This page contains an introduction to mods in Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5), including basic explanation, features, types of mods and where to download them.
What are Mods?
Modifications (or mods for short) are game files that alter a certain aspect of the game and are created by third-party developers to extend the longevity of a particular title beyond the popularity gained from its original release. They can change or tweak a specific aspect of the game or even redesign it completely depending on the revised or added content. Currently, it is only possible to implement mods on PC versions of a particular game, as consoles have little to no means of altering game scipts and files to allow them to work.
Mods are a big part of PC titles such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, NBA 2k16, Minecraft and Fallout 3. It is not surprising that Grand Theft Auto 5 is also among the most modded games in the PC, owing to the freedom given to players to experience the massive amount of content found in the original game. Mods for Grand Theft Auto V (GTA) can range from adding new weapons, equipment, outfits and costumes, vehicles and characters to introducing different game modes and features.
Bear in mind that since these are developed by third-party groups, it is not always safe to download any mod you find interesting in various websites. Files downloaded from websites such as GTA-mods and GTAforums generally are safe to download, so you might want to consider visiting them for the latest ones created. It is up to you to decide if you want to download files from other, less secure sources which may not only corrupt your Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) game files, but also harm your PC as well.
Types of Mods
- Maps – Change or add locations to the game not found in the original game. Some mods have even allowed players to travel to the locations of previous GTA titles.
- Missions – Alter, expand or add entirely new objectives to the game by modifying the mission script file which controls the results or outcomes in the game under certain conditions that the player has or has not met.
- Patches – Fix or repair existing bugs in the game that the developers have not addressed yet.
- Vehicles – Allows for even more options to customize the appearance or behavior or vehicles, or even add entirely original ones to the game.
- Weapons – Adds more weapons, or alters the behavior of already existing ones.
- Gameplay – Change the way players play and experience the game, such as giving the players strange abilities beyond what is allowed in the game. These have ranged from the ability to control the weather, ability to create explosions, revive people and other interesting powers. Some gameplay mods also change the behavior of police and citizens, and even allow access to locations that would have been locked at a certain point in the game.
- Graphics – Enhances the graphics of the game by altering the game’s lightbox, textures, shaders and timecycles.
- Text – Revises and any and all read text in the game such as instructions, item names and descriptions and game menu. They even allow the game to be translated to other languages.
How do I install and run Mods?
As stated earlier, good mods can be downloaded from GTA-mods and GTAforums. They are usually downloaded as zipped or packed files, so you will need to extract them to obtain the “.ini” file which contains the parameters that alter the game. You can check-out how to install and run mods in the Related Articles section below.
How do I know if a Mod is working or is safe to download?
Most modding communities and websites have a comments section that allows you to read feedback from other players who have already tried downloading and installing the files. This will give you an idea whether the mod files work, or if they contain any bugs or malware that can harm your PC.
Related Articles
- How to install and run mods
- Recommended mods for GTA 5
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