Now Franklin has to eat a small snack or take a quick nap before running around Los Santos.
Realism mods are pretty popular for GTA 5, which isn’t all too surprising – games from the recent decade have all tried to depict some sense of realism in one way or another. It makes sense for fans to want to get a more realistic gaming experience in GTA 5.
While GTA 5’s story mode and gameplay are honestly pretty good, we think all GTA 5 fans will admit that the overall realism of Los Santos life is just a bit lacking. Just look at how NPCs roll over like boneless Ragdolls when you so much as tap them on the shoulder.
Cops don’t even bat an eye when you’ve intentionally run a red light or if you’ve been driving on the wrong side of the road. And we bet you’ve always wondered how Franklin keeps going all day without sleeping or even getting a simple drink?
There’s only so much that Rockstar Games could add to the already very diverse and complex open-world of GTA 5. Now it’s up to modders to add third-party realism content into GTA 5.
#5 VisualV
GTA 5’s environmental and weather effects were pretty groundbreaking back in 2013. However, it falls a bit short in realism and consistency by today’s standards.
VisualV overhauls the entire GTA 5 base game’s weather effects to emulate that of photos and movies of Los Angeles to give the game photorealistic weather and environmental feel.
The mod comes complete with realistic Moon movement, cloud movement/colors, and volumetric fog, among many other changes that help give GTA 5 a more up-to-date weather and environmental effects.
Download: VisualV mod by _CP_ & robi29
#4 Real California Architecture
Let’s face it, Los Santos’ signages and structures look outdated and forgettable.
Fortunately, a mod called Real California Architecture can help overhaul the look of most buildings and structures around Los Santos. The mod adds unique signages and updates the look for certain in-game structures to give it that boost in realism.
#3 Pull Me Over
If GTA 5 was the real world, the LSPD would get so much flak from Los Santos residents for being such a lax police department.
You can get away with just about any road-related violation in Los Santos. Beat a red light? No problem. Made an illegal U-Turn? The cops won’t even bat an eye.
This disconnect in traffic realism might seem like a minor issue for more casual gamers, but those from GTA RP servers will yawn.
The Pull Me Over mod adds patrol cops that will attempt to pull violators over for doing illegal stuff on public roads. They even write a ticket for violations such as:
- Speeding
- Running a red light(!)
- Running a stoplight
- Using a mobile phone
- Drifting
There are a ton of other violations that players can get pulled over for with the Pull Me Over mod, making it a great realism mod to add to your GTA 5 game.
Note: This mod requires patrol cops mod such as Cops: Back on the Beat to work properly.
#2 SoB’s Extreme Difficulty Health Realism
Franklin, Trevor, and Michael are Los Santos’ version of the Terminator – ruthless crime machines who chuckle at the sight of the grim reaper himself.
These boys probably got a good dose of Captain America’s super-soldier serum seeing how they can “do this all day” in Los Santos.
And while it’s great to have a good deal of extra durability in video games, these three take it to ridiculous levels.
Bring back Franklin, Trevor, and Michael to mortal levels of durability with SoB’s Extreme Difficulty Health Realism mod, which introduces an injury system with progressive injuries depending on the weapon used to inflict damage to the character.
When any of the three characters are injured, their gait/running speed will be severely affected. Injuries also introduce a disorientation factor as well.
#1 Human Needs
The Sims fans will rejoice – the Human Needs mod gives players the ability to feed and indulge in various types of food in GTA 5.
However, there is a slight catch: Franklin, Trevor, and Michael now have to be constantly topped up with food and rest to keep their stats from plummeting down to dangerous levels.
Fortunately, the mod also adds the necessary shops and resources so the boys can get the nourishment they need to keep going all day long.
Just don’t let Franklin have his way with the booze. Please?
Life-like Los Santos
The ones above are just some of our best picks for must-have mods to improve the realism around Los Santos.
All five mods combined will give Los Santos a more life-like feel. So remember to keep the boys fed and rested so they can complete heists with little problems. And don’t forget to follow traffic rules, so you don’t get a ticket.
