FiveM NUI Design: Building Modern Interfaces with Vue 3 & Vite (2026)

The Evolution of FiveM NUI

FiveM NUI (New User Interface) has evolved dramatically. In the early days, scripts used plain HTML with inline styles and jQuery. Then came Bootstrap templates and basic React/Vue setups. In 2026, the standard for premium scripts is Vue 3 with Vite — and for good reason.

Why Vue 3 + Vite for FiveM NUI

Vue 3 Advantages

Vite Advantages

Together, Vue 3 + Vite produce a NUI that is fast to develop, fast to build, and lightweight at runtime.

Project Structure for FiveM NUI

A well-organized Vue 3 NUI project inside a FiveM resource looks like this:

resource-folder/
├── client/
│   └── main.lua          -- Client-side game logic
├── server/
│   └── main.lua          -- Server-side game logic
├── config.lua            -- Shared configuration
├── html/                 -- Production NUI build output(DO NOT EDIT)
│   ├── index.html
│   └── assets/
│       ├── index-[hash].js
│       └── index-[hash].css
├── web/                  -- NUI source code
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── App.vue
│   │   ├── main.ts
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   ├── composables/
│   │   └── types/
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── vite.config.ts
│   ├── package.json
│   └── tsconfig.json
└── fxmanifest.lua

The key separation: web/ contains the source code you edit, and html/ contains the compiled output that FiveM serves to the player. The build process writes from web/ to html/.

Communication Between NUI and Lua

The bridge between your Vue 3 UI and the game logic happens through two mechanisms:

Lua → NUI (Sending Data)

-- Client-side Lua
SendNUIMessage({
    type = 'gameStateUpdate',
    state = 'voting',
    players = playerList,
    timeRemaining = 30
})

NUI → Lua (Receiving Actions)

class="hl-comment">// Vue class="hl-number">3 component
async function castVote(targetId: number) {
    await fetch(class="hl-string">https:class="hl-comment">//${resourceName}/castVote, {
        method: &class="hl-comment">#class="hl-number">039;POST&#class="hl-number">039;,
        body: JSON.stringify({ target: targetId })
    });
}

Listening in Vue

class="hl-comment">// In a Vue composable or onMounted
window.addEventListener(&class="hl-comment">#class="hl-number">039;message&#class="hl-number">039;, (event) => {
    const { type, ...data } = event.data;
    
    switch (type) {
        case &class="hl-comment">#class="hl-number">039;gameStateUpdate&#class="hl-number">039;:
            gameState.value = data.state;
            players.value = data.players;
            break;
        case &class="hl-comment">#class="hl-number">039;roleReveal&#class="hl-number">039;:
            isImpostor.value = data.isImpostor;
            break;
    }
});

Designing for FiveM: Key Principles

1. Respect the Game View

FiveM UIs overlay the game world. Your NUI should not completely obscure the game unless it is a full-screen moment (like a role reveal). Use transparency, blur backgrounds, and compact layouts.

2. Speed Matters

Players need to react quickly. Voting buttons should be large and clearly labeled. Animations should be smooth but fast — no 2-second fade-ins for a vote button.

3. Dark Theme by Default

GTA V is played in all lighting conditions. A dark-themed NUI with high-contrast text works best because it does not blind the player or clash with the game's visuals.

4. Mobile-Friendly Patterns (Sort Of)

While FiveM runs on desktop, many of the design patterns from mobile UI work well — large touch targets translate to easy-to-click buttons, clear visual hierarchy, and minimal clutter.

Building the NUI for Production

When you are ready to deploy, build the NUI:

cd web
npm install
npm run build

This compiles everything into the html/ folder. The built files are what FiveM serves to the player.

Important Rules

• Never edit files in html/assets/ — They will be overwritten by the next build
• Keep web/ as the source of truth — All changes happen here
• Version control web/, not html/ — The build output is derived

Pre-Built Delivery

Many premium scripts — including Alone Imposter — ship with the NUI pre-built. This means server owners can deploy immediately without needing Node.js on their production server. Developers who want to customize can rebuild from the web/ folder.

Real-World Example: Alone Imposter NUI

Alone Imposter demonstrates what a well-built Vue 3 NUI looks like in production:

• Mugshot player cards — Each player shown with their character face capture
• State-driven screens — The UI automatically transitions between lobby, reveal, discussion, voting, and result
• Smooth animations — Vue 3 transitions between screens with fade and slide effects
• Responsive voting — Large vote buttons with real-time tally updates
• Compact design — Does not obscure the game world during discussion phases
• Bilingual — Language switching (English/Spanish) built into the component system

The end result is a NUI that feels native to GTA V while being built with modern web technology.

Conclusion

Vue 3 + Vite is the gold standard for FiveM NUI development in 2026. If you are building scripts that need polished interfaces — minigames, admin panels, interactive systems — this stack delivers the best developer experience and the best player experience.

For a production example of what this stack can deliver, check out Alone Imposter — a social deduction minigame with a premium Vue 3 NUI.

→ See Alone Imposter in Action

Interested in NUI development tips? Join the Alone Studios Discord.