OpenIV: The Standard GTA V Asset Editor Explained
OpenIV opens GTA V's RPF archives, edits .ytd textures, views .yft models, and exports/imports the formats that FiveM mods ship in. Here is the documented feature set.
OpenIV is the de facto standard tool for opening, viewing, and editing GTA V's archive files and asset formats. This post covers what OpenIV is and what it supports per the official OpenIV site (openiv.com) and widely-published descriptions.
What OpenIV is
OpenIV is "a multi-purpose editor and archive manager for PC versions of Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto IV/EFLC and Max Payne 3." The current major version (OpenIV 4.x) also adds support for Red Dead Redemption 2.
From third-party documentation summarizing the toolset: "OpenIV 4.1 is one of the best modding toolset for the PC Versions of GTA 5, GTA 4, Episodes From Liberty City (EFLC) and Max Payne 3, and the latest version also supports Red Dead Redemption 2."
What OpenIV does
The documented functionality per the official site and tutorials:
- RPF archive extraction and editing - "Extract rpf files in real-time and gain access to all the hidden files that were compressed into a single large file." RPF is the proprietary archive format Rockstar uses for game assets.
- Texture editor - "OpenIV has a texture editor that supports GTA V .ytd texture files, and you are free to edit any .ytd files using all features available."
- Fragment model viewer - "OpenIV includes a fragment models viewer that supports GTA V .yft files, which allows you to view GTAV vehicles models."
- Drawable (.ydr), drawable dictionary (.ydd), and bound (.ybn) viewing
- Audio file extraction and viewing
- XML edit-in-place for the various meta files (vehicles.meta, handling.meta, etc.) when extracted from RPF archives
Critical limitation: offline only
The OpenIV documentation and community guides repeatedly emphasize one limitation: "It is limited to pc versions only and not allowed in the online version of the game. You should only mod GTA 5 in offline mode due to limitations imposed by the game's publisher, Rockstar Games, or you run the risk of getting your account suspended."
For FiveM specifically, this limitation is less relevant - FiveM connects to its own dedicated servers, and modifications shipped through FiveM resources are not the same as modifying your GTA V install. But OpenIV itself, when used to modify your local GTA V game files, should be used with the game in offline mode.
Where OpenIV fits in a vehicle pipeline
For FiveM vehicle creators, OpenIV is most commonly used for:
- Inspecting stock GTA V vehicle YFT/YTD files for reference
- Verifying that an exported YFT loads correctly before shipping it
- Comparing your meta files against Rockstar's stock vehicle entries
- Extracting reference assets when learning the format
Where to download
The official site at openiv.com is the canonical source. There are a number of mirror domains; the one maintained by the original developer GooD-NTS is the trusted distribution.
Sources
Browse the lot
Drag, drop, drive. Lore-friendly originals and curated real-vehicle conversions for FiveM.