Grand Theft Auto 5 modding project wants to make Los Santos like real life

Screen Shot 2015-12-01 at 9.53.15 am

The GTA 5 modding scene has come leaps and bounds since the days when a jetpack on a car was impressive, but a new project aiming to create "the most realistic, stunning and immersive Grand Theft Auto experience to date" might be the biggest yet. Dubbed The Pinnacle of V, the mod offers a substantial graphics overhaul, but it also shakes up the game's shooting, driving and relationship mechanics.

A few highlights on the features list include reworked handling for every single vehicle in the game. It's not just the way they handle though: they'll crumple more realistically too, with top speeds, weight, crash physics and avoidance control more in-keeping with how vehicles move in real life.

Meanwhile, relationships between all NPCs in Los Santos are a bit more... heated. "This creates a much more lively environment, seeing gangs and police battle it out on the streets, and allowing the player to enjoy their encounters with animals to a higher degree." I don't know what that means, honestly.

Some of the changes are more subtle, for instance traffic and pedestian behaviors. They'll appear more densely during peak hours, and DLC vehicles will now appear throughout the main game.

There's a tonne of other gameplay updates – including destructible environments – but the graphics overhaul is most impressive, though likely to put a strain on most people's rigs. The full list of tweaks is over here, but check out the video below for a taste of how it looks. Best of all you can download the mods right now.

Cheers, PCGamesN.

Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

Latest in Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer still - woman in the front seat of a car, looking out the back window while holding a wad of cash
The specter of a GTA 6 delay haunts the games industry: 'Some companies are going to tank' if they guess wrong, says analyst
A man holding a gun drives a boat as money flies out the back in GTA Online
Rockstar hornswoggles lapsed GTAO players with $3 million welcome-back offer that actually requires you to spend money to get most of it
GTA 5 characters
GTA 5 publisher takes legal aim at account-selling site for allegedly raking in 'millions in revenue', while recruiting hackers to keep its cogs turning
GTA 5 Enhanced
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced is a bitter-sweet return to Rockstar's money-making machine
Grand Theft Auto 5
How to transfer your GTA 5 save file to GTA 5 Enhanced and accept Rockstar's Online Policies if needed
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced screen - Trevor setting fire to somebody's big dumb truck
Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced launch is going poorly or well depending on how you look at it: It's got a 'mixed' rating on Steam and is one of the most-played games
Latest in News
Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer still - woman in the front seat of a car, looking out the back window while holding a wad of cash
The specter of a GTA 6 delay haunts the games industry: 'Some companies are going to tank' if they guess wrong, says analyst
Image for
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide’s getting a new roguelite wave defense mode that sounds a whole lot like a souped-up take on Killing Floor
Battle Brothers
Nearly 2 years after its last update, the excellent Battle Brothers gets 'a bucket load of fixes' and free new content
Western outlaws with masks and guns
'Players don't explore': former Grand Theft Auto 6 and Red Dead Online designer lays out the perils of 'open world fatigue'
Person battling bizarre four-eyed monster with stylish UI elements surrounding them
Persona and Metaphor: ReFantazio's UI designer is open to accessibility options for players who find the stylish menus overstimulating: 'That is something we understand we'll need to work on and provide in the future'
Split Fiction screenshot
Split Fiction is reportedly at the center of a bidding war for its movie rights