guide

Joining the server

You need a legal copy of GTA V on a Rockstar account, the FiveM client and a working microphone (this is a voice roleplay server). No whitelist, no application and no Steam account are needed to get in.

Find the server

• Open FiveM, go to the server browser and search for CRSD. It shows as CRSD RP, with the description BRAND NEW SERVER! Custom Police, EMS + AI missions, Civ jobs… Its full name is CRSD Statewide RP.
• The server runs GTA game build 3258. FiveM downloads it for you the first time, so your very first join can take a while.
• If the server is full you join a queue that shows your place in line and lets you in when a slot opens. Right after a restart everyone waits about 30 seconds while the city starts up.
• One connection per Rockstar account. If you crash and cannot get back in straight away, wait a minute and try again.

Join the Discord first

The CRSD Discord is where staff answer questions, where announcements go, and where you report bugs or rule breaks. Anything out of character goes there, not in the city. There is no in-game report command.

The loading screen

While the city downloads, the loading screen has four tabs you can switch with 1 2 3 4: News, Rules, Controls and Jobs. A small radio player plays one of the city's stations (Space to pause, M to mute), and badges show how many players, police, EMS and staff are online.

Your first character

Character select

After loading you arrive in an aircraft hangar at the airport. You have 4 character slots, and each saved character stands there in their own clothes, next to their newest car once they own one. Pick one with the arrow keys or the mouse, then press Enter or Play.

Making a new character

Click + New character and fill in first name, last name, date of birth, gender and nationality. These are printed on your ID card, so choose a realistic name (joke or celebrity names are against the rules) and double-check everything before you confirm.

Your free starter apartment

A brand-new character gets to pick a free apartment instead of the usual spawn list: South Rockford Drive, Morningwood Blvd, Integrity Way, Tinsel Towers or Fantastic Plaza. Inside you get a stash (50 slots), a wardrobe for your saved outfits, and a spot to log out. At the building entrance press E for Apartment Options. You can move to another building later with Move Here, for free.

Your look

The appearance editor opens a moment after you first walk into your apartment. It covers body, face, hair, makeup, skin and clothes. This first time there is no Cancel button, so take your time and press Save.

• Change your look any time, for free, with F3 or /appearance (not while in a vehicle). There are no clothing stores or barbers to find; this is how it is done.
• Save up to 10 outfits with /outfits or at your apartment wardrobe. An outfit saved on one body type will not fit the other.

Where you spawn

Returning characters choose from Where you left off, any home they own, and public spots such as Mission Row PD, Pillbox Hospital, Paleto Bay and Sandy Shores. Do not leave the spawn screen idle: after 2 minutes it spawns you at the first option.

What you start with

• $500 cash in your pocket and $5,000 in the bank.
• A starter kit: a phone, an ID card, two waters and two sandwiches. It is given once and not replaced.
• You are already on record as a licensed driver, so you can drive legally from day one.
• Until you take a job you are a Civilian and get $30 in the bank every 15 minutes, as long as you have been moving around.

Your first hour

A good order to do things in on your first day.

1. Read the rulesRead the Rules tab on the loading screen (press 2 while it loads), or the summary below. They are placeholders for now, so join the Discord for the current version.
2. Make your character and save your lookRealistic name, then pick a starter apartment and press Save in the editor.
3. Check your pocketsPress TAB: phone, ID card, water and sandwiches should be there.
4. Set a phone passcodePress M, open Settings, then Passcode. A phone without one opens for anyone who picks it up.
5. Bank your cashGo to any Bank on the map, press E at the counter inside and deposit most of your cash. Cash in your pockets can be robbed or lost. Street ATMs do not work for banking; the options you see on them with the third eye are for robbing them.
6. Get a jobGo to City Services, hold Left Alt on the desk computer and pick a job. See Jobs for what each pays.
7. Set your voice rangePress ` (the key left of 1) to switch between Whisper, Normal and Shout.
8. Eat and drinkWatch the orange and blue rings in the bottom-left corner and stop at a Shop before they run low.

Controls and commands

These are the default keys. Most can be changed in Settings > Key Bindings > FiveM; the E prompts, G and E while you are down, and Y/L for shared emotes are fixed game controls and are not in that list. Defaults only apply the first time you join, so if a key here does nothing, check the list. Click any command to copy it.

HUD, food and health

Your status rings sit in the bottom-left corner: the green heart is health, the orange fork hunger and the blue drop thirst. Armour (blue shield) and stress (red lightning) only show when you have some. A ring pulses when it gets dangerous. In a vehicle you also get a speedometer in mph, fuel and engine bars, and the minimap (it only shows while you are in a vehicle; on foot, use the pause-menu map).

• Hunger and thirst drop every few minutes; a full bar lasts roughly two hours. When one hits zero you slowly lose health. Any Shop sells food, drinks and bandages: use the third eye on the counter.
• Health does not come back on its own. See a medic, check in at a hospital, or treat yourself through /status with a bandage.
• Stress builds during tense crimes such as robberies. Above half your vision blurs now and then, and at full you start blacking out. Eating, a stiff drink (beer, whiskey, vodka) and medical treatment bring it down.

Getting hurt

There are no AI ambulances, fire trucks or police here. Every medic is another player, so if nobody is on duty, nobody is coming.

Downed, dead and respawning

• Downed: the first time you would die, you go down instead and a 6-minute bleed-out timer starts. Medics are alerted automatically. After the first minute you can press G to call again.
• Revived: only a medic can revive you. An on-duty police officer (with a bandage, tourniquet or IFAK) or a medic with an IFAK can stabilise you, which pauses your bleed-out timer for 2 minutes while help comes.
• Dead: if you are hurt again while down, or the timer runs out, a respawn countdown appears. At zero, hold E for 5 seconds to wake up at Pillbox Hill or Paleto Bay hospital.
• Down in a car: anyone can use the third eye on the stopped car and choose Pull out so you can be treated.

Hospital front desk

Hurt but still standing? Press E at the front desk of Pillbox Hill Medical Center or Paleto Bay hospital. With fewer than two medics on duty you are put in a bed and healed for $1,200. With two or more, the desk calls a doctor to you.

Wounds and first aid

Bleeding has four levels and gets worse if left alone; running while bleeding badly makes it worse faster. Hits to the head, arms and legs can make you stumble or throw off your aim.

Hawick Pharmacy is player-run: its counter sells when staff are working.

Phone, voice and radio

Your phone

Press M to open it. The main apps:

• Phone, Contacts and Messages for calls and texts. Camera and Photos (in the camera, E takes a photo, R records, F flips to selfie).
• Services shows who is on duty right now in police, EMS, taxi, mechanics (CRSD Customs), legal and real estate, with buttons to call or text them.
• Wallet shows your balances and statements. Mo-Cash sends or requests money from your bank using a phone number.
• Garage shows where each of your cars is parked and can route you there.
• SnapGram (social feed), Weasel (city news) and Settings.

Voice

This is a proximity voice server: people hear you when they are close. Press ` to cycle Whisper, Normal and Shout; the dots above your status rings show the range and light up while you talk.

Walkie-talkie radio

Walkie-talkies are not sold in stores. If you have one, use it from your inventory, enter a frequency from 1 to 500 and join. Hold Left Alt to talk. Channels 1 to 10 are reserved for on-duty LSPD and EMS. /vol 50 sets the radio volume.

Car radio

In a vehicle, hold Q for the station wheel and let go on a station; the Stations button says what each one plays. Only the driver can change it and people nearby hear your music when it is loud. Streaming? /streamermode mutes every car radio for you only.

Money and banking

• Cash is an item. It sits in your inventory, can be dropped, and can be taken from you. Carry what you need and bank the rest.
• Banks: go to any Bank on the map (there are eight, including the big one downtown and Paleto Bay), stand at the counter and press E at Open Bank to deposit, withdraw, read statements or send money. Street ATMs cannot be used right now.
• Sending money: your account number is your Citizen ID. You can also open up to two shared accounts for a business or household.
• Bank card: order a free one at a bank counter, with a PIN you choose. If you are short of cash at a shop, your own card pays from your bank.
• Paychecks arrive in your bank every 15 minutes while you are on duty, as long as you have moved since the last one. Stand still and you get No paycheck: you were away from your desk.

Cash only: fuel and City Services fees. Paid from your bank: cars, test drives, key cutting and lock changes, rent and fines. Shop items take cash, or your own bank card if you are short.

Jobs

Most civilian jobs come from the computer at City Services: hold Left Alt on it, choose Open City Hall Services and pick a job. You are hired on the spot and can quit from the same screen. These jobs pay a $50 salary every paycheck on top of what the work itself pays.

City Services jobs

No job needed

Jobs you are hired into

• Police and EMS: Los Santos Police, Blaine County Sheriff, San Andreas State Police and San Andreas EMS. Apply in game with /leoapply and ask in the Discord about requirements. Paid $200 to $400 a paycheck by rank.
• Mechanics: CRSD Customs, Beeker's Garage and Benny's hire through their managers.
• Businesses: Burger Shot, Cafe Day, The Bar and Hawick Pharmacy are run by players. Staff cook, pour or serve and bill customers at the register.
• Real estate, the car dealership and law (lawyers and judges) are also hired or appointed.

Going to prison makes you unemployed, so you will need to get your job back afterwards.

Vehicles

Buying

New cars are sold at the CRSD Cardealer; boats and aircraft have their own showrooms. Press E at the counter. You pay from your bank, and a custom plate costs $1,000 more.

To sell, park your car for sale at Larry's used car lot in Sandy Shores (you get 77% of your asking price when another player buys it), or sell it back to the dealer there for half its value.

Keys and the locksmith

Your key is an item in your inventory. L locks and unlocks, G starts the engine. /givekeys hands over your only key, so visit the Locksmith next to CRSD Customs first if you want to keep one: blank keys $250, a new key cut $500, or new locks $1,500 so old keys stop working.

Garages, fuel and repairs

• Garages: drive into a Public Parking area and press E to park, or walk in and press E to take a car out. You can only take a car out of the garage you parked it in; the phone's Garage app shows where each one is. A car with a dead engine cannot be parked: fix it with a repair kit or a mechanic first.
• Fuel: stand at a pump outside the car and press E. Cash only. A jerry can costs $100.
• Repairs: the garage menu repairs for $250 to $2,000. A repair kit ($750 at general stores) patches you up on the road. Parts wear out with mileage, so have a mechanic service your car before it starts stalling.
• Impound: towed or impounded cars are at the Depot Lot, for the fee set when they were taken.
• After a city restart cars you left out return to their garage by themselves, unless the engine was dead.

If your car is stolen

Type /reportstolen and pick the car: police get a lookout for it, and the city's traffic cameras call it in when it passes one. If you find it while it is still in your name, just take it home, and pay the locksmith to change the locks if someone else has a key. If a thief has already had it re-registered at a chop shop, get in and type /reclaimvehicle to take it back; their key stops working.

Housing

Your starter apartment is free and yours to keep. When you want more space, houses and apartments with real interiors are sold and let by player estate agents; green house icons on the map are properties for sale. Call an agent through the phone's Services app.

• A property holds up to 24 pieces of furniture, including storage boxes (30 slots each), a wardrobe, seats and a crafting workbench. Its garage holds 4 cars.
• Lock the door or open the garage with E, give keys to up to 8 people, and, if you own it, choose it as a spawn point.
• Rent comes out of your bank once every real day. If you cannot pay you have 12 hours to find the money before you lose the tenancy.
• If a property is sold, keys, tenancies and box contents do not pass to the new owner, and cars in its garage go to the impound.

Police, 911 and prison

Calling for help

/911 opens the police form and /311 the ambulance form. You can type the details straight after the command, for example /911 someone is breaking into my car. You are told how many units were paged, or that nobody is on duty. One call every 20 seconds. If you are down, press G once the screen says you can be helped: that pages medics directly.

Some crimes report themselves: gunshots anywhere except the Ammu-Nation ranges, fights and explosions alert the police with no witness needed. Car break-ins and carjackings usually do too, a little less often late at night.

Traffic stops and fines

• Officers write citations from the penal code. Speeding costs $225, $450 or $750 depending on how far over the limit you were.
• Fines come straight out of your bank. If you cannot cover one it stays on file as unpaid. Citations and warnings go on your record.
• Police can take your driving licence at a stop, and grant or revoke driver, weapon and business licences.
• Traffic cameras around the city record speed, red lights and plates. They do not fine you automatically, but officers can look up the records, and a stolen or wanted plate sends police a call.

Arrest and booking

In cuffs you cannot attack, aim, jump or open your inventory. Soft cuffs still let you walk; full cuffs do not. Officers can search you and take your cash. If you are arrested you are usually booked at Mission Row Police Department: a mugshot from three sides holding a name board, then fingerprints and a DNA swab. What is taken from you goes into a numbered property locker. Anything kept as evidence, including dirty money, is not given back.

Prison (Bolingbroke)

• Each month of your sentence is one real minute, and it only counts down while you are online in prison. Logging out does not end it.
• You lose your job when the sentence starts.
• Your work detail is electrician: follow the Prison Work marker and press E at the box. Finished jobs can take a month or two off your sentence.
• When your time is up, go to the guard at the Jail Front Desk (the message calls it the visitors center) and press E to check out. You leave in your own clothes with what was in your pockets when you arrived.
• Property taken at booking is held in a property locker, separate from the prison desk. If an officer releases you early it comes back by itself; otherwise ask an officer where to collect it once you are out.

Joining the police or EMS

Type /leoapply, pick the department and write a short message about yourself; command staff review it. Once hired, every session starts off duty: toggle duty at your station, then collect your uniform, kit and vehicle. Police use F6 for the dispatch board and F9 for citations; medics use F7 for the callout board and /ems to assess a patient.

The criminal side

Crime is part of the city, but it needs a story. Read the rules before you pick up a gun. This section tells you what exists; finding the details is part of the game.

Dirty money

Crime pays in Dirty Money, an item in your inventory. Normal stores will not take it. You spend it on the black market or wash it with a launderer known as The Laundry, who returns about 75% as clean cash and never stands in the same place for long. Anyone who robs you can take it, so do not carry more than you need.

The black market

The black market runs on a tablet, which you will not find in any store. Orders are paid in dirty money and arrive as a locked shipping container you have to cut open and search within 30 minutes. Anyone who finds your drop can loot it, so bring backup.

Robberies

• Store tills, ATMs, houses, the jewellery store, banks and armoured trucks can all be robbed. Some need tools, and some will not start unless enough police are on duty.
• Robberies raise alarms. Robbing without gloves leaves fingerprints, and shooting leaves casings and gunshot residue.
• Stolen goods like jewellery and electronics sell at the Pawn Shop (open 07:00 to 21:00 in game time).

Drugs

With drug baggies on you, open the radial menu (F1) and choose Citizen > Corner Selling. Locals come to buy; some try to scam or rob you, and almost every sale gets reported, so keep moving.

Vehicle theft

• A lockpick opens a parked car's door but will not start it. Getting a working key for a car that is not yours takes an OBD port scanner from the black market.
• Driving off in someone's car does not make it yours. Ownership only changes at the chop shop, which is not on the map. A rekeyed car's plate stays flagged on police plate readers and cameras.

Robbing people

With your hands up (X), people nearby can search your pockets. To rob someone through the radial menu (Citizen > Interaction > Rob) they have to be cuffed or down. Civilians need handcuffs to cuff anyone.

Gangs

The city has six gangs: The Lost MC, Ballas, Vagos, Cartel, Families and Triads. Joining one is arranged with staff for now, so ask in the Discord.

Rules and etiquette

• No random killing. Never attack or kill someone without a roleplay reason and some interaction first.
• Do not use your car as a weapon, and drive the way the car could really be driven, even in a getaway.
• Value your life. If someone has a gun on you, comply. Do not take on a group alone or pull a weapon while you are at gunpoint.
• New Life Rule. After you respawn you forget what led to your death. Stay away from that scene for 15 minutes and never take revenge for it.
• No combat logging. Do not quit or reconnect to escape a scene, an arrest or a death. If you crash, come back and tell the people involved.
• No metagaming. Your character only knows what they learned in the city. Nothing from streams, Discord or out-of-character chat counts, and watching someone's stream to find them is banned.
• Crime needs roleplay. Robberies and kidnappings need real interaction, not just a pointed gun. Do not provoke the police just to get a chase, and leave on-duty EMS out of your crimes.
• No cheats or bug abuse. Mod menus, glitches and duplication mean a ban. Report bugs in the Discord.
• Respect everyone. No harassment, hate speech or discrimination, in or out of character. Take disputes to a ticket in the Discord; staff decisions are final.
• Stay in character. Keep out-of-character talk short and only when it is needed.
• No powergaming. Do not force an outcome on someone or do what your character could not; give others a fair chance to respond.
• Working microphone. This is a voice server, and a working mic is required.
• Realistic names for your characters.

Words you will hear

IC / OOC

In character and out of character. Keep OOC talk out of the city; use the Discord.

RDM

Random deathmatch: attacking someone with no roleplay reason.

VDM

Vehicle deathmatch: using a car as a weapon.

NLR

New Life Rule: you forget the events that led to your death.

Fear RP

Acting as if your life matters, especially at gunpoint.

Metagaming

Using information your character could not know, such as from a stream or Discord.

Powergaming

Forcing an outcome on someone else or doing things that would be impossible in real life.

Combat logging

Disconnecting to escape a situation.

Troubleshooting