FiveM stuck on the loading screen: causes and fixes

Getting stuck on the loading screen is normally a cache, download or low-resources issue rather than a server problem.

1. Wait a few minutes on your first join; the server downloads a lot of custom content.
2. Clear the FiveM cache (see the connection timeout guide).
3. Make sure GTA V is updated and your drive has several GB of free space.
4. Close background apps that use bandwidth or RAM.
5. Press F8 and read the console for the last error line before asking for help.