GTA V map coordinates explained for FiveM scripting

#The three axes

The GTA V map is one continuous world measured in metres from an origin near the middle of Los Santos. The map is taller than it is wide, which is why the minimap textures are arranged in a tall grid — see the minimap technical specification.

#Heading: which way something faces

Heading is a rotation around the vertical axis in degrees, from 0 to 360. GTA V measures it counter-clockwise from north, which surprises people used to compass bearings:

That is why a car spawned with heading 90 points left on the map. Headings matter for vehicle spawns, ped placement and doors, and they are the fourth number in most config entries.

#vector3, vector4 and distance in Lua

CfxLua has built-in vector types. They are faster and easier to read than tables of numbers, and they support arithmetic.

local cityHall = vector3(-544.9, -204.5, 38.2)
local garage   = vector4(215.8, -810.1, 30.7, 157.0) -- x, y, z, heading

-- Access components
print(garage.x, garage.y, garage.z, garage.w)
print(garage.xyz) -- the position part as a vector3

-- Distance between two points
local pos = GetEntityCoords(PlayerPedId())
local dist = #(pos - cityHall)
if dist < 3.0 then
    print('near city hall')
end

#Getting your current coordinates

The fastest way to collect positions for configs is a small command that prints and copies them.

RegisterCommand('coords', function()
    local ped = PlayerPedId()
    local c = GetEntityCoords(ped)
    local h = GetEntityHeading(ped)
    local line = ('vector4(%.2f, %.2f, %.2f, %.2f)'):format(c.x, c.y, c.z, h)
    print(line)                          -- shows in the F8 console
    TriggerEvent('chat:addMessage', { args = { 'coords', line } })
end, false)

1. Stand exactly where the marker or spawn should be, facing the right way.
2. Type /coords and copy the line from the F8 console.
3. Paste it into the script’s config.
4. For a vehicle, sit in it and read the vehicle’s coords instead: GetEntityCoords(GetVehiclePedIsIn(ped, false)).

Admin menus such as vMenu and txAdmin’s in-game menu can also show coordinates, and txAdmin can teleport you to a waypoint or to typed coordinates.

#Finding the ground height

A Z value taken on a slope or from a map website is often slightly wrong, so things spawn in the ground or float. Ask the game for the ground height at an X/Y:

local function groundZ(x, y)
    for height = 1000.0, 0.0, -25.0 do
        RequestCollisionAtCoord(x, y, height)
        Wait(0)
        local found, z = GetGroundZFor_3dCoord(x, y, height, false)
        if found then return z end
    end
    return nil
end

Collision only exists where the world has streamed in, which is why the function requests collision at each height it tries. For spawns, add half a metre to the ground Z and let the ped settle.

#Approximate coordinates of well-known places

Handy for testing teleports and sanity-checking configs. These are rounded and approximate — capture exact positions in game for anything you place.

Zone and district names such as “Vinewood” or “Sandy Shores” can be read from coordinates with GetNameOfZone — see GTA V zone names.