Rockstar Games recently published new mod guidelines to let gamers know exactly what they can (and mostly cannot) do with mods for titles such as Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and other Rockstar IPs. Of course, these are also in effect for the upcoming GTA 6, and fans of the franchise are already freaking out a little over just how strict these rules are.

“Rockstar just killed the modding scene before it releases,” says one commenter on social media. Within the guidelines, the developer makes it clear that multiplayer modding (which has been a massive success in GTA Online) is now limited to those officially licensed by Rockstar Games. This includes popular modification frameworks such as FiveM for PC gamers in GTA 5.

Rockstar will be stricter with GTA 6 mods

The new guidelines state that content from a Rockstar game must not be reused in another title, content related to official stories or characters must be left unchanged, and you must not recreate real-life locations or the likeness/voice of real people in mods moving forward. Any other protected IP is also off limits, and (as you’d expect), cheats are banned in multiplayer. Here’s just a snippet:

• Do not expand or modify Rockstar Games’ official storylines, plots, missions, characters, or other elements of our established continuity.
• Do not make mods that combine maps, locations, characters, storylines, in-game assets, or other IP from one Rockstar Games title into another title.
• Multiplayer modding is limited to Rockstar Games’ official licensed Creator Platform or else as otherwise licensed directly by Rockstar Games.
• Do not modify our games to operate on consoles, hardware devices, or other platforms where they have not been officially released by Rockstar Games.

Source: Rockstar Games

Grand Theft Auto 5 has a ton of fan-made mods to explore and still enjoys an active modding community, and while they work just fine offline, utilizing mods for the multiplayer GTA Online is a different story – and a bannable offense. But that doesn’t stop custom servers from existing. The developers of FiveM and RedM, Cfx.re, were acquired by Rockstar in 2023.

The mod guidelines update comes shortly after the release of nopixel V into closed beta on September 8 (providing access to around 450 content creators and players). The popular ‘nopixel’ modded multiplayer servers previously required FiveM, but the latest 5.0 version is now built as an official partnership with Rockstar Games, so it runs directly through the Rockstar Games Launcher. It seems this is exactly how Rockstar wants any mods to operate moving forward as it heads to the Grand Theft Auto VI generation.

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Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.