One linear timeline showing GTA modding eras. Helpful reference - links to each era for more in-depth coverage.

1997-2001: GTA 1, GTA 2, top-down era

Limited modding. Cars and textures could be replaced on PC versions. No actual map editing capabilities. The modding community wasn't big.

2001-2005: GTA III, Vice City

The first notable GTA modding community. III and VC were both released for PC within a year of consoles. IMG editors and similar tools emerged. Re-texturing and replacing models became commonplace. Editing the map was still difficult.

2005-2010: San Andreas era

San Andreas custom maps history covers this era in depth. SA-MP is released. Total conversions begin. The scene grows up.

2008-2014: GTA IV era

GTA IV custom maps - smaller scene than SA's was. The RAGE engine arrived. OpenIV was born. ScriptHook got released.

2015-present: GTA V era

GTA 5 custom maps - by far the biggest GTA modding scene. OpenIV got extended. CodeWalker was created. FiveM and RAGE MP changed multiplayer modding. The 2017 Take-Two cease-and-desist was issued, then reversed. Rise of the NoPixel-driven RP scene.

2026 and beyond: GTA 6 era

Still to come. We cover what people are expecting on the GTA 6 PC release piece and the modding tools expectations.