How weapon hashes work in FiveM scripts

#Three ways to get a hash

local a = `WEAPON_PISTOL`               -- compile time
local b = GetHashKey('WEAPON_PISTOL')  -- runtime native
local c = joaat('weapon_pistol')       -- runtime, FiveM Lua helper
print(a == b, b == c)                  -- true  true

if GetSelectedPedWeapon(PlayerPedId()) == `WEAPON_PISTOL` then
    print('holding a pistol')
end

Backticks only work with literal names. Use GetHashKey or joaat when the name comes from a config or database. Cfx.re measured backtick comparisons at less than half the cost of calling GetHashKey in a hot loop.

#Signed vs unsigned

local function toSigned(h)
    if h > 0x7FFFFFFF then return h - 0x100000000 end
    return h
end

local function toUnsigned(h)
    if h < 0 then return h + 0x100000000 end
    return h
end

Hashes below 0x80000000 are identical in both forms, which is why some weapons “work” and others silently fail when a table stores unsigned numbers. The complete list with both values: weapon names and hashes.

#JavaScript and C#

In JavaScript use GetHashKey('WEAPON_PISTOL'); in C# (uint)API.GetHashKey("WEAPON_PISTOL") or the WeaponHash enum. When moving hashes between languages or storing them as JSON, keep one convention (signed or name strings) for the whole project. If you only need the number for one name, FAM Tools has a joaat calculator that also searches backwards from a hash you already have.

#Debugging hash mismatches

1. Print both values: print(GetSelectedPedWeapon(ped), WEAPON_X).
2. If they differ by exactly 4294967296, it is a signed/unsigned mix.
3. If they are unrelated, check spelling (WEAPON_CARBINERIFLE, not WEAPON_CARBINE_RIFLE).
4. For add-on weapons, make sure the weapon is actually streamed and loaded.