Getting started
From subscribing to the first connected player.
01Before paying: three things to prepare
Choose your plan on the pricing page. The flow that follows asks three questions before payment, then creates the server by itself as soon as the payment is received: have everything at hand to get through in one go.
First, your Discord account. Link it from the flow or from Settings, "Connected accounts" card. It proves that the game server is yours: at the first start, only this Discord account can take control of it. Without a linked Discord account, server creation is refused.
Then the server name, 3 to 40 characters: letters, digits, spaces, hyphens and underscores. It is the name of the server in your account area (My servers, the server page), and it does not change afterwards. It is also, at first, the name shown in the FiveM server list: that one can be changed at any time from the Configuration screen, "Server Name" field, without reinstalling anything.
Finally, two keys. The Cfx.re license key is created on portal.cfx.re with your Cfx.re account, leaving the IP address field empty; it starts with cfxk_ (the cfx.re key covers each step). The Steam Web API key is created on steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey while signed in to Steam: the domain name it asks for is free text, use your server name, then copy the 32-character key. Both are encrypted and are never shown in full again.
02Paying and following the creation
The "Everything is ready" step sums up the plan, the name, the masked keys and the update channel; "Edit" goes back to an answer. "Compose and pay" leads to payment. The return page then follows three steps: payment confirmed, creating the server, server ready.
Allow one to two minutes after the payment is confirmed. A direct debit can take a few days: the server is then created by itself when it arrives. You can close the page without stopping anything, and the server will show up in My servers. If nothing has happened within ten minutes, contact support.
03Installation and first start
The server page shows the installation step by step: server reserved on the machine, base files installed, database and configuration, then "Ready to start". The server's output scrolls below. The Files, Databases and Configuration screens stay closed until the installation ends.
Click "Start my city". The first start takes a few minutes: the console opens and shows the city starting up. If the installation stops on an error, "Open a request" writes to support with the server's status attached, so support sees where it stopped.
04Joining your city
Once the server is online, the "Join" bar on its page gives its address. "Open in FiveM" launches the game and connects. If nothing happens (FiveM not installed, browser refusing the link), "Copy" takes the connect command: open FiveM, press F8 and paste it into the game console.
Join with the Discord account linked to your account area: it is what recognizes you in game as the owner of the city. A new server opens 10 slots; raise them up to your plan's limit from Configuration, then restart, before inviting your community (slots, name and language).
05The "Is my city ready?" list
The server page keeps a launch list that ticks itself: server installed, Discord account linked, city started once, slots open to players, your scripts imported, your scripts' data imported, a co-manager invited, a first player connected, then five players at the same time. Each step leads to the screen that handles it.
An optional question, "What brings you to Nova?", adapts the list and the suggested articles: launching a new city, migrating from ESX, QBCore or another framework, or trying Nova. For a migration, also read coming from another framework.
06Setting up the city, in game
Everything about the game, jobs, economy, items, properties, permissions, is set in game: connect and type /admin. The site sets the machine: slots, name, language, files, databases, backups, restarts. No framework file needs editing, and your in-game settings survive updates.
The guide configure a FiveM server in game tours the panel, and start a FiveM roleplay server covers the whole path, from the idea to opening day. For your own scripts, continue with adding your own scripts.