Save 20% today Use code WELCOME at checkout. WELCOME

Guide: Allowing Movement While Handcuffed (FiveM) MustHave

Want handcuffed players to move around in FiveM without losing realism? Our friendly guide walks you through easy code tweaks for QBCore, ESX, and vRP, enabling movement while keeping the unwanted actions disabled.

Guide: Allowing Movement While Handcuffed (FiveM)

In role‑play servers with FiveM, handcuffs add a touch of realism and tension. Many players discover that the default freezing behavior can be too restrictive, making the experience feel artificial. This guide shows you how to let players move while handcuffed across all popular frameworks—QBCore, ESX, and vRP—while still preventing the most obvious actions like shooting or driving.

Understanding the Handcuffing Flow

When a player is handcuffed, the server typically toggles a few client‑side settings:
The handcuff animation plays (e.g., `’mp_arresting’, ‘idle’`).
Handcuff controls are enabled (`SetEnableHandcuffs`).
The entity is usually frozen to lock the player in place.

To allow movement, you need to unfreeze the entity before keeping all other restrictive controls active. The challenge is to locate the exact lines in each framework and adjust them without breaking your existing logic.

QBCore Framework (and QBOX) – Step‑by‑Step

1. Find the Handcuff Code

Search the police job or utility scripts for the cue that triggers handcuffing. It normally looks like:
“`lua
TaskPlayAnim(playerPed, ‘mp_arresting’, ‘idle’, 8.0, -8, -1, 49, 0, 0, 0, 0)
SetEnableHandcuffs(playerPed, true)
FreezeEntityPosition(playerPed, true)
“`

2. Enable Movement

Replace the freeze call:
“`lua
FreezeEntityPosition(playerPed, false) — Allows free walking
“`

Your updated snippet becomes:
“`lua
TaskPlayAnim(playerPed, ‘mp_arresting’, ‘idle’, 8.0, -8, -1, 49, 0, 0, 0, 0)
SetEnableHandcuffs(playerPed, true)
FreezeEntityPosition(playerPed, false)
“`

3. Keep Controls Restricted

Create a continuous thread that disables the potentially problematic actions:
“`lua
Citizen.CreateThread(function()
while true do
Citizen.Wait(10)
if IsHandcuffed then
DisableControlAction(0, 24, true) — Attack
DisableControlAction(0, 25, true) — Aim
DisableControlAction(0, 142, true) — MeleeAttackAlternate
DisableControlAction(0, 75, true) — Leave Vehicle
DisableControlAction(0, 92, true) — Shoot in vehicle
end
end
end)
“`
Replace `IsHandcuffed` with the variable that indicates the do‑handcuff state for your specific script.

ESX Framework – How to Do It

1. Locate the Main Handcuff Section

Find `esx_policejob/client/main.lua` and locate the following code:
“`lua
TaskPlayAnim(playerPed, ‘mp_arresting’, ‘idle’, 8.0, -8, -1, 49, 0, 0, 0, 0)
SetEnableHandcuffs(playerPed, true)
SetPedCanPlayGestureAnims(playerPed, false)
FreezeEntityPosition(playerPed, true)
“`

2. Remove the Freeze

Change `FreezeEntityPosition(playerPed, true)` to `false` so that walking is possible.

3. Disable Key Controls

Implement a similar thread to keep weapons and vehicle controls at bay:
“`lua
Citizen.CreateThread(function()
while true do
Citizen.Wait(10)
if IsHandcuffed then
DisableControlAction(0, 142, true) — MeleeAttackAlternate
DisableControlAction(0, 30, true) — MoveLeftRight
DisableControlAction(0, 31, true) — MoveUpDown
DisableControlAction(0, 24, true) — Shoot
DisableControlAction(0, 92, true) — Shoot in car
DisableControlAction(0, 75, true) — Leave Vehicle
end
end
end)
“`
Be sure to link `IsHandcuffed` to your ESX handcuff flag.

vRP – Customizing Movement

1. Find the Handcuff Declaration

The core logic often resides in `vrp/modules/police.lua` or a custom resource. Look for:
“`lua
vRPclient.playAnim(player, {true, {{mp_arresting, idle}}, true})
vRPclient.setHandcuffed(player, true)
vRPclient.setFreeze(player, true)
“`

2. Unfreeze for Movement

Swap the freeze line:
“`lua
vRPclient.setFreeze(player, false)
“`

3. Lock Specific Actions

Insert or modify a client script to continuously disable undesired controls:
“`lua
Citizen.CreateThread(function()
while true do
Citizen.Wait(10)
if IsHandcuffed then
DisableControlAction(0, 24, true) — Attack
DisableControlAction(0, 25, true) — Aim
DisableControlAction(0, 142, true) — MeleeAttackAlternate
DisableControlAction(0, 75, true) — Leave Vehicle
DisableControlAction(0, 92, true) — Shoot in vehicle
DisableControlAction(0, 30, true) — Move Left/Right
DisableControlAction(0, 31, true) — Move Up/Down
end
end
end)
“`

4. Sync the Handcuff Flag

Define a global variable and listen for a server‑side event:
“`lua
local IsHandcuffed = false
RegisterNetEvent(‘vrp:handcuff’)
AddEventHandler(‘vrp:handcuff’, function(status)
IsHandcuffed = status
end)
“`
Trigger this event whenever a player is handcuffed or released.

Final Considerations

Test thoroughly on a copy of your server before pushing changes live.
Adjust the `DisableControlAction` list to match your role‑play rules—some servers may want to allow certain movements or swaps.
Always keep your variables clear and consistent; placeholders like `IsHandcuffed` must be tied to actual script flags.

Conclusion – Your Ultimate Handcuff Mobility Blueprint

By following this Guide: Allowing Movement While Handcuffed (FiveM), you can introduce realistic handcuff mechanics that let players walk around while still feeling the restrictions of being restrained. This approach retains immersive gameplay for QBCore, ESX, and vRP servers, making role‑play encounters smoother and more engaging for everyone.

Luke
Luke

I'm Luke, I am a gamer and love to write about FiveM, GTA, and roleplay. I run a roleplay community and have about 10 years of experience in administering servers.

Articles: 570

Leave a Reply