The Grand Theft Auto (GTA) modding community is arguably one of the most popular and thriving modding communities. This can be directly attributed to skilled modders who have consistently produced amazing patches that transform every GTA game into something new and exciting.
Unfortunately, the modding scene is not openly accepted by many companies, especially when modders decide to involve any form of monetary transaction.
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, has been very restrictive with mods that have come out of the GTA modding community and have attempted to prevent them from being released.
To shed some more light on the matter, here are some prominent GTA mods that have been shut down by Take-Two Interactive.
Note: This article reflects the writer's subjective opinion.
Here are five of the biggest GTA mods that have been stopped or entirely shut down by Take-Two Interactive
5) Flat2VR
Flat2VR was one of the most recent mods that suffered a DMCA takedown by Take-Two Interactive. It allowed players to play GTA 5 in virtual reality and the majority of the GTA community hoped to try it out.
But in July 2022, Luke Ross, the developer of Flat2VR revealed that they have been hit with a DMCA strike and Take-Two Interactive has barred them from releasing the VR mod for any of their games. The move was heavily criticized by the community.
Luke Ross said that the mod is not built with any software made by Take-Two Interactive and did not provide any clarification as to why the strike occurred. The mod has been taken down.
Ozark Mod Menu
Ozark was a popular paid mod menu used by many GTA 5 players, offering multiple options and features that they could use to manipulate gameplay. Thus, players could become invincible or rich in the game.
But last year, it was taken down by Take-Two Interactive. The creator also provided an official statement explaining the situation to the Ozark Community.
The main reason for the take-down might be due to the rampant use of this mod menu in GTA Online, as mods in the multiplayer mode are strictly not allowed and players caught using them get instantly banned.
3) Vice Cry
Vice Cry was one of the most popular graphic overhaul mods for GTA Vice City. Its core function was to replace any old textures and models with new, high-quality ones.
Unfortunately, even though all of the replacement textures were original, Take-Two Interactive still took down the mod.
Many fans suspect the takedown happened because of the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition release, which provided the community with an official remaster of Grand Theft Auto Vice City.
2) OpenIV's Liberty City
OpenIV are known for building some amazing GTA mods. So, in 2017, when they announced that they were developing a mod that would allow players to visit Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto 5, the entire GTA community was abuzz with excitement.
However, the mod never saw an official release as it was canceled the same year after the developers were hit with a DMCA takedown from Take-Two Interactive.
Although the modders have not provided an extensive explanation of why this happened, they did inform fans that the main reason is that the mod would have imported Grand Theft Auto 4's version of Liberty City to Grand Theft Auto 5, thereby violating Rockstar Games' modding policy.
1) Grand Theft Auto Underground
Grand Theft Auto Underground was one of the most ambitious GTA mods created, aiming to combine the settings from almost all other major 3D universe games into Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.
This meant that players with the mod would be able to visit locations such as Bullworth, Vice City, Carcer City, etc. But this wasn't all, as many features from all the 3D universe games were also adapted and integrated into the mod, creating the ultimate Grand Theft Auto experience.
But like with every other mod on this list, Grand Theft Auto Underground was hit by a DMCA strike from Take-Two Interactive and the modders had to cease its development.