Recent activity on the FiveM forums reveals that the platform has been quietly taking action against servers using fake players to boost their rankings. Multiple server bans have been observed with the reason "PLA violation / Fake Players," indicating increased enforcement against this practice.

The Fake Player Problem

The issue primarily involves paid services that server owners use to artificially inflate their player counts. These services:

  • Provide fake players that connect to servers for a fee
  • Show inflated player numbers in the server browser
  • Help servers appear more popular than they actually are
  • Give paying servers unfair advantages in rankings

Unlike simple bot scripts, these are professional services that server owners pay to maintain fake player counts around the clock.

Forum Evidence

While FiveM hasn't made any official announcements, community members have noticed several server bans on the forums specifically citing "PLA violation / Fake Players" as the reason for removal. This suggests FiveM is actively monitoring and taking action against servers using these services.

FiveM's Silent Countermeasures

FiveM appears to have taken behind-the-scenes action to disrupt these fake player services:

  • Some services temporarily shut down following FiveM's measures
  • Service providers have had to adapt their methods
  • The cat-and-mouse game continues as services evolve
  • It remains to be seen if FiveM will maintain consistent enforcement

Impact on Server Operators

The enforcement actions serve as a warning to server owners that:

  • Using paid fake player services violates FiveM's policies
  • Detection methods are in place to identify artificial player inflation
  • Consequences include removal from the server list
  • The risk may not be worth the temporary ranking boost

Ongoing Battle

This situation highlights an ongoing battle between FiveM and fake player service providers. While FiveM's initial actions forced some services to close temporarily, many have already adapted and resumed operations.

Whether FiveM continues this enforcement effort and develops more permanent solutions remains to be seen. The community will be watching to see if this represents a sustained crackdown or just a temporary disruption.

For now, server owners should be aware that using fake player services carries real risks and may result in their servers being banned from the platform.