How to Download & Install GTA 5 Mods in 2023

Hundreds of mods are available for Grand Theft Auto V, including new vehicles, characters, visual overhauls, and new game modes.

In light of the fact that Grand Theft Auto V wasn't designed with modders in mind, the size of the modding community is especially impressive. Mods cannot be created with official tools, nor can they be added to your game with official methods. 

Note: GTA Online mods will not be allowed by Rockstar, but you won't be banned for modding your single-player game. Consequently, if you have mods installed, you should either play offline or ensure that all mods are turned off before playing online. Many of the mods built into the game can be turned off, although not all of them. If you plan to play GTA Online alongside single-player, be careful which mods you install.

Script Hook V

To get most of the current mods to work, you'll need the latest version of Script Hook, created by Alexander Blade. The Script Hook allows you to add hooks to Grand Theft Auto V's singleplayer mode. As most mods are essentially .asi scripts, you are going to need the Script Hook to add them to the game.

Script Hook V is the library that allows to use GTA V script native functions in custom *.asi plugins. Note that it doesn't work in GTA Online. Script Hook disables custom scripts when player goes in multiplayer.

Blade provides the link to download ScriptHook here. Be sure to use the download link at the bottom-right of the table: advertisements on that page also say they are downloads.

Within the zip file, there is a folder named ‘bin' with three files.

• dsound.dll: This is the latest ASI loader, which lets you load libraries with .asi extensions. 
• ScriptHookV.dll: This allows custom scripts to be used in GTA 5.
• NativeTrainer.asi: You do not need this trainer, but you can use it if you wish. It allows for a lot of cheating in single-player, such as changing skins, changing the time of day, teleporting, and invincibility. 

Copy the first two files (dinput8.dll and ScriptHookV.dll) to the directory where GTA5.exe is located. You can also copy the Trainer file if you plan to use it.

Native Trainer Controls 

F4 - activate
NUM2/8/4/6 - navigate through the menus and lists (numlock must be on)
NUM5 - select
NUM0/BACKSPACE/F4 - back
NUM9/3 - use vehicle boost when active
NUM+ - use vehicle rockets when active

You can of course stick with traditional GTA V cheats too.

If you have a Steam installation the GTA V installation folder is:

'Steam\SteamApps\common\Grand Theft Auto V' 

Most script mods you download will have a single .asi file you drop into the GTA V installation folder, though some may have a few extra script files. Before installing any script mods you download, make sure to read their installation instructions.

LUA Plugin

In addition to ScriptHook, some mods require the LUA plugin, which allows modders to write LUA scripts that work in GTA V. Two such examples are the Enhanced Train Driver and Ragdoll on Demand scripts. Here's the Lua Plugin download link.

In the zip file, you'll find:

• A folder called ‘scripts.'
• A file called LUA_SDK.asi.

Put both files in your GTA 5 game directory (‘Steam\SteamApps\common\Grand Theft Auto V.'), the same place where you put ScriptHook. There's a folder called ‘addins' inside the scripts folder. There are already a few .lua files in there, such as an example GUI script. Feel free to delete them all at your leisure.

You'll drop .lua files in the ‘addins' folder so they can be used by mods. You will have to refer to each mod's installation instructions to figure out which files should be dropped in ‘Steam\SteamApps\common\Grand Theft Auto V/scripts/addins'.

Community Script Hook V .NET

Script Hook's .NET version allows users to write scripts in .NET. Some script mods require the Community Script Hook V .NET in addition to Alexander Blade's original Script Hook.

Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 must be installed (Windows 10 users can skip this step).

Install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package for Visual Studio 2019 (x64).

Download and install Scripthook by Alexander Blade (see instructions above).

Download the Community Script Hook here.

Copy the ScriptHookVDotNet.asi, ScriptHookVDotNet2.dll, and ScriptHookVDotNet3.dll into your game directory.

OpenIV

OpenIV was probably the program you used to apply mods to GTA 4. This is a powerful utility that allows for editing and saving of GTA game files, and it is currently being developed for GTA 5.

OpenIV is used differently by different mods, so we can't really give you a general list of instructions: see each mod's page for specific instructions. OpenIV makes actual changes to game files, so we recommend making a backup copy every time you modify a game file.

You can download the latest version of OpenIV from the official site.

Map Editor

Mods that add new areas to the Los Santos map, such as islands and buildings, require the Map Editor. You can also spawn and place objects, navigate with a freecam, and save changes to your own map.

Configuration and Mod Manager

Activation keys and controls are usually unique to each mod. Depending on the mod, some may be customizable, while others may not. Adding a lot of mods will cause you to run out of keybindings and some mods will end up with overlapping keybindings, so avoid keeping mods that you don't plan on using.

Ideally, download a mod-manager to handle this issue. Many mod managing tools are available these days, but arguably the most popular for GTA V is “GTAV Mod Manager.”

Developed by Bilago, this is a comprehensive mod management tool that lets you group all your mods into one place, as well as enable and disable them as you see fit.

It takes some effort to get GTA V Mod Manager up and running. The video guide below will definitely help you despite being rather outdated:

The mod manager's FAQ on GitHub also covers some of the more common errors users encounter.