Rockstar Games has published new guidelines for its games, asking modders to "respect our games" and adhere to a set of rules designed to maintain a welcoming environment for players and content creators.
These guidelines appear to primarily target modifications for the FiveM and RedM platforms, which Rockstar acquired in 2023 along with their development teams. The rules stipulate that mods must not expand or alter official storylines, missions, or characters, nor should they combine elements from different Rockstar franchises. Additionally, modders are prohibited from incorporating third-party intellectual property or real-world likenesses into their creations. Modifications that introduce cheat menus or interfere with the company's official multiplayer and online services are also forbidden.
Rockstar designates its official modding platforms as the sole channels for community monetization of mods, explicitly forbidding alternative commercialization strategies. These guidelines are seen as a formal set of rules that Rockstar can leverage to address any user-generated content that might pose legal or financial risks.
While enforcement is straightforward on platforms Rockstar directly controls like FiveM, the company has previously taken action against mods hosted on third-party sites. In 2021, Rockstar issued takedown notices for several projects that reverse-engineered or restored elements of older Grand Theft Auto titles, shortly before announcing and releasing its GTA Trilogy remasters. This history suggests that while enforcing rules on external platforms may be more complex, Rockstar is prepared to take action when necessary.