If the name OpenIV sounds familiar it is probably because of the controversy that happened a couple of years back with Grand Theft Auto V! This started life out as a way to mod Grand Theft Auto IV and it was very popular. Ignoring the controversy when Take-Two tried to shut this down, OpenIV has been the number one modding tool for Rockstar games for quite some time.
How to Download OpenIV
To download the mod, click on the Download button below this review.
The Program Review
The real reason I want to talk about this today is in regards to modding Grand Theft Auto IV. It took me a while to get into the world of GTA modding not just for IV, but for V as well. However, it was this that got the ball rolling and let me see how easy and how much fun it could be.
Even back during the PlayStation 2 days, Rockstar games always looked fantastic. Yet, with this, you can make games like GTA look even better. There are many different mods out there that can change the look of the game. You can of course just make things look nicer, shinier, and higher resolution.
Yet, the real fun to be had with this is messing around with the crazier mods that radically change the game. I ended up spending hours playing this mod that had SpongeBob and Patrick co-causing mayhem in GTA V! It was absolutely hilarious and probably my favorite mod I have used so far.
I also really like how you can mod in things like cars, characters, weapons, and so on. I just really touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things like this, but I have seen people use some pretty crazy mods online. What always put me off modding games was the thought that I was not tech-savvy enough to do it.
I will say that OpenIV does have a bit of a learning curve and there have been many times when I have found a fun mod and not managed to get it to work. However, there are some great tutorials on their site and some handy YouTube videos that teach you how to use this. It was actually the YouTube videos that made me figure it all out so I recommend that you check those out.
Due to the whole controversy with GTA V, you may be wondering what games exactly support this. Well, I mainly have messed around with GTA V and GTA IV with OpenIV. Back in 2020, they started to work on getting mods for Red Dead Redemption II, on the site it also states that it can work with Max Payne 3, but I have not personally tested that.
If you have watched people playing GTA IV or V with various mods and always thought it looked like fun, OpenIV is for you. This makes modding those games as easy as can be and there are some very interesting, fun, and crazy mods out there. Even if you are new to this kind of thing (like I was) it is worth a try as it really is not that complicated to use.
