GTA 5 is an extremely popular game and it’s almost 8 years old by the time of writing this article. In order to maximize your enjoyment out of this game, you need to have a proper graphics mod installed. In this article, we’ll review the best GTA 5 graphics mod in 2021.
Table of Contents
What is a Graphic mod and do why you need it ?
As we have explained before, modding is when you add an extra element to your game to alter its look or add some functionality or even create new levels, etc. With a graphic mod, you can change the appearance of your game completely to the point that it’s not recognizable from the original game.
It is more common to see graphic mods for games that are somewhat aging or really popular. In the case of GTA, it’s both.
Grand theft auto 5 is an extremely popular game that has been released more than 7 years ago. Although the game-play is still really fun and engaging, the graphics are showing the true age of the game. And you have to consider that this game was originally released for the ps3 and XBOX 360 and then was ported to the PC.
So in order to maximize your enjoyment, you need to find a good graphics mod.
Best GTA 5 Graphics mod in 2021
GTA 5 still has a huge active player base and So there have been many efforts to make the graphics of this game on par with its amazing gameplay.
For the rest of this article, we take a look at some of the graphic mods that are still getting maintained and updated. It is important for a mod creator to listen to the users and add new features.
Unfortunately, some of the popular graphic mods such as VisualV and Redux who made tremendous efforts in making the GTA 5 into a more beautiful game, haven’t been updated in a while so we are only focusing on mods who are still getting regular updates and are still in touch with the community.
Thankfully since the introduction of platforms such as Patreon, individuals can make enough money in return for what they put into GTA. So if you are deciding to upgrade the appearance of your game, first read this article which hopefully will be helpful to you, then visit their Patreon and do not use a leaked version.
The list below is not arranged in a specific order.
Natural Vision Evolved
Definitely, one of the most famous mods ever released for GTA 5. Razed (Natural Vision’s creator) first started his activity with a free mod called Natural Vision Remastered.
After a couple of years and accumulating a decent fan base he started working on a massive project called Natural Vision Evolved.
The lunch trailer was a truly professional job and helped the mod gaining massive popularity really fast. Right now with more than 10k Patreon supporters, it’s considered one of the best graphics mods for GTA 5.
NVE still gets maintained by the creator and innovative features get added to it regularly. Some newly added features such as dynamic and animated lights around the city, make this mod stand out from the competition.
In the latest NVE update, some small details like animal textures have been redesigned! You can’t find any other mod with this amount of attention to the details. The one particular thing that NVE really shines at is the Night-time atmosphere and especially its unique lighting effects.
Although, the Daytime’s color theme gets a bit too warm for my taste. That’s something you have to decide based on the videos and screenshots available from this mod.
Another area that this mod has improved considerably is the puddle reflections in rainy weather. Although while researching on NVE, we came across this video that explained the advertised ‘Ray tracing’ feature from the mod is not actually the real technology and the reflections are not created by ray tracing. If you want more information about this subject definitely check that video out.
The major drawback with this mod is the huge amount of additional computing load it puts on your processor. Since it tweaks so many things and makes changes in a lot of files it can cause you a considerable fps drop ( even If you have a powerful PC ).
Although there are 3 settings available to choose from ( High-Medium-Low ), the quality of the low setting doesn’t reflect the true power of this graphic mod and if you have a weaker system you might be getting better visuals from other mods.
In order to get access to this mod, you can visit the razedmods Patreon.
QuantV 3.0
This mod is still in its beta phase but and the author has promised that the final version will be free.
Judging by the growing Patreon supporters since 3 months ago it has gained a considerable amount of attention. Although the QuantV 2.0 was a well-known graphic mod, the paid version took a bit amount of time to reach decent popularity.
Since the amount of its supporters has grown considerably the author is putting out updates more frequently. Out of all the graphic mods, QuantV 3.0 has the smallest file size with reasonable and realistic effects so it won’t destroy your PC while it’s trying to run GTA 5.
The QuantV has a cooler color theme versus the NVE. If you are looking forward to a more realistic look without all the extra effects this might be the right choice for you.
By installing shaders on your game you’ll get much better visuals while maintaining a decent fps because QuantV doesn’t modify too many extra things like the NVE.
This makes QuantV a serious lightweight competitor to the NVE and with the help of custom shaders you can get better results.
The author’s Facebook and Twitter accounts have been inactive for a while but you can access his Pateron if you want to acquire the mod.
PRV - Project REVIVE
Unlike the other 2 graphic mods introduced until now, this one doesn’t focus on being too realistic or dramatic. PRV reflects its author’s unique vision and tries to introduce a new theme to the game. It might not be for everyone but it is definitely distinctive from all of the other graphics mods. We contacted the creator himself to have a better understanding of the mod’s features and he kindly explained everything and gave us some beautiful screenshots taken with his graphic mod.
This mod tries to improve the weather system, by introducing redesigned time cycles and improved effects. It is also the only free mod on this list so you can try it and see if it suits your taste.
Then if you like the author’s style, you can opt-in for the WIP features. Such as revamped cloud system, Various lens effects to bring more eye candy effects like raindrops, snow, etc, and redesigned lighting system.
But even the WIP features are free and paying is not necessary. You only have to be a trusted user in their discord or report some bugs so you can have access to it.
About the performance, similar to QuantV the mod itself is not going to cause you any considerable fps drops but if you install Reshade with ENB effects it can slow down your performance.
Another thing that I noted based on videos and screenshots available for this mod it has a beautiful night-time, something that is not available with QuantV.
In the before and after pictures below you can clearly see the unique effect added by this mod the GTA 5. Also, with the thick layer of clouds added to the atmosphere, it is almost impossible to observe some of the objects that are visible in the vanilla GTA.
To download this mod for free you can visit this link. Also, check their Discord.
NB Visual
Similar to PRV, the NB Visuals has brought something new to the GTA 5 world. This mod’s main focus is to change the game’s environment by redesigning trees ( Oak, Olive, Pine, etc), bushes, flowers, rocks, and basically the whole Forest!
In addition to the redesign, NB visual makes those stuff denser, which results in a more lively atmosphere in GTA 5.
Although the color theme is a bit saturated which again like the PRV comes back to your own taste whether you like it or not. The creator helped us to acknowledge his work better when we contacted him which is always appreciated.
The creator of this mod listens to the community and releases updates based on their feedback. For example, the NB visual wasn’t compatible with NVE at launch but at the request of its community, that feature got added to the mod.
If you want to try out this mod there is a free version here ( which is branded as GTA V remake for some unknown reason ). If you like what it adds to the game you can be a Patreon and have access to more recent modifications.
Summary
If you have a powerful PC and you want the whole package you can go with the NVE. However, if you are willing to try out different reshades, fiddle with enb settings, and put more time into getting a more realistic result, try QuantV.
About the PRV, It depends if you like the ambiance that the author has created or not. But it definitely worths a try since it is a unique experience and hey, it’s not going to cost you anything.
Finally, if you want to liven up your game and enjoy the new Sceneries created by this mod install the NB Visual.
There is no definitive choice here and it all comes back to your own taste.
