This is a quick and simple guide to the basics of installing and playing with mods on Grand Theft Auto V for Single Player. It won't cover MP mods like FiveM, or script hooks that start the game with a custom launcher. Modding GTA:O is not welcome here and will not be discussed.
- Quick start guide to modding Grand Theft Auto V
- Table of Contents
- Setting things up
- Must-haves
- Downloading mods
- Installing mods
- Updating mods
- Updating game
- Troubleshooting
- Credits and authors
For a fresh start, you'll need the following things:
- An updated, clean, unmodded, legit copy of Grand Theft Auto V (both Steam/Social Club are fine) that works normally
- An internet connection
- An archive manager. I recommend 7-Zip
- Enable showing file extensions in Explorer
- Patience. Read the manuals!
It's best to start out with an unmodded game, to prevent things from conflicting or having other instabilities. If you've tampered with the files, it's best to either re-install the game or to let Steam or RGSC verify your files before continuing. If you also had script mods installed and don't remember what to delete, just start out clean.
For reference, the following files enable loading and running mods from the normal launcher:
- dinput8.dll - ASI loader
- ScriptHookV.dll - Script hook
- OpenIV.asi - OpenIV archive loader
If you recognize any of these and don't exactly know why these are there, start out from scratch.
GTA V mods roughly exist in two distinct categories: resource mods and scripts. You'll need a couple of things to get this to work!
- ScriptHookV enabled scripts for GTA V.
- OpenIV enables modifying archives and adding archives.
- ScriptHookVDotNet enables scripts written in .NET languages. It relies on ScriptHookV.
Download the archives or installers from the websites.
Installation: Basically just follow the instructions!
- ScriptHookV: Open the archive, extract the files inside the bin folder to your GTA V root.
- ScriptHookVDotNet: Open the archive, extract
ScriptHookVDotNet.asiandScriptHookVDotNet2.dllto your GTA V root. - OpenIV: Run the installer.
ScriptHookVDotNet has its scripts inside a separate folder inside the GTA V root folder, so create a scripts folder in there. .dll and .cs scripts you download will go in here.
OpenIV needs some additional setup. Run the program and point it to your GTA V directory if necessary. Go to Tools -> ASI Manager and install ASI Loader and OpenIV.ASI if they aren't installed already. You'll also want to set up a mods folder. This keeps your original game files clean! As a start, put your update.rpf in the mods folder. You'll need to edit it anyway.
It's a good idea to only download mods from trusted websites, especially script mods. Remember that scripts are just libraries and can execute any code. Mods that change textures, vehicles and the like are less risky, but always do your research before downloading mods from random websites.
Good resources are:
If you download a mod that replaces an original resource, like a vehicle mod that replaces a default vehicle, you'll need to use OpenIV. The mod you download should have come with instructions with which file to replace in which exact folder and archive. FOLLOW THOSE INSTRUCTIONS.
If you download a mod that's marked as an add-on, it means it doesn't replace existing resources. They are added as DLCs. In general they follow the following set-up:
- The data files are placed in
GTAV_root/mods/update/x64/dlcpacks/<mod name>/dlc.rpf - The entry is added to
dlclist.xml. The exact location isGTAV_root/mods/update/update.rpf/common/data/dlclist.xml. This entry looks like<Item>dlcpacks:\<mod name>\</Item>
When adding an entry to dlclist.xml, take care to keep the opening and closing tags being exactly Item. If they are different, the file is invalidated.
Some mod authors also tell you to change extratitleupdatedata.meta, but this is NOT necessary!
Additionally, you'll want to replace GTAV_root/mods/update/update.rpf/common/data/gameconfig.xml with a version that supports more add-on mods. These can be obtained on GTA5-Mods.com. Just take care to pick the correct game version files.
If you download a mod that ends with .oiv, this means the mod author prepared a nice package for you. If you installed OpenIV properly, you can just double click the file, after which an OpenIV pacakge installation prompt will open. Check any information in the description window and press install. These mods can add files and/or replace files, so be sure to double-check if you've got the correct package.
Scripts ending with the .asi extension are ScriptHookV scripts and ALWAYS go in the GTA V root directory. If the script came with configuration files, follow the installation instructions for that script. Usually the archives are made so you just select the asi and the additional folder or the additional config files and put those directly in your game root directory.
Scripts ending with the .dll, .cs and .vb extensions are ScriptHookVDotNet mods and ALWAYS go in GTAV_root/scripts/. As with .asi mods, you want to follow the instructions.
For most resource mods, you should just reinstall the mod completely by using the new files.
For scripts, you should take note of the changelog or other comments the author had. Usually it suffices to just replace the .asi/.dll/.cs, but sometimes the configuration files also need replacement.
Rockstar releases new DLC from time to time. Some mods keep working, other break. Here's a basic guide of steps to take to prevent this, or to get back up and running quickly!
Moving or renaming dinput8.dll will stop ScriptHookV, ScriptHookVDotNet and OpenIV from loading. If you properly used OpenIV's mod folder, this disables all mods and you should be able to play the unmodded game and even join a GTA:O session.
BEFORE a new DLC update drops, Rockstar hypes it up. Once a new DLC is announced, ensure you have a backup of the following files
GTAV_root/update/update.rpfGTAV_root/GTA5.exeGTAV_root/GTAVLauncher.exesteam_api64.dll
It's smart to label these. I put them in a folder with the executable version. For Smuggler's Run, this is v1.0.1180.2. When the next update drops and you want to revert, back up the new files and replace them with your old backups.
You can also choose to update your mods. In general it's a good idea to wait until some core resources (ScriptHookV, ScriptHookVDotNet) have been updated to the new game version.
Each update, you'll need to update your GTAV_root/mods/update/update.rpf to match the version of GTAV_root/update/update.rpf. You can then transplant your changes from your old modded update.rpf to the new update.rpf.
Things to pay attention to:
- The new
dlclist.xmlprobably has a new entry, so take care copy-pasting your moddeddlclist.xml. gameconfig.xmlis very version-dependent. If you use add-on mods, it's very likely you'll need to wait for a new updatedgameconfig.xmlthat supports add-ons.- Some replacement mods might not work after updating. In this case, the new update package overwrites old changes. (Rockstar sometimes fixes old models)
Most scripts rely on ScriptHookV and just use natives. These will work after ScriptHookV gets updated for the new update, and won't need updating themselves.
ScriptHookVDotNet uses offsets for peds and vehicles, so it's wise to wait until ScriptHookVDotNet gets an update to support the new update. Most ScriptHookVDotNet scripts don't need updating themselves.
If a script crashes after an update, just disable it and keep an eye on the mod page. The author might update the script in the coming hours/days/weeks/months/years. It might help to notify the script author.
Outside of the common update woes, things can of course go wrong. Here are a few common things that go wrong:
You probably installed a mod pack with many vehicles or manually installed many vehicles. This is related to gameconfig.xml and you should find a replacement gameconfig.
GTA V throws this error when you have too many add-on dlcpacks loaded in dlclist.xml. To fix this, you can remove some, or merge dlc's (guide).
There's a wrong reference to the vehicle handling and/or layout. Check vehicles.meta for the correct references.
You're not using a mods folder and/or referring to non-imported files in content.xml.
Mod packs can add lots of resources. Usually when installing mod packs, it's necessary to get a gameconfig that allows many add-ons. Examples of big mod packs:
A small note about "Redux": This is mainly composed of resources stolen from various mod authors. You won't find much support for an unstable game with Redux. Be a nice person and avoid that stolen mess :)
Level of detail is important for performance and appearance. Some vehicle mods have no good LODs, thus will either require a lot of performance even at a distance, or have a disappearing body. Take care installing these mods, especially if they are replacements. Your framerate can suffer significantly, no matter how good your computer is!
Scripts can be unstable, either due to updates or due to how they are written. If the script crashes, this will usually be caught by the hook or runtime.
A ScriptHookV crash will show an error window before closing the game. Write down the crashing script and contact the author. If you do, please provide logs:
ScriptHookV.log- Any other logs the script might have generated
A ScriptHookVDotNet script crash is silent. The script just doesn't work any more. As with ScriptHookV scripts, report this to the author. Provide:
ScriptHookVDotNet2.log- Any other logs the script might have generated
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