Best ESX Scripts 2026: The Must-Have List for Serious RP Servers

Picking ESX scripts in 2026 is harder than it should be. The Cfx.re asset escrow store has thousands of listings, half of them are recycled junk from 2022, and the other half are price-inflated reskins of open-source originals. Add the dozens of "free" repos on GitHub that haven't been updated since ESX 1.2, and you've got a real signal-to-noise problem.

This guide is opinionated. We've built and maintained ESX servers for years (and we sell our own ESX scripts), so we know which categories of script make or break a server feel — and which ones are over-engineered busywork. We organize this list by what every serious RP server needs, not by "top 10 random scripts."

The 2026 ESX baseline: what's changed

Before the list, a quick reality check on what ESX even is now:

• ESX Legacy is the maintained fork — version 1.13.x as of mid-2026. Anything you install in 2026 should target Legacy. Old ESX 1.2 scripts will mostly still load but expect deprecated-call warnings and occasional breakage.
• OneSync Infinity is mandatory for any server above 32 slots. Most modern ESX scripts assume Infinity. Old "OneSync legacy" code paths often have desync bugs at scale.
• oxmysql has replaced mysql-async almost everywhere. New scripts ship with oxmysql; converting old ones is a search-and-replace job.
• ox_lib is the de facto UI/utility library. If a script ships with its own custom UI from 2021, it's going to feel ancient next to anything using ox_lib.

With that established, here's the category-by-category shortlist.

1. Core framework & essentials

es_extended (ESX Legacy)

The framework itself. Use the official esx-framework/esx_legacy repo. Pin to a release tag, not master — master sometimes breaks compatibility with third-party scripts mid-week.

oxmysql

Database layer. Replaces mysql-async. Faster, better error messages, supports prepared statements properly. If a script you want only supports mysql-async, look for an oxmysql-aware fork — performance gap on a 100-player server is significant.

ox_lib

Modern UI components (context menus, notifications, input dialogs, progress bars) and shared utilities. Most well-written 2024+ scripts depend on it. Add it once and a dozen scripts feel consistent instead of every one shipping its own ugly menu.

ox_inventory or qs-inventory

The old esx_inventoryhud is dead. ox_inventory is the open-source default now — drag-and-drop, slot-based, supports metadata, container support, weapon mods stored as data. qs-inventory is the paid alternative with a flashier UI. Pick one and commit; switching later is painful.

2. Vehicle scripts

Garage system

Every RP server needs garages. The classic esx_advancedgarage is functional but feels its age. In 2026 the better options are:

• devCon Garage (with lb-phone app) — phone-app driven garage with impound, vehicle stats, repair pricing tiers, faction garages
• cd_garage — codesign's polished alternative with shared garages and job vehicles
• Self-built on top of esx_vehicleshop — only if you have a dev who actually wants to maintain it

The key feature differentiator now is phone-app integration. Players expect to manage their fleet from a phone app, not a marker at the garage building.

Vehicle keys

Vehicle locking, key sharing, hotwiring, key-out-of-pocket mechanics. devCon Vehicle Keys handles all four with proper sync across OneSync. The alternative qb-vehiclekeys port works on ESX but requires patches.

Vehicle shop

The default esx_vehicleshop is fine for low-traffic servers. For larger ones, you want test-drive timers, financing options, and dealer-specific shop locations. Most "premium" vehicle shop scripts are reskins — read the changelog before paying.

3. Phone

The phone is the single highest-impact script on RP feel. Players use it constantly. The 2026 landscape:

• lb-phone — the polished standard. Active development, deep app SDK, paid (~€75). Most new premium scripts ship lb-phone integrations as a primary feature.
• gks-phone — older free-ish option, still used on lower-budget servers.
• qs-smartphone — quasar's offering. Decent UI but harder to extend.

If budget allows: lb-phone. The integrations available for it (radio, dispatch, garage, lifeinvader, business) make the rest of your script ecosystem dramatically more cohesive.

4. Voice & communication

pma-voice

The standard. Run it on an external voice server for any community above 80 players — the bandwidth offload is significant.

Lifeinvader / social-media app

The in-game social network is one of the highest-engagement features in modern RP. Players post, comment, troll, run businesses through it. devCon Lifeinvader ships as a phone app + standalone post UI, with admin tools for content moderation and trends.

Dispatch / radio

Police and EMS work needs radio + dispatch. ps-dispatch is the popular free one. For radio: lb-phone has a radio app integration that's effectively standard now.

5. Job & faction scripts

Faction / boss-menu / society

How factions manage members, money, vehicles, and ranks. ESX ships esx_society as the baseline. For real RP servers you want a proper boss-menu with member management, salary tiers, money log, and vehicle-fleet management. The popular options:

• devCon Base (40+ in 1) — bundles a modern boss-menu plus faction-management tools
• esx_bossactions — the bare-minimum free option
• Custom-built on top of esx_addonaccount for societies that need very specific accounting

Police / EMS / Mechanic jobs

You can build these on raw ESX, but it's a multi-month project. Most servers buy a base and customize. esx_policejob + esx_ambulancejob as starting points still work but feel dated. Look for jobs that have been rewritten for ox_lib and ox_inventory.

6. Quality-of-life scripts

Death screen / respawn UI

Default ESX death is a black screen with a respawn button. Players in 2026 expect a proper death cam, "call EMS" button, last-position memory. devCon Deathscreen (with Freecam) is built for this. Free option: okokDeath.

HUD

Status bars (health, armor, thirst, hunger, stamina), speedometer, minimap restyle. jg-advancedhud is the free standard. Many servers just style their own — it's not hard.

Loading screen

First impression matters. A custom loading screen with your server name, rules, and recent updates is a 30-minute job that improves retention. devCon Loadingscreen ships templated.

Loot / drop system

Players drop items on death, others can pick them up — basic but essential for any combat-realistic server. devCon Lootdrop (with Gulag & moving Borders) adds zone-control mechanics on top.

7. Monetization & VIP

If your server takes donations or sells VIP packages, you need a clean way to check VIP status across all your scripts. devCon VIP Check exposes a shared export so other scripts can gate features by tier. The alternative is hardcoding identifiers in every script — don't.

8. Anti-cheat & security

The Cfx.re built-in anti-cheat catches the laziest cheaters. Beyond that:

• WaveShield — popular paid AC, decent detection rate
• FiveGuard — alternative paid AC, more aggressive
• txAdmin — not an AC but mandatory for ban management, server monitoring, restart scheduling

Honest advice: anti-cheat scripts will not save you from a determined cheater. They'll filter out 90% of script-kiddies. Pair with active admin presence and report-based investigation.

9. Mini-game / activity scripts

What players do when nothing's happening. These determine whether players stay logged in during off-peak hours:

• devCon Scratchcards — quick-play gambling, sold at gas stations
• devCon Giveaway (with Creator) — staff-run giveaways with random winner selection
• Fishing, mining, woodcutting — open-source options exist; quality varies wildly

10. Admin tooling

Even if you only have 2 admins, give them proper tools:

• txAdmin — server console, bans, restart scheduler, player tracking. Free, mandatory.
• devCon Radial Menu — for context-action overlays (admins love radials)
• devCon Killfeed — for admins to spot pattern-cheaters at a glance

What to skip

A few categories where most servers waste money:

• Custom drug systems — every "premium drug script" is the same trip-loop with a different UI. Build your own from a free template; saves €30-60 and you can balance it properly.
• Heist scripts — Cayo, Vangelico, etc. Most premium heist scripts are minimap-tracker hell. Real RP heists work better as admin-run events.
• "Total RP" bundles — €200 bundles that promise "everything you need for a server." They never quite fit your vision, you end up replacing half of it within a month.

How we test scripts

If you're evaluating a script before buying, our checklist:

1. Open the resmon (F8 → resmon) and check idle CPU usage. Anything above 0.10ms idle is suspicious.
2. Spawn 10 players (use NPC bots if you don't have testers) and measure under load.
3. Check the changelog — last update within 90 days = active. Last update 2 years ago = dead.
4. Test the failure paths: kill the DB connection, what happens? Disconnect mid-action, does it leak state?
5. Read the discord support channel before buying. If it's full of unanswered issues, walk away.

Bringing it together

A full ESX server in 2026 will run between 80 and 150 resources. Most of those are silent infrastructure — frameworks, libs, anti-cheat, txAdmin. The user-facing scripts that determine your server feel are the 20-30 listed above. Pick those carefully, ignore the rest.

If you're starting from zero and want a curated bundle that already plays well together, check our FiveM Script Store. Everything ships license-protected with lifetime updates and a unified license-guard so you're not juggling a dozen activation systems.

Related reading

• ESX vs QBCore vs Ox Core: which framework should you choose?
• FiveM optimization: from 30 to 60 FPS on a busy server
• How to set up a cache server for FiveM