Rockstar Games’ catalogue is pretty awesome, ranging from the gun-slinging cowboys of Red Dead Redemption to the high-stake robberies of GTA V. In short, the studio has been making memorable AAA games for more than a decade now. Heck, GTA V has made more than £1,000,000,000 in revenue so far. Rockstar Games has also reportedly invested more than £1,000,000,000 in GTA 6 to enhance its water physics, lighting effects, and many others.
That said, this article’s purpose is to highlight the best mods for Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V. Some of them improve the visual effects, while others upgrade the weapon mechanics. Overall, they’re necessary quality-of-life features that’ll sweeten the experience for players. Both games are already fantastic, but these mods will take the run to a whole new plateau.
Also Read: How to Take In-Game Screenshots in GTA V?
Top 15 Rockstar Games Mods
Rockstar Games are some of the most moddable games out there. Even among PC games, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2’s missions shine because they’re highly rated games already. Sandboxes, animations, textures, you name it! Everything already looks good. So, with such a good foundation already, you shouldn’t miss out on these mods. You can also check out alternatives to Red Dead Redemption 2 here.
#1: GTA 5 Redux
GTA 5 Redux is a Rockstar Games mod that overhauls the title’s visuals, touching many effects, such as adding 4K textures, lush greenery and flora, better weather, skies, and water physics. Everything seems brighter with the Redux mod, which also includes other features besides making the game more beautiful. It also affects the handling of vehicles, the weapon feel, and the policy bounty system. If you’re playing on a PC and you’ve entertained the thought that this game could look better, then this mod is for you.
#2: GTA V Remastered: Enhanced
This is a Rockstar Games mod that further makes the title more visually appealing by adding photorealistic textures to it. Also, it introduces thousands of props to fill up the huge sandbox so NPCs are more authentic. There are also different versions of this Rockstar Games mod, so choose wisely. Ultimately, your copy of GTA V will resemble the modern era if you use this mod.
#3: The World of Variety Mod for GTA V
World of Variety is a Rockstar Games mod that adds vehicles, gangs, and other assets to the regular GTA V campaign. To be specific, it also introduces the Gangs of Los Santos and Lively Bahama Mamas mods to GTA V. 100 hours into the single-player experience and Los Santos starts boring us, so this is a great mod that adds features from GTA Online to the game.
#4: The Instant Fast Travel Mod for Red Dead Redemption 2
Instant Fast Travel is a Rockstar Games mod that allows players to instantly travel to checkpoints at will. The vanilla fast travel feature in Red Dead Redemption 2 is lame and slow, taking forever to transport Arthur or John to their destinations. We blamed the cutscenes for this but no more! At least, that’s with the Instant Fast Travel mod installed. The only caveat is that Arthur and his horse will lose stamina when using these features. However, the mere fact that players don’t need to set up camp anymore is impressive.
#5: Rob Banks at Will in Red Dead Redemption 2
Normally, it’s impossible to rob banks while freely roaming about the sandbox in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, this Rockstar Games mod lets gamers freely rob any bank of their choice to earn some extra cash. Robbing banks has never been easier. Just walk into a bank, aim your gun at the teller, and they’ll start handing out the cash like you won a lottery. You don’t need to complete missions and side quests before you can earn cash anymore.
#6: Open All Interiors for GTA V
GTA 5’s Los Santos is a detailed and huge sandbox with many skyscrapers and buildings abound. However, the only issue is that you can enter any of these buildings, even though NPCs easily enter them. On the bright side, players can access all these buildings with the GTA V Open All Interiors mod. So, the game is much more immersive and realistic since you’ll finally be able to enter clubs, gyms, and others. On the flip side, the interiors that this Rockstar Games mod opens for you might not be that lively because the developers didn’t code those details.
#7: Photorealistic Reshade in Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is already a beautiful game but this Rockstar Games mod makes it even more gorgeous. It upgrades the game’s graphics, including the textures, colours, shadows, weather, and sharpness. If you’re playing the game at high settings or higher (4K resolution), the differences are too minute, so it’s not worth it. Heck, Red Dead Redemption 2 already runs at 60 FPS. However, for any player who’s enjoying the game at 1080p, it’s the perfect mod for breathing new life into the title.
#8: Crime and Police Rebalance & Enhancement for GTA V
The bounty system in GTA V is broken and overly realistic. You don’t need to do much before the cops are after you; Just knick the painting of a car and you’re done. It’s a realistic depiction of the USA’s policing system, but it’s also unfair. This Rockstar Games mod aims to rebalance that system by adding several features. For one, NPCs now have to report your crime first and even then, you can convince them otherwise.
Also, police chases are more realistic so your cars won’t be filled with bullets right away. Instead, the enemy’s accuracy scales with speed. So, the more you speed, the worse their aim becomes. Likewise, gun silencers have been revamped to be more useful for stealthy approaches. Enemies won’t see you coming if you play this like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
#9: The Hot Air Balloon Mod in Red Dead Redemption 2
Hot Air Balloon is a Rockstar Games mod that lets you wander Red Dead Redemption 2’s sandbox from the skies. The game is already beautiful, especially if you use the Photorealistic Reshade mod. So, having the Hot Air Balloon to explore the wilds of America is a great feat. You’ll also be able to spawn this vehicle anywhere in the game. For one, everyone at Player.com feels this is a great way to escape Pinkertons.
#10: Native Trainer for GTA V
The Native Trainer is a Rockstar Games mod that allows gamers to abuse the source code of GTA V, including reducing gravity. So, a little jump, and you’ve covered many feet, just like you’re on the moon. The mod also allows you to swap out your character models. Become a cat or pick any NPC in the sandbox to cause pure mayhem and terrorise the residents of the game’s towns.
#11: The Ride with Gang Mod for Red Dead Redemption 2
As the name suggests, the Ride with Gang mod allows Arthur to ride with his entire gang. So, bandit camps, banks, heists, and other activities are far easier to clear than they should be. Unfortunately, Micah is part of the gang too and he’ll appear when you call by pressing G on your keyboard. You should expect to see another Arthur Morgan grace the screen.
#12: Ped Damage Overhaul for Red Dead Redemption 2
Ped Damage Overhaul is perfect for adding new animations to Red Dead Redemption 2 that make the experience more realistic. It adds animations to the gunfights that make enemies react to the damage done by bullets, knives, cutlasses, explosives, and more. From screams to frightful cringes, NPCs and players will be blown away by the added details.
Enemies will run with hurt legs; They’ll moan in their pools of blood before passing away, and even stumble away out of fear. It’s a dark, dark mod that evens out the playing field, letting gamers experience true horror. Our favourite feature is that this Rockstar Games mod allows you to kill Micah for the fun of it.
#13: The Red House Mod for GTA V
The Red House mod adds a layer of fun to GTA V that lets players tackle more than 20 new missions for gamers to explore. Sure, they might not be directly from the developers, but they’re handy for those boring moments after completing the campaign. The missions include assassinations, gang clearouts, heists, and many other events that lead to police chases.
#14: Dynamic Seasons Mod for Red Dead Redemption 2
You can use Dynamic Seasons, a Rockstar Games mod that affects the weather system of the entire sandbox, to upgrade the weather system. Usually, snow only falls in the mountains of Red Dead Redemption 2 but this mod lets it snow all over the sandbox. Besides that, the weather system is enhanced for spring, summer, and autumn.
It also upgrades other aspects of the game, such as the temperatures and sunrise/sunset. Each season only lasts for around 10 hours, so you’ll eventually experience them all. Heck, it snows more in the mountains during winter than any other season, which is a great afterthought.
#15: The U.S. Army Appears Once You Reach Five Stars
This Rockstar Games mod is useful because it spawns the U.S. army once you reach five stars, so you’re treated as a threat to the nation. To start it off, you should bomb cars, helicopters, and anything that can explode. Naturally, you’ll need to murder many people to reach five stars so explosions only won’t cut it.
Our Final Say: Try Out the GTA V Mods First
GTA V is a gaming testament that ushered in a new age of interactive experiences. One of its defining features was the single-player experience that allowed gamers to control three different characters. It just worked! The introduction, which was our first bank heist, was memorable too; Especially as players had to betray one of the characters (Trevor) they would control in the future.
Red Dead Redemption 2, on the other hand, is more poetic, requiring players to approach certain topics emotionally. In GTA V, the goal is straightforward; Get more cash. Surprisingly, there are tons of activities to explore for that purpose with the help of these mods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GTA V Free to Download?
No, GTA V isn’t free to download. However, there are many deals out there that include its expansions, side content, costumes, skins, and many more. All you have to do is explore them to find the ones that fit your playstyle. So, paying full price isn’t the worst way to experience the game, especially with the many add-ons that have been released over the years.
Why Is GTA 6 Taking So Long to Develop?
I’m not sure why GTA 6 is taking so long to develop, besides the fact that GTA V was such a huge success. It has big shoes to fill because GTA V has millions of fans worldwide, who are ready to invest in the game. Thankfully, budget isn’t an issue for the developers, since it has been confirmed that Rockstar Games has reportedly invested over £1,000,000,000 in GTA 6.
How Old Is GTA V?
GTA V is more than a decade old, which translates to over 10 years of constant updates, features, events, missions, and other activities. It’s not surprising because GTA V has far crossed the £1,000,000,000 mark, and an insider’s info confirms that it has even passed the £5,000,000,000 mark. So, that’s enough time for creators and modders to release their works. If you check YouTube, there are some GTA V gameplay videos with visuals that beat the GTA 6 leaks.