Packaging a mod for upload

Put your mod in one archive the site accepts, lay it out so people can install it, and leave out what gets a file refused.

Applies to
  • V
  • Multiplayer
  • Legacy
Last checked

A mod goes up as one archive: a .zip, .oiv, .rar or .7z, with no password. A mod that is a single file still has to be zipped. Start at Upload once the archive opens cleanly on your own machine.

The limits

Item Limit
Formats .zip, .oiv, .rar, .7z
File size 2 GB a file, or 10 GB for verified creators
Files in a version One main file and up to 9 extras
Uploads a day 20 files and 20 GB, or 50 files and 100 GB for verified creators
Drafts A draft nobody touches for 7 days is deleted

The main file is what the Download button serves. Extras are for variants of the same mod, such as an ELS and a non-ELS build, or a FiveM-ready copy. Give each extra a short label, up to 40 characters, so people know which one to pick.

Lay the archive out the way it installs

Someone opening your archive should see where each file goes without guessing.

  • Put a readme at the top level. See What belongs in the archive's readme.
  • Mirror the game's own folders where you can, so files can be dragged into place.
  • Keep optional parts in clearly named folders, such as Optional - 4K textures.
  • One mod per archive. Don't bundle other people's mods as a convenience.

For a GTA V add-on vehicle, that might look like this:

LSPD Explorer 1.2.0/
  README.txt
  dlcpacks/
    lspdexplorer/
      dlc.rpf
  Optional - 4K textures/
    lspdexplorer.ytd

For FiveM, ship the resource folder as it sits in resources, with its fxmanifest.lua at the top of that folder.

What not to include

  • A password. Password-protected archives can't be checked, so the file is refused. Upload it again without one.
  • Installers you don't need. GTA V mods ship .asi and .dll plugins as a matter of course, and that's fine. An .exe or .msi installer is allowed only when the mod can't work without one.
  • Archives inside archives. A reviewer has to open everything, and a deeply nested or very heavily compressed archive may not be checkable by the scanner at all, which sends it to a moderator to check by hand.
  • Other people's work without permission. See Credits and permissions.
  • Leaked or paid assets. These are never allowed.
  • Your own game files, saves or backups. Ship only what the mod adds or changes.

What happens to the file

Every file is fingerprinted and checked before the mod can be submitted. The Files step shows where each one stands, and you can't submit while a file is still uploading or checking. A file that is refused has to be removed before you submit.

A file that exactly matches one removed from GTAPoliceMods before is refused with a message saying so.