Installing an OIV package with OpenIV

Install a .oiv package into your mods folder with OpenIV's Package Installer, and check that it worked.

Applies to
  • V
Last checked

An .oiv file is an installer that OpenIV runs. It holds the mod's files and a list of instructions saying where each one goes, so you don't place anything by hand.

Before you install

  • Set up OpenIV, ASI Loader and OpenIV.ASI as described in Getting started with mods.
  • Close the game.
  • Read the mod's readme. Some packages need another mod installed first, or only support one edition of the game.

If the download is a .zip or .rar, extract it first. The .oiv file is inside.

Install the package

  1. Open OpenIV and choose GTA V for Windows.
  2. Open the Tools menu and choose Package Installer.
  3. Pick the .oiv file.
  4. Read the summary OpenIV shows: the mod's name, author, version and description.
  5. Click Install.
  6. When OpenIV asks where to install, choose the mods folder.
  7. Wait for the message that says the installation finished, then close it.

When you choose the mods folder, OpenIV copies each archive the package needs into mods first, then changes the copy. Your original files stay as they were.

Check that it worked

Start the game in story mode and look for what the mod adds. For a vehicle, spawn it with a trainer by the model name given in the readme. For a replace vehicle, find the car it replaces in the world.

If the game no longer starts, see The game crashes on startup.

When the installer reports an error

  • A file or archive was not found. The package expects an archive your game doesn't have. It may be written for the other edition of the game, or for an older game version.
  • Access is denied. The game or another program has the archive open. Close the game and try again. If the game sits under Program Files, start OpenIV as an administrator.
  • The installation stops part way. Some files may have been changed and others not. Restore the affected archives in mods from your backup, or delete them and copy fresh ones from the game folder, then install again.

Packages that ship loose files too

Some downloads hold an .oiv and a folder of extra files, such as a script or an .ini. The .oiv does not install those. Follow the readme for where they go. ASI files go in the game folder next to GTA5.exe, and .NET scripts go in scripts\.

Removing an OIV mod

OpenIV does not keep a record of what a package changed. See Uninstalling mods cleanly for the ways to take one out.