Rockstar Mod Rules: What’s Allowed & Banned

TL;DR: On September 10, 2026, Rockstar published mod rules that cover GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 6. Free mods are fine. Story rewrites, crossovers between Rockstar games, unofficial ports and selling mods outside Rockstar's own Creator Platform are not. Multiplayer mods have to go through that platform too.

Rockstar put these out about two months before GTA 6 launches, so it's pretty clear they're thinking about what modders will do with it. The rules come in four sections. Below we go through each one and what it means if you make mods.

Our summary leans on reporting from Game Developer, Game Rant and MP1st. The full text is on Rockstar's site, so if you're making something borderline, read it there too.

The short list

OK	Not OK
Free mods	Selling mods anywhere except Rockstar's Creator Platform
Single-player changes to scripts, maps, vehicles, weapons, clothing and NPCs	Rewriting or adding to Rockstar's official story, missions and characters
Multiplayer mods made through the Creator Platform	Multiplayer mods anywhere else (unless Rockstar says otherwise)
Making money through the Creator Platform	Bringing maps, characters or assets from one Rockstar game into another
Your own original stuff, or stuff you have permission to use	Porting the game to consoles or platforms it wasn't released on
	Other companies' brands, music, art or real places without permission
	Reusing or editing Rockstar's voice acting
	Real people's voice, face or likeness without written permission
	Cheat menus that mess with online play
	Gambling, loot boxes, gacha, crypto and NFTs

What does Rockstar count as a mod?

Pretty much anything. Rockstar's definition covers changes to scripts or code, and tweaks to maps, vehicles, weapons, clothing or NPC behaviour (Game Rant). Car packs, graphics mods, scripts, map edits: all of it falls under these rules.

1. Respect Rockstar's games

This part is about keeping Rockstar's worlds and stories the way they made them.

Leave the story alone. You can't expand or change the official storylines, missions or characters. Rockstar calls this its "established continuity" (Game Developer).
No crossovers. You can't bring maps, characters, stories or assets from one Rockstar game into another. Liberty City in GTA 6 or Arthur Morgan in Vice City are both out.
Multiplayer goes through the Creator Platform. That's Rockstar's official, licensed platform. Unless Rockstar says otherwise, multiplayer mods made anywhere else aren't allowed.
No unofficial ports. You can't change Rockstar's games to run on consoles, devices or platforms they weren't released on (MP1st).

For GTA 6, that last one matters right now. The game is console-only at launch, so any "GTA 6 on PC" port someone hacks together from the console version breaks the rules. The same goes for projects that rebuild the GTA 6 map inside GTA V.

2. Don't use other people's stuff

No cheat menus that interfere with Rockstar's online modes or services.
Don't use Rockstar's name or logos in a way that makes it look like they endorse your mod.
Don't use other companies' art, music, brands or real locations without permission.
"Do not modify or reuse voiceover performances from any game released by Rockstar Games."
"Do not use any real-world person's voice, image, or likeness without written permission."

(Quotes via Game Developer.)

This is the one that will hit the most existing mods. Real car brands, copyrighted music packs and celebrity face swaps are all very common in GTA V modding. AI voice mods that copy the game's actors are explicitly banned too.

3. Don't harm other players

Mods have to follow Rockstar's User Rules and Community Guidelines. Rockstar specifically calls out:

pornography
anything that supports violent extremism
promoting self-harm
anything that puts minors at risk
threatening or harassing other players
conflict roleplay or military simulations based on real-world armed groups

(Game Rant, MP1st)

Most of this is what you'd expect. The last point is the surprise, and roleplay server owners should read it closely.

4. Don't cash in the wrong way

Selling mods: only through Rockstar's Creator Platform or other stores Rockstar approves. Anywhere else, your mods have to be free.
No gambling mechanics: no real-money gambling, loot boxes or gacha.
No selling in-game money for real money.
No crypto or NFTs.
No ads or sponsored content inside mods.

(Game Developer, Game Rant, MP1st)

So paywalled mods, paid "early access" builds and mods you can only get through a paid subscription are off the table. Tips and donations aren't really addressed either way, so if you rely on those, read the official page carefully.

Are these rules actually legally binding?

Not exactly. The guidelines tell you what Rockstar will put up with, but they're not a licence. The binding stuff is in Rockstar's Terms of Service and, for the Creator Platform, the Creator Platform License Agreement (MP1st).

That's how Rockstar has always handled PC mods. Since 2017 its support site has said Take-Two "generally will not take legal action against third-party projects involving Rockstar's PC games that are single-player, non-commercial, and respect the intellectual property (IP) rights of third parties" (Rockstar Support). "Generally" is doing a lot of work there. It means they usually won't come after you, not that you have permission.

What's the Creator Platform?

It's Rockstar's licensed platform for multiplayer mods, and the only place Rockstar lets you make money from mods. Its licence agreement is hosted on the FiveM website (fivem.net/terms), which makes sense: Rockstar bought Cfx.re, the team behind FiveM and RedM, in August 2023 (VGC).

How it'll work with GTA 6 hasn't been announced yet.

And on mods.vc?

Every file uploaded here is scanned for viruses before anyone can download it. Our content policy (linked in the footer) already bans online cheats, piracy and content ported from other games without the rights to do so. So there's quite a bit of overlap with Rockstar's rules.

FAQ

Do these rules apply to GTA 6?

Yes. GTA 6 is named in them, alongside GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Are GTA 6 mods legal?

Free single-player mods that stick to these rules should be fine, the same way GTA V mods have been on PC. Just remember the guidelines aren't a licence, so Rockstar and Take-Two can still act if they want to.

Can I sell GTA 6 mods or put them on Patreon?

Only through Rockstar's Creator Platform or a store Rockstar approves. Otherwise, they have to be free.

Can I make a GTA 6 FiveM or roleplay server?

Multiplayer mods have to go through Rockstar's Creator Platform. Rockstar hasn't said how that'll work for GTA 6 yet.

Can I bring Liberty City or other old maps into GTA 6?

No. Moving maps, characters or assets between Rockstar games is banned.

Rockstar’s Mod Rules Explained: What’s Allowed and What’s Banned