Debunked: Rockstar Not Banning Players For Modding GTA V

A couple weeks ago, a rumor broke out that Rockstar would be banning players that mod the PC version of its latest game, GTA V, as stated in an updated EULA. Having looked at the EULA and noticing that it was still dated to October 2013, and the fact that it mentions that some user-created content is allowed, we were skeptical, so we reached out to Rockstar for comment. We never got an answer.

In a Q&A blog post on the Rockstar Social club, however, Rockstar has answered the question we've all been asking: Would Rockstar be banning players that mod the single-player game, but leave the multi-player GTA V Online experience alone? Below is what Rockstar posted:

We have always appreciated the creative efforts of the PC modding community and we still fondly remember the awesome zombie invasion mod and original GTA map mod for GTAIV PC among many other classics. To be clear, the modding policy in our license has not changed and is the same as for GTAIV. Recent updates to GTAV PC had an unintended effect of making unplayable certain single player modifications. This was not intentional, no one has been banned for using single player modifications, and you should not worry about being banned or being relegated to the cheater pool just for using single player PC mods. Our primary focus is on protecting GTA Online against modifications that could give players an unfair advantage, disrupt gameplay, or cause griefing. It also bears mentioning that because game mods are by definition unauthorized, they may be broken by technical updates, cause instability, or affect your game in other unforeseen ways.

Evidently, the rumor broke out because of an update to the game, which broke the single-player game when certain mods were installed, which lead someone to believe that they were banned for installing these mods.

Thankfully, this was all unintentional, and you can continue modding the single-player game without any consequences. Of course, Rockstar will still be taking measures against players that mess with the online experience. But to be fair, that sort of oversight is actually something we want.

If you were scared off from modding GTA V single player due to the rumor, worry no more. Feel free to re-install the car-hijacking pigeons and free-falling whales.

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