GTA 5 PC modding guide for beginners: How to install OpenIV, Script Hook V, and more

Unlike the Bethesda games, GTA 5 does not have any third-party convenient mod managers. As a result, players must manually organize and install all of their downloaded mods.

Several prerequisites are also required, and different types of mods necessitate the installation of different applications. This might be quite perplexing for beginners, and some players might also give up on attempting to mod the game.

However, the process is quite simple if they're followed step-by-step. This article may be used to learn some of the basics of modding GTA 5.

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A step-by-step guide for installing GTA 5 mods

Since the game's PC release in 2015, GTA 5 has had an active PC modding community. There are a variety of mods available for the game, starting with the most basic ones like vehicles and weapon mods. These can either be replacements or add-on mods.

Players may also require script mods that change how the game functions, or to add a convenient feature. Then there are mod menus/trainers, which are almost a basic necessity for a modded playthrough. Each type of mod requires a different approach, all of which have been outlined below.

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The pre-requisites

Players must first download and install certain applications before they can download any mods. These are OpenIV and Script Hook V.

Here's how to download and set up OpenIV:

• Players can find OpenIV from its official website. Before installing any mods, the app has to be run after installation.
• Players may then select the main directory of GTA 5 from the OpenIV menu.
• They must then go to Tools > ASI Manager and install all these plugins: ASI Loader, OpenIV.asi, and openCamera (optional).

Here's how to download Script Hook V:

• Script Hook V is a library that allows players to make use of GTA 5 script native functions in custom .ASI plugins.
• Players can download Script Hook V from the the official website of 'dev-c.com.'
• The downloaded files must simply be moved to the base GTA 5 directory.

Once these have been set up, players are free to install and use most of the available GTA 5 mods. The next section of this article deals with the process of installing .NET and .ASI scripts, as well as replacements and add-on mods.

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How to install .NET scripts

Steps:

• Players will require .NET Framework 4.8 or above, as well as the Visual C++ 2019 x64 Redistributable Package, before being able to use .NET scripts.
• The next step is to download the Community Script Hook V. NET application, which can be done from ScriptHookVDotNet v3.4.0 from GitHub. All the downloaded files must be placed in the base directory.
• Finally, players should create a new folder in the main directory named "scripts." They must simply save downloaded .NET scripts in this folder in order for them to operate.

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How to install .ASI scripts

Steps:

• All .ASI scripts for GTA 5 will automatically be supported after installing the ASI Loader plugin from OpenIV.
• These will work simply by moving them to the base directory.

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How to install replacement mods

Steps:

• A new folder called "mods" has to be created in the base directory of GTA 5.
• A series of files must then be created in the "mods" folder that correspond to the sequence of the most recent patchday folder within "update" in the main directory.
• The order should look like this — dlcpacks > (latest patchday folder) > mods > update > x64.
• The dlc.rpf file must be copied from the latest patchday's update folder and placed in the newly created patchday folder made by the mod.

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How to install add-on mods

Steps:

• The above-mentioned directories are still necessary for add-ons. After that, players must first copy and paste the update.rpf file from the main directory's update folder into mods > update.
• A folder with the name of the modified vehicle or weapon will be included with add-on mods. Players must copy that folder and put it in mods > update > x64 > dlcpacks using OpenIV's edit mode.
• Finally, in the update.rpf > common > data > dlclist.xml file, add a line with the name of the mod item.

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Note: Players should always make a backup of their original game files and saves before applying any modifications.