FiveM Loading Screen File Sizes and Optimization Tips

A common trap for new server developers is creating a stunning loading screen that is 150MB in size. While it might look great on your local machine, forcing every player to download 150MB before they even start connecting to the game is a surefire way to lose players. Here is how to optimize your FiveM loading screen size.

The FiveM "16MB Warning"

You may have seen a yellow warning in your server console: Resource loading_screen is larger than 16MB. While FiveM does not strictly enforce a hard limit that breaks your resource, anything above 16MB for a UI component is heavily frowned upon.

1. Background Video Optimization

Local video files (.mp4 or .webm) are the #1 cause of bloated loading screens.

• Use YouTube Embeds: The absolute best way to save space is to upload your video to YouTube and embed it. This drops your resource size from 50MB down to essentially 0MB (just text files).
• Compress Local Videos: If you must use a local file, use a tool like Handbrake to compress it. A 1080p video should be compressed heavily—remember, it's often covered by UI elements anyway, so perfect 4K bitrate is a waste. Aim for under 5MB.

2. Image Compression (WebP)

Using uncompressed 4K .png files for backgrounds will inflate your resource size.

• Convert to WebP: The WebP format is fully supported by FiveM's CEF browser. It provides the same quality as a JPEG at roughly 25-35% of the file size.
• Resize Appropriately: Do not use an 8K image. Resize backgrounds to a maximum of 1920x1080.

3. Audio File Compression

Never use .wav files for background music. A 3-minute WAV file can be 30MB. Always compress your audio to .mp3 or .ogg at 128kbps, which will bring the file size down to around 3MB.

ViceForge Built-In Optimization

If you want guaranteed fast loading times without worrying about compression tools, use the ViceForge Builder.