Have you ever felt like Grand Theft Auto V is just a bit too silly for your tastes? Would you prefer it to be less like Saints' Row and more like Heat? Then buckle up. In this list, we're going to show you some great mods to make GTA V far more realistic.
Whether you want to improve the appearance of the cars on the roads, make the world more immersive, or raise the intensity of the fights, you'll find the GTA V realism mods you need here. Sadly, these are only available for the PC version, but if that's what you've got, then dig in, and enjoy a fresh experience in San Andreas!
Updated on June 28, 2021 by Michael Christopher: Even though it released in 2013, GTA V has stuck around, and is still just as present in the gaming world's collective consciousness. We've revisited this list and updated it to keep it current, and we've added a few more mods to really give you that realistic experience.
15 Simple Parkour
Ever wanted to take your gameplay to the next level (literally)? Consider getting into some parkour. With the aptly titled Simple Parkour Mod, you can now climb walls, hop across buildings, and just unglue yourself from the ground level without the need for some aircraft.
Now, you can bring yourself to new heights and explore new places, just with a bit of climbing, running, and jumping.
14 World of Variety
It's hard to summarize everything this mod contains — it truly has a bit of seemingly everything. Some of the most interesting features of the World of Variety mod are a ton of new vehicles (including those from DLC packs and multiplayer), pedestrian overhauls, new interior locations, additional scenarios, and just an overall refresh of the world to make it a bit more appealing to long-time players.
The creator has made sure to keep the features of this mod lore-friendly so it feels like an expanded world rather than cutting and pasting assets in, so it will feel more immersive.
13 Animals Won't Call Cops
This is one of the most simple mods, but also one of the most useful. For some strange reason, wildlife can "see" you committing crimes and call the cops, just like in Skyrim. This mod simply fixes that, making it so GTA V animals cannot report you to the authorities if they're nearby when you do something bad.
That's really all there is to it! Other people can still report you, but in-game animals cannot, making it much more realistic of a world.
12 Fishing
11 Do you live the fast-paced action and city life of GTA V, but also enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Animal Crossing? Never fear, because you can now combine them with this mod.
Well, to an extent. With the Fishing mod by libertylocked, you can grab a fishing rod and live out your angler fantasy in San Andreas. You can fish from the Del Perro Pier or boats, with 23 total fish types and 45 other items to find. You can even sell your catches for a bit of extra cash.
10 Realism Dispatch Enhanced
The cops in GTA seem a little bit broken. Get into a tank and you're basically unstoppable. Well, not anymore!
The Realism Team's mod adds a whole host of new law enforcement agencies, ranging from the local to the federal level. They will appear on the scene in realistic vehicles before attacking you with everything they've got. If you're in a tank or a fighter plane, you're going to have the very same vehicles appear on your tail.
The mod also includes a selection of other mods all compiled into a package, including the Better Chases and Arrest Warrant mod.
9 SoB's Extreme Difficulty Health Realism
The protagonists in GTA V are basically unstoppable terminators. They will take a ridiculous amount of bullets, punches, and who knows what else. If you're sick of a superhuman Trevor and want the game to be a touch harder, check out SoB's mod. If you get hit too hard, you will get concussed. Get an injury to a limb, and Trevor, Michael, or Franklin, will start limping.
It also aims to make the protection offered by body armor far more realistic. As the developer says it is now "better than nothing, but doesn't amount to too much."
8 The Human Needs Mod
The stats system of San Andreas was quite divisive. If you combined that with The Sims' needs, you'd get marcs742's mod. The trio of protagonists will need to stay fed, rested, and enjoying life with it installed.
While these aren't essential, negative effects will start emerging if you neglect one of them for too long, including loss of health and a decline in their special abilities. It also adds new shops and an inventory system for each character, so supplies are never too far removed.
7 Fill 'Er Up In The Fuel Script Mod
Ever wanted GTA V to be more like Euro Truck Simulator? A weird question, but it's something that some players really do want. In this add-on, cars are no longer driven by some future fusion technology. Instead, they require old-fashioned gasoline to keep going.
A fuel bar is added above the minimap, and if you don't stop at a gas station and run out in the middle of the desert, you're walking, buddy. That is, unless you steal another car, like the miscreant you are in this game. Sakis25's Fuel Script mod is a nice touch to an already quite expansive experience.
6 Realistic Driving V
Doing exactly what it says on the tin, Killatomate's Realistic Driving V aims to improve the driving, making it far more of a physical and frantic experience. The physics of the cars have been tweaked to better reflect their real-world counterparts, off-road driving has been improved, and automatic brakes have been turned off on every vehicle.
This doesn't just apply to the player, either. The AI no longer drives like it's on a track, instead, it has to deal with the same problems as the player, leading to better chases and dramatic flights from the law.
5 GTA V Redux
If you want GTA V but more, then you'll love GTA V Redux. The mod adds new weather, redesigned shaders, all-new textures that you'll need a monster graphics card to load, brand new debris systems, updated handling, new AI capabilities for the cops, improved weapons range, increased map population, new ragdoll physics, and improved player motion.
Redux is a frankly barmy project that it's shocking to see ever got off the ground, let alone released. However, if you have a PC that can run it at its prettiest settings, you are in for one of the best-looking game worlds ever.
4 Visual Mods (NaturalVision, Zyko's Realistic Visuals, and More)
While the hyperrealism of Redux is all well and good, if you want it to just look real, with no extra polish, then grab one of the many fantastic visual overhaul mods. Some of the more popular include NaturalVision, Zyko's Realistic Visuals, and many more.
Many of these mods update light refraction, textures, natural landscapes, and more. Some of these mods offer some stuff that others don't, so you might need to try a couple out to see what you prefer. But, you can't really go wrong with some more realistic textures, no matter where they come from.
3 Gang And Turf Adds True Warfare
All too often, the gangs in GTA V do absolutely nothing if you encroach on their turf. They might take a few potshots, but that's about it.
Lucasvinbr's mod adds gang warfare to the streets of Los Santos, essentially adding San Andreas' turf war mechanic. You can create your own gang with a look and name of your choice, and set out to conquer the streets of San Andreas. It's very cool and compliments Rockstar's world perfectly. Honestly, this should have been a part of the campaign from the start.
2 Better Weapon Ragdoll
Don't want the protagonists' weapons to be essentially superglued to their hands? This cool little mod solves that issue. Cloud_Power's Better Weapon Ragdoll delivers exactly what is advertised by the name.
When it's installed, if you take a knock, are hit by a car, or what have you, there's a chance that your weapon will slide out of your hands. It could even end up sitting on the roof of a car speeding away from you, leaving you defenseless until you chase it down.
1 The Army Spawns At Five Stars
Whether this is truly realistic is somewhat debatable, but it sure is fun. In older GTA games, once you got to five stars, the army was brought in to deal with you.
Nowadays, it's just the feds who get sent after you. That's no fun, is it? If you prefer battling it out with the National Guard instead of some men in black, then grab this mod. As the name says, it restores the old system into GTA V, making the game far more challenging.