Grand Theft Auto V was released exactly a decade ago. While ultra-realistic at the time, even in the 7th console generation, it started to show its age. The cracks are showing in GTA V’s graphical fidelity. While the enhanced editions did bump up resolution, that’s not quite what we were hoping for. But then again, you can check out some decent graphics mods for GTA V
GTA V looks rough around the edges in 2023, even on the best hardware. So, to make the most of your experience, if you’re looking to do another playthrough of the story or single-player mode, let’s check out the 5 best graphics mods for GTA V.
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2K Water
This mod is for those finishing touches after you’re done adding tons of other mods. 2K Water improves the overall water simulation in GTA. Sea water looks incredibly detailed. Pool water moves around just as it does in real life, with water jets going to work.
Sewage water is murky as you would expect. Diving underwater, you’ll notice a sense of realism. Something that you see in documentaries with deeper parts of the sea getting substantially darker.
All in all, if you love heading to the sea and going for a boat ride, this mod is the bee’s knees.
Visual V
There’s something very charming about Visual V. The creator of the mod referenced thousands of pictures of Los Angeles to make for modifications. The changes aren’t drastic. They’re very subtle, to begin with. But you’d be surprised how much of a difference they make side by side.
Changes in lighting and draw distance along with the richer colors are the most notable additions to the mod. Taking in the beauty of Los Santos and the surrounding regions, you really get a feel for its realism. It’s something very subconscious that makes your brain go, oh that looks incredibly real.
GTA Realism
GTA V Realism makes some neat changes to the visual fidelity side of things. There are lots of changes, both big and small. You get better light scattering effects, improved shadows and ambient occlusion on vehicles, and an overall better draw distance.
The Alpha Mapping on foliage and trees has been taken up a notch. And the most notable improvement is how the city comes to life owing to population changes in the bustling parts of Los Santos and Vespucci Beach.
Overall, a lot is going on with this mod that could make for a separate post itself.
GTA Redux
GTA Redux does things differently compared to GTA V Realism. Overall, it looks a whole lot sharper. There’s a standalone weather system that makes for some incredible night rides, especially in the more lighting-intensive parts of Los Santos.
NPC density is a lot greater with NPCs everywhere. I mean everywhere. Head into the surrounding regions of Mount Chiliad to find groups of hikers making their way to the top. AI has been improved and vehicle deformation has been increased along with realistic driving and suspension, improving the overall driving experience.
Euphoria Physics also makes a return, something that we saw back in GTA IV. It was incredibly downplayed in GTA V Vanilla, but it’s a welcome addition, making for some hilarious and ultra-realistic NPC deaths.
Natural Vision
Natural Vision was a long-awaited project that finally made its way to the forefront of GTA V Mods. It’s not like other mods on the list. It’s cutting edge, putting it simply. Screen space ray-tracing makes its way into the mod along with a welcome improvement in global illumination.
All in all, Natural Vision tops the list, but it all comes down to personal preference. One thing to note here is that you’ll need a significantly powerful PC to run this at a decent 30 FPS.
Conclusion
These mods make me excited about what the future holds in terms of GTA Modding. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that they give us a glimpse of what GTA 6 holds for us. But looking at how Red Dead Redemption looks on the PC, they still fall a bit short of the bar that GTA 6 will set. If you’re still waiting for GTA 6, then you could check out these mods for now.