Best GTA 5 mods: transform Grand Theft Auto V

Now has never been a better time to install the best GTA 5 mods. Despite being seven years old, GTA 5 remains one of the most popular games ever – it was recently announced it has now sold over 130 million copies.

An influx of new and returning players is also expected after the Epic Games Store gave away GTA 5 on PC for free. And while that offer has now expired, you can still pick it up cheap – and if you’re one of the few people yet to play it, then you definitely should. There’s a reason why it’s still considered one of the best PC games ever made.

But what about the best GTA 5 mods? These are free modifications made by a passionate community, and GTA 5 mods not only give the game an overhaul when it comes to visuals (and makes it look like a modern game), but it can add extra gameplay features – and even turn GTA 5 into a completely new game.

Over the past seven years, GTA 5 has built up a huge library of mods, so it can be difficult to find the best Grand Theft Auto V mods that are worth installing. While many GTA 5 mods are excellent, there are also a huge amount which, sadly, aren’t very good at all.

So, to make things as easy as possible, we’ve highlighted the very best GTA 5 mods that you can install in 2020. We’ve also included a guide on how to install GTA 5 mods on PC.

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How to install GTA 5 mods

The best GTA 5 mods can breathe new life into Grand Theft Auto V, but you need to do a couple of things before you begin tweaking the game. Follow these steps, and you’ll be playing the best GTA 5 mods in no time.

1. Download and install Script Hook V for GTA 5

The first tool you need is Script Hook V. Download the .zip file, then open it up and copy the ScriptHookV.dll file to the main GTA V folder where GTA5.exe is. For people using Steam, this is found in \SteamApps\common\Grand Theft Auto V\ on the drive where you installed GTA 5.

Also copy over dsound.dll and NativeTrainer.asi to the same folder.

2. Install GTAV LUA Plugin

Some mods also require the GTAV LUA Plugin. Download and open the .zip file, then move LUA.asi into the same folder at GTA5.exe (as in step 1).

3. Install GTA 5 mods

With those two tools you should be able to download and run any GTA 5 mod. Different mods have different instructions, so read them carefully when you download them. Most should simply need copying over to the main GTA 5 folder.

However, when you download a mod that requires the LUA Plugin, make sure you copy the LUA file that comes with the mod into the ‘addins’ folder, which itself can be found in the ‘scripts’ folder of GTA 5.

Now you should be ready to install and play the best GTA 5 mods.

1. GTA V Redux

GTA V Redux is our pick of the best GTA 5 mod of all time. It brings a huge graphical overhaul to GTA 5, with 4K textures, new weather effects, and much more. After seven years GTA 5 isn’t looking as cutting-edge as it once was, but GTA V Redux makes it look as good as any modern game.

Not only does it bring graphical improvements, but also makes vehicles handle better, fixes the police system so it’s more fair and improves NPC behaviour, so people in Los Santos act more believably.

2. Open All Interiors

The world of GTA 5 is large and wonderfully realized, but there are many buildings that you can't access. There are certainly fewer buildings you can enter than previous games, it feels. However, the Open All Interiors mod for GTA 5 changes all of that, by allowing you to enter a large number of previously inaccessible buildings.

Not only does this make an already large map even larger, but it helps make the world of GTA 5 even more immersive and realistic.

3. Complex Control

If you want a GTA 5 mod that essentially changes every aspect of the game, then Complex Control is the mod for you. It brings battle royale mechanics, popularized in games like PUBG and Fortnite to GTA 5, as well as over 100 unique character skins, new abilities and a lot more.

Complex Control is a perfect example of how ambitious the best GTA 5 mods can be.

4. Gang and Turf

GTA 5 is the spiritual successor of the PlayStation 2’s GTA: San Andreas, being both set in the fictional state of San Andreas. However, while GTA 5 improves on a lot of the PS2 game, there are some noticeable absences, such as the fun gang warfare feature.

If you were gutted that GTA 5 didn’t include that, then you can relive it with the Gang and Turf mod.

5. Funny Vehicles Pack

Fill GTA 5 with ridiculous – and famous – vehicles with the Funny Vehicles PacK #1 and Funny Vehicles Pack #2. With these mods installed, you can ride around in cars such as The Poolmobile, which features a tiny swimming pool, BBQ and sunbathers, as well as iconic vehicles like the motor home from Breaking Bad.

6. Gravity Gun

Bring a touch of Half Life 2-inspired chaos to GTA 5 with the Gravity Gun script. Simply equip the gun like you would with any other weapon in GTA 5, then hold down E on the keyboard to pick up basically anything in the world, including cars, pedestrians and animals, then fire them off into the distance. Ridiculously fun.

7. NaturalVision Evolved

NaturalVision Evolved is a highly ambitious GTA 5 mod that aims to take the graphics of Grand Theft Auto V to a whole new level. While there are plenty of great visual mods for GTA 5 out there, NaturalVision Evolved goes even further, and gives us a hint of what GTA 6 could look like in the future.

Unlike other mods on this list, NaturalVision Evolved is a work in progress, and you need to pay for early access. Usually this would be a bit of a red flag, but it does seem like this is a truly ambitious mod. Plus, you can try a (very) early version of it for free.

8. GTA Iron Man Armour

Put a bit of the MCU in GTA with the GTA Iron Man Armour mod, which lets you suit up and blast around San Andreas. Not only does it let you take to the skies, but it’s also a brutal weapon as well, and allows you to dish out justice using rockets and repulsor blasters.

9. Crime and Police Rebalance & Enhancement

One of the biggest complaints about GTA 5 is the rather overzealous police department, which will swarm you with cops no matter how minor your offence is – even if there doesn’t seem to be any witnesses.

As the game is all about you being a criminal, brushes with the law are a big part of the GTA 5 experience, so if you want the cops to behave more realistically (and fairly), then make sure you install the Crime and Police Rebalance & Enhancement – it will make the game far more enjoyable.

10. Vice Cry:Remastered

GTA: Vice City is one of the most fondly-remembered Grand Theft Auto games, and the Vice Cry:Remastered brings the PS2 classic to modern PCs. The full game is included, all rendered in GTA 5’s engine.

If you can’t get enough of GTA, then this mod brings you one of the best entries in the series with updated visuals. It’s an amazing feat.

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