What is the issue you’re having?
Hello,
I’m having trouble connecting to any FiveM server, and I’ve spent a lot of time trying to fix it myself, so I wanted to explain clearly what’s happening in case it helps you figure out the cause.
THE PROBLEM
Every time I try to join a server, it tries 3 times and then shows “Failed to connect to server after 3 attempts.” This happens on every server I try, not just one.
What have you tried already to fix the issue?
WHAT I’VE NOTICED
- If I turn on a VPN, it connects immediately and works perfectly every time.
- Without the VPN, it always fails.
- My brother uses the exact same internet connection and router as me, and he can connect to the same servers with no problems at all, even when my computer is turned off.
WHAT I FOUND WHEN I LOOKED CLOSER
I used some technical tools to watch exactly what my computer does when it tries to connect. Here’s what I found: connecting to a FiveM server actually involves two separate steps. The first step, downloading the server’s files, works completely fine — I watched it happen successfully for several minutes with no errors at all. But the second step, which is the actual “join the game” step, never even seems to leave my computer. It’s like my computer isn’t even trying to send that part, rather than sending it and getting no reply.
I also tested my basic internet connection to the server directly (separate from FiveM) and it was perfectly fine, with no lost data and normal speed.
WHAT I’VE ALREADY TRIED (all without success)
- Cleared FiveM’s saved data and reset my in-game ID
- Restarted my computer and router many times
- Changed my DNS settings (twice)
- Turned off my antivirus and Windows’ built-in protection completely
- Turned off my VPN app’s “kill switch” feature to make sure that wasn’t the cause
- Completely reset my computer’s network settings
- Checked for any other software that might be interfering with my internet connection
- Opened my computer directly to the internet through my router (bypassing my router’s normal protections) to rule out the router itself — the problem still happened exactly the same
- Tried connecting manually by typing the server’s address directly
- Restarted FiveM
What server did you get this issue on?
All the servers but my main server is Reverse V2
Error screenshot(s)
Windows version
Windows 11 252H 26200.9457
System specifications
CPU I9 13900H
GPU RTX 4060 laptop
Antivirus software
Windows defender