Modding is a common practice in the gaming community. It’s short for ‘modification,’ and as the name implies, it’s when you change an aspect of the game, be it its logic, aesthetic, or features.
Gamers often do it either because they’ve grown tired of the game and want to try out new things or they want to eliminate the need for grinding. Grand Theft Auto 5 is a particularly prevalent target of modders. That’s why there’s already a market of modded GTA 5 accounts on the web.
However, since modifications or mods usually come from third-party tools, it’s often advisable to look at the mods or accounts you want to get. If that’s your intention, then this guide might help.
Read on to learn more about modding GTA 5. Let’s start with an overview of the game first.
What is Grand Theft Auto 5?
Grand Theft Auto 5 is the fifteenth installment of the popular series of triple-A games by Rockstar Games. It came out in September 2013 and has been the latest installment since.
To put it simply, the game follows the story of three protagonists, all of whom live in San Andreas, a fictional state in Southern California. The player controls one of these three protagonists, and their ventures mostly involve attempting to commit illegal acts.
The game promotes freedom among anything else, as it allows players to roam the region freely. Apart from traveling, players can engage in various activities with little restrictions.
GTA 5 is one of the best games on the market, judging from its popularity and ratings alone. However, that’s not to say it’s flawless. Like most games, it also has a bunch of issues, and modding is one of the ways to eliminate or mitigate these in-game problems.
So, what is modding? To answer that question, it’s best to review its different types.
Different types of modding in Grand Theft Auto 5
There are not many differences between modding in GTA V and modding in other games.
The concept behind it is always the same—to modify an aspect of the game to hopefully provide a new and unique experience to the user. Perhaps, the only difference is what ‘aspect’ the mod tries to modify. There are three types of GTA V mods, depending on that specific factor.
Here’s a look at each type:
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Gameplay logic mods
As the name implies, this type of mod alters how certain gameplay logic works in the game.
Some of the most commonly modded gameplay logic include the game’s gravity, non-player character (NPC) interactions, and vehicle physics and interactions. One example of a commonly known mod in the community that changes the gameplay logic is Gang and Turf.
The Gang and Turf Mod makes it so you, the player, can take part in gang wars where you can fight over territories. This feature was originally present in GTA: San Andreas.
The mod brings it back to GTA V to produce more exhilarating gameplay.
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Aesthetic/visuals mods
This type of mod changes the appearance or visuals of certain objects inside the game.
If gameplay logic mods aim to provide more fun or exhilarating gameplay, aesthetic/visual mods aim to change the game’s vibe. You can make it so it becomes goofy or realistic.
For instance, people who take the goofy route would often make their avatars look like characters from cartoons or popular TV series. A popular choice in the community is making one’s character look like a superhero. Similarly, people who prefer the realism route would install mods that further polish the game’s graphics. The Realism Mod is an excellent example of this, as it adds bullet projections, blood effects, and other visual effects.
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Wealth/resource mods
A wealth/resource mod doesn’t change the game’s visuals or gameplay logic. Instead, it gives you as many resources as you want. Money scripts are an example of a resource mod.
The script simply gives you the ability to give yourself money. You type in a number in the tool/script, then click the appropriate button. Upon doing so, the script will attempt to change a specific line of code in your save files, so you get the amount of money you specified.
The main idea behind the mod is to eliminate the need for grinding. With the mod or script, you can easily collect resources that usually take hours to collect if you were to grind for them.
In addition to money, wealth/resource mods can give you ranks, which, like money, is a necessary resource to unlock certain things and progress through the game.
Those are the three main types of mods in GTA V. Though they have several differences, one similarity between them is that they all have different methods to obtain.
Different methods to mod Grand Theft Auto 5
There are generally two main ways to mod Grand Theft Auto 5, and this applies to all three types of mod. Let’s take a look at the first and hardest method out of the two.
Method #1: Install a third-party modding software and mod the game yourself
This is the manual method. It requires a bit of technical knowledge, but that’s not to say it takes an expert to mod GTA V in this way. For this, you’ll need a few things, including:
- A script library like Script Hook V: The library is what provides the game the ability to use scripts or .asi plugins to modify the game. It’s important since most of the mods you’ll find on the web nowadays come as scripts or .asi plugins. Think of mods as products, and the script library is like Amazon in that it’s what allows you to get the mods.
- Other script libraries: Not all mods are compatible with Script Hook. If you want to use more mods, you can install other libraries like LUA Plugin, so you can install mods that are usually not compatible with Script Hook.
- The mods: Of course, you need the actual mods to mod the game. You don’t have to create them yourself. You can find mods on websites like GTA5-Mods.com.
There are many other tools you’ll need, depending on the type of mod you want to install. Additionally, the exact steps of the process will vary according to the mod. Not to mention you may have to adjust your strategy accordingly, depending on the platform you’re using, whether it’s Xbox, PS5, or PC. If that all seems to be too complex, you can opt for the second method instead.
Method #2: Buy a modded account that already has the mod
The second method is a lot easier than the first. It mainly involves buying a GTA V account that already has all the mods you need. These are what the community calls modded accounts.
They’re exactly what the name suggests. A typical GTA V modded account would contain:
- absurd amounts of cash in the bank (at least 100 million)
- hard-to-get clothes, hairstyles, and tattoos
- over 100 levels (to unlock all unlockables)
- 100% on skills (driving, flying, stealth, shooting, etc.)
- gameplay logic mods, aesthetics mods, resource mods, or a combination of the three
You can buy a modded account in several ways. You can buy the account from individuals, though that’s not the safest option since there’s no preventing that individual from backing out of your deal. A much safer option would be to buy the account from professional modding sites.
Sites like Easy Looting have a reputation to uphold, so they’re less likely to not fulfill their end of the deal. Plus, they have measures to ensure the migration of the account to your device goes smoothly. Speaking of which, keep in mind that modded GTA V accounts are compatible with a specific device. That means you cannot use accounts made for PC devices in your Xbox.
Hence, before buying an account, make sure you confirm that it’s suitable for your device. It’s also worth noting that the price of accounts may vary, ranging from USD$20 to USD$200.
Which method is better?
Your choice must depend on whether you want to save money or time. The first option lets you save money but is time-consuming, while the second option saves you time but is quite costly.
Unfortunately, there are instances where you have no choice but to pick a specific option.
If you use a console, for example, installing mods can be challenging and impossible, even if you don’t have the expertise. That’s because modding the game means modding the console itself.
Since it can damage your console permanently, it’s not advisable to do it yourself. Only a select few can do it without damaging the device. In this case, buying an account is the only viable choice unless, of course, you’re willing to spend days learning about the craft.
The bottom line
It doesn’t take an expert to successfully mod Grand Theft Auto 5. You have the GTA V community to thank for that. Because of their efforts, modding has become simpler than it used to be, and it’s not just with GTA V. That also applies to other games, like Minecraft and Warcraft. The only thing you need is a guide to piece all the information about modding GTA V, and hopefully, this article did that perfectly.
