Holster and draw animations for FiveM roleplay

#What a holster script does

1. Notice the player switched to a holstered weapon (for example a pistol).
2. Play a draw animation and keep the player from firing until it finishes.
3. When they switch away, play a holster animation.
4. Optionally update clothing so the holster looks full or empty.

#A minimal draw/holster script

local HOLSTERED = {
    [`WEAPON_PISTOL`] = true, [`WEAPON_COMBATPISTOL`] = true,
    [`WEAPON_PISTOL_MK2`] = true, [`WEAPON_STUNGUN`] = true,
}
local DICT = 'reaction@intimidation@1h'

local function loadDict(dict)
    RequestAnimDict(dict)
    while not HasAnimDictLoaded(dict) do Wait(0) end
end

local function playBlocking(clip, ms)
    local ped = PlayerPedId()
    loadDict(DICT)
    TaskPlayAnim(ped, DICT, clip, 8.0, -8.0, ms, 48, 0.0, false, false, false)
    local untilTime = GetGameTimer() + ms
    while GetGameTimer() < untilTime do
        DisablePlayerFiring(PlayerId(), true)
        DisableControlAction(0, 25, true) -- aim
        Wait(0)
    end
    RemoveAnimDict(DICT)
end

CreateThread(function()
    local last = `WEAPON_UNARMED`
    while true do
        local _, current = GetCurrentPedWeapon(PlayerPedId(), true)
        if current ~= last then
            if HOLSTERED[current] and last == `WEAPON_UNARMED` then
                playBlocking('intro', 1200)  -- draw
            elseif HOLSTERED[last] and current == `WEAPON_UNARMED` then
                playBlocking('outro', 900)   -- holster
            end
            last = current
        end
        Wait(100)
    end
end)

Flag 48 plays the animation on the upper body only, so the player can still walk. The loop checks ten times a second, which is responsive and cheap. Timings are a starting point; watch the animation in game and match the blocking time to it.

#Police versus civilians

A common roleplay touch: officers draw from a duty holster faster and with a different, more practised clip, while civilians pull from the waistband. Read the job from your framework and choose the timing accordingly. Keep it short either way — a draw longer than about one and a half seconds feels like lag rather than realism.

#Clothing-based holsters

Many police clothing packs include two versions of the duty belt: holster with a pistol and holster empty. A holster script can switch between them with SetPedComponentVariation when the weapon is drawn and put away, so the belt matches what is in the officer’s hand. The drawable numbers depend on your clothing pack.

#Built-in unholster clips

GTA V already plays short unholster clips defined in pedpersonality.meta (the UNHOLSTER_* groups). A script-driven draw replaces the feel of those with a longer, visible motion. If an addon weapon’s built-in unholster looks wrong, check its entries there — see weaponanimations.meta.