Grand Theft Auto Modding

User modification, or modding of games in the open-world sandbox Grand Theft Auto series is a popular trend in the PC gaming community. These unofficial modifications are made by altering gameplay logic and asset files within a user's game installation, and can drastically change the gameplay experience: from gameplay enhancements and alterations to its mechanics, to replacing the player's character model with a different character model or even something outlandish such as spawning zombies throughout the map.

Background
While mods for Grand Theft Auto have been developed by hobbyists since the release of the first game, it wasn't until the release of the wildly successful Grand Theft Auto III on Microsoft Windows, in May 2002, that mods started to become both more accessible and more popular. The use of a 3D game engine (the first in the series) allowed development of custom vehicles, textures and character models, followed by new missions and map modifications; the success of these new types of mods then started to attract widespread attention.

In most of the games, certain data files were stored in simple archives or in plain text files, allowing modders to edit them using basic tools. However, more complex modifications, such as changes to the gameplay mechanics or the addition of custom models and/or maps were not possible without more advanced tools specific to GTA, along with commercial-grade modelling programs such as SketchUp, 3ds Max, and Zmodeler.

Online Modding
Grand Theft Auto fan communities have been essential to the growth of the modding scene. Modders were able to exchange knowledge and team up in order to create new tools, mods and documentation. GTA communities, Internet forums, and fan sites have also been essential, as they serve as hosts for mods. Besides the video-sharing site YouTube, sites such as GTANet, GTAinside, GTA V Mods and The GTA Place served as platforms for content exchange, and discussion about modding and the Grand Theft Auto in general.

FiveM Modification
FiveM, an alternative multiplayer and role-playing modification for Grand Theft Auto Online, amassed a concurrent player count of 250,000 on Steam in April 2021, surpassing that of the base game. Earlier in February, Grand Theft Auto V became the most-watched category on Twitch due to an update for NoPixel, one of FiveM's largest servers which costs around $10,000 monthly in hosting costs.

Aspects of GTA Modding
When GTA V was released on PC, the question of breakthrough of new mods depended on production of new GTA-specific tools for modification. While GTA IV is one of the games with most fan made mods, GTA V modders had difficulties creating mods until completely new tools were made. One of the most notable tools that initiated significant GTA V modification is OpenIV which provided database manipulation. Many mods had compatibility issues with every new GTA V update patch.

As GTA Online is built as a component of GTA V, it has been a subject of mods which intentionally caused negative effects on players' experiences. Because many mods in the form of in-game cheats were added to GTA Online, Rockstar developed an isolated section where those who used cheats in GTA Online would temporarily be placed. Prior to Grand Theft Auto IV and GTA Online, mods such as San Andreas Multiplayer and Multi Theft Auto were developed and released in lieu of an official multiplayer component for previous titles.