Quick summary of my take on the 3 lighting systems for GTA V. (ELS, ELS Hybrid, DLS). I posted this on my Discord a few months ago and people seem to understand the difference between the 3 lighting systems used for LSPDFR (I do not play FiveM so I have no knowledge with those) so they have a better understanding on how and what the different types of lighting are used for gaming. From the San Andreas days of Emergency Lighting Mod (ELM) to IV with ELS to V with ELS, to ELS Hybrid to DLS, I have seen and used it all. Recently, I have done a convert of my game and development work to DLS from ELS. I enjoy ELS, but I enjoy DLS more as I can be more creative with patterns and lighting. So let's break down and give a short, sweet, simple run down of what you see people creating now. Lastly, don't try and take credit for this list, it's sad I have to say that but please credit where it's due if you were to use this list.

Emergency Lighting System (ELS)

Pros

Simplicity (Very new user friendly)

Config lighting stages easily / change patterns

Largest vehicle pool due to age

Cons

Limited on lighting

"Floaters" if want to use lights on moving vehicle parts (Doors, Trunk, Compartment Doors)

Limited pattern creations

No further development

12 Extras only. (Realistically, 10 is what most devs use)

Emergency Lighting System Hybrid (ELS + Non ELS)

Pros

Custom lighting config / patterns

Large variety of extras can be used (TA, Flood, Cruise)

Easily adaptable to ELS controls

32 sirens + 12 extras can be used to create

Cons

Stage 3 lighting only

Cannot change lighting patterns

Limited lighting controls

No further development (Due to it being ELS controlled)

Dynamic Lighting System (DLS)

Pros

ELS on crack.

Large variety of what lights can do (Stages, TA, Alley, Cruise, Brake Override, Patterns, Sync System, etc)

Vehicles become advanced with lighting controls (Multiple vehicles can run off 1 XML)

Cons

Lengthy XML creation / edits (Not new user friendly unlike ELS)

Compatible with ELS but must disable extra patch in the dls.ini to work

Potential crashing issues when using both ELS and DLS

Majority of LSPDFR users use ELS

Restricted to 32 sirens only

AI vehicles can ONLY use police audio hash to enable sirens.

Very slow development / updates

I know I have missed stuff or maybe a few things were updated since I created this back in April 2026 but still holds general true and ideal for people to understand. Please feel free to post any questions / comments / concerns as I am willing to be assist the best I can with this topic.

If this is in the wrong section, apologizes!

Happy modding folks!

Edited Tuesday at 06:01 PM2 days by TrentMU

Id argue the XML con for DLS is less true since you can combine multiple vehicles into a single xml if they use the same patterns or default to carcols. Overall love the post though.

That is true, I did forget to add that DLS can run multiple vehicles off 1 xml. The initial setup for a new user though may seem like a lot compared to ELS's xml. Thanks for the love though!

This is a great way to explain it to people who might be considering the switch. It helped me to decide to switch to DLS this latest go around in my game.

Great explanation, papa