Getting started with mods

Set up GTA V on PC for single-player mods with OpenIV, a mods folder, ScriptHookV and an ASI loader.

Applies to
  • V
Last checked

Mods for GTA V run in single-player only. Set the game up once, and most downloads then install the same way.

What you need

  • A legitimate copy of GTA V on PC, from Steam, the Rockstar Games Launcher or Epic Games.
  • OpenIV, which opens the game's .rpf archives and installs .oiv packages.
  • ScriptHookV, which lets script mods talk to the game. Its download includes an ASI loader, dinput8.dll.
  • A mods folder, which OpenIV makes for you.

Legacy and Enhanced

Rockstar sells two PC editions. GTA V Legacy is the original 2015 game. GTA V Enhanced arrived in 2025 with new graphics. They install to separate folders, and a mod made for one does not always work in the other. Most police mods were built for Legacy, so check what a download says it supports before you install it.

Turn BattlEye off

BattlEye is the game's anti-cheat. While it is on, the game will not load ScriptHookV or any other added file. Open the Rockstar Games Launcher, go to Settings, pick Grand Theft Auto V under your installed games, and turn off the BattlEye option. You cannot enter GTA Online while it is off.

Set up the game

  1. Find your game folder. On Steam it is usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto V\. It is the folder that holds GTA5.exe.
  2. Back up your game files.
  3. Install OpenIV, start it, choose GTA V for Windows and point it at your game folder.
  4. In OpenIV, open the Tools menu and choose ASI Manager. Install ASI Loader and OpenIV.ASI. OpenIV.ASI is what makes the game read your mods folder.
  5. Open the update folder in OpenIV, select update.rpf and use the button that copies it to the mods folder. You now have mods\update\update.rpf.
  6. Open the ScriptHookV download and copy ScriptHookV.dll and dinput8.dll from its bin folder into your game folder, next to GTA5.exe.
  7. Start the game in story mode to check that it still loads.

Where things go

What Where
ASI scripts (.asi) The game folder, next to GTA5.exe
.NET scripts (.dll, .cs) scripts\ in the game folder
Changed game archives mods\, mirroring the path of the original
Add-on packs mods\update\x64\dlcpacks\
LSPDFR plugins plugins\LSPDFR\

Always change the copy of an archive inside mods, never the original. Then removing a mod is a matter of removing files from mods.