Guide
FiveM early exit trap: it closes while starting. How to fix it
Early exit trap is FiveM's protection closing the game before it has started, because something is meddling with it. The most common cause is not a cheat but Steam's beta client: FiveM loads Steam's overlay too, even when GTA V came from Epic or Rockstar.
Leave Steam's beta
- Open Steam, go to Settings and pick Interface.
- Under Client Beta Participation pick No beta chosen.
- Steam asks to restart. Let it, then start FiveM again.
GTA V not from Steam? Exit Steam first
If you bought GTA V on Epic or Rockstar, Steam does not need to run while you play FiveM. Click Steam at the top left and pick Exit so it really closes, not just hides next to the clock. Then start FiveM.
Close programs that hook into the game
Trainers, cheats and programs that draw over the game or change its files cause an early exit trap too. Close all of them, and any overlay you don't use, then try again.
Downloaded something odd just before this started? Remove it first. Most FiveM servers ban for good when they find a cheat.
Clear FiveM's cache
Close FiveM, then delete what is in %LocalAppData%\FiveM\FiveM.app\data\cache except the game folder, and delete server-cache and server-cache-priv next to it. The first join takes longer because the server's files download again.
Let Savenz Optimizer help
Paste the crash text on the FiveM page of Savenz Optimizer (press Ctrl+C on the crash window, then paste). The crash helper tells you whether it is an early exit trap or something else, with the steps to fix it. Clearing FiveM's cache is in Cleaner and free. Still crashing after all of this? Bring the crash text to the Discord.