How to make your own custom Red Dead Redemption 2 Mods

Did you know that anyone can create their own custom mods for Red Dead Redemption 2? It’s completely free and you’ll only need a few tools to make it work. Then, you can even share your mods with other people, or even use other creators’ mods and improve them even further and make additional adjustments.

The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 is not the only vast thing – the game’s community is also huge. There are many fans out there who love the game so much, that they have already built tons of mods for it that anyone can download and enjoy. Heck, you can even make Arthur invisible, and I’ll show you exactly how.

Before getting started: A few things you need to know about modding

First and foremost, it’s important to note that although Rockstar Games doesn’t officially support modding, as we’ve seen in many cases in the past, however, they do allow it in single-player mode.

If you try online modding, your account will get banned for good.

Modding on its nature is not that easy to begin with. You’ll need to have a good understanding of how the game files work (including the textures, models, and scripts), learn LUA or C# for further gameplay modifications and have a bit of experience with 3D modeling and texturing for objects, skins, etc.

There’s also a learning curve when it comes to the modding tools that you’ll be using, which are essential for loading and managing mods, browsing and modifying files, writing and running scripts, adjusting textures and the UI, modifying the 3D models, and so much more.

The types of mods that you can make

If this is your first time looking at how you can create your own Red Dead Redemption 2 mods, you may be confused about which things you can actually adjust and manipulate.

Because it would be sad to start learning about modding only to find out that there was something that you had in mind that cannot be implemented, here’s what you can do as a modder:

• Reskins & Texture Mods: Changing character appearances, weapons, or UI.
• Gameplay Tweaks: Adjusting physics, AI behavior, or adding new mechanics.
• New Weapons or Items: Modifying or replacing in-game assets.
• Map & Environment Mods: Editing existing locations or adding new ones.
• Scripted Mods: Custom features, missions, or cheats.

Those are basically the most popular ways that modders use to adjust the game, change and modify whatever they like, and even add new custom features or missions that we’ll never see anything like from Rockstar Games.

The tools you’ll need to start modding

Let’s start with the basics: The first that you need is Lenny’s Mod Loader (LML), which is essential for loading and managing your mods. Now, its installation is not one of the easiest, but there’s a great video tutorial that you can watch on YouTube and get everything done within minutes:

OpenIV is another tool that you’ll need, and it’s great when it comes to browsing and modifying the game files. OpenIV is also being used for other games too, including the Grand Theft Auto series and Max Payne.

There are two tools that you can use when it comes to allowing script-based mods: The Rampage Trainer or the Script Hook RDR2. Once you download them, depending on the mods you want to make, you may need Adobe Photoshop or GIMP to edit the game’s textures and make UI edits.

Also go ahead and download and install Notepad++, which is a very lightweight and fast application that helps you open and edit most files that contain code.

Last but not least, most modders use Blender or 3DS Max to modify the 3D models found in the game, and they’re very crucial tools if you want to make severe adjustments, add new characters, items, animals, and so on.

How to make your own Red Dead Redemption 2 mods

Before making mods, you need to prepare your game: Starting with creating and keeping somewhere safe a backup of the game’s files. It’s important because as a modder you may end up breaking everything, and if you need a quick fresh start, that’s by restoring all the files back to their defaults.

1. Back the RDR2 game files

1. Go to your RDR2 installation folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Red Dead Redemption 2).
2. Copy important files and keep them safe in case something breaks.

2. Create a simple texture mod

1. Open OpenIV and set it to Edit Mode.
2. Navigate to the texture files (e.g., RDR2/x64/models/cdimages).
3. Extract a texture (.ytd file) and open it in Photoshop or GIMP.
4. Edit it, save it, and import it back into OpenIV.
5. Launch the game with Lenny’s Mod Loader and test your new texture.

3. Create a simple script mod (like making Arthur invisible)

1. Install Script Hook RDR2 (if you haven’t).
2. Go to your game directory and create a scripts folder.
3. Write a simple LUA script (example below).
4. Save the file as modname.lua and place it in scripts.
5. Launch the game, press T, and type godmode to activate it.

Example LUA Script (Makes Arthur Invincible):

function GodMode()
PlayerPedId():SetInvincible(true)
end
RegisterCommand("godmode", GodMode)

4. Test and improve your mod

Load your mod into Lenny’s Mod Loader. Test it in Story Mode (NEVER in Online Mode). If it works, refine it, fix bugs, and add features. This may sound pretty easy and fast, but believe me, most of the time it’s not.

Depending on the complexity of your mod, you may end up finding lots of bugs or things that need many adjustments, or end up with a stable gameplay.

5. Publish your Red Dead Redemption 2 mod

There’s nothing greater than sharing your work with all the world, which is a great way to spread some love, get feedback from other players, and even ideas they may have that will help you improve your mod even further.

Among the few places where modders can upload and share their mods, NexusMods.com and RDR2Mods.com are the best of the rest. If you liked modding Red Dead Redemption 2, you can join and engage with the community, and even collaborate with other creators for newer and better mods.

Both communities will provide you with everything that you’ll need to make your own RDR2 mods, and they usually have a blog and a Wiki from where you can find more useful information and step-by-step guides on how to adjust almost anything.

LUA Scripts for modding Red Dead Redemption 2

These scripts are simple and will help you understand how scripting works in Script Hook RDR2.

To use any of the following scripts:

• Install Script Hook RDR2
• Create a scripts folder inside your game directory
• Copy any script into a .lua file (e.g., godmode.lua)
• Place it in the scripts folder
• Launch RDR2 and activate the command

Here are a few scripts that you can use to make the campaign mode even more interesting and fun:

1. Super Speed Mod (Increase Player Speed)

How to Use: Type superspeed in the in-game console.

function SuperSpeed()
    local player = PlayerPedId()
    SetRunSprintMultiplierForPlayer(player, 2.5) -- 2.5x speed
end
RegisterCommand("superspeed", SuperSpeed)

2. One-Hit Kills (Instantly Kill Enemies)

How to Use: Type onehit to activate.

function OneHitKill()
    SetWeaponDamageModifier("WEAPON_REVOLVER_CATTLEMAN", 999.0) -- Extreme damage
end
RegisterCommand("onehit", OneHitKill)

3. Instant Horse Summon

How to Use: Type gethorse to summon an Arabian White horse.

function SpawnHorse()
    local x, y, z = table.unpack(GetEntityCoords(PlayerPedId()))
    local horse = CreatePed("A_C_Horse_ArabianWhite", x+2, y+2, z, 0, true, true)
    TaskWarpPedIntoVehicle(PlayerPedId(), horse, -1)
end
RegisterCommand("gethorse", SpawnHorse)

4. Super Jump (Jump 10x Higher)

How to Use: Type superjump and jump to see the effect.

function SuperJump()
    SetSuperJumpThisFrame(PlayerPedId())
end
RegisterCommand("superjump", SuperJump)

5. Infinite Ammo

How to Use: Type infammo for unlimited bullets.

function InfiniteAmmo()
    local player = PlayerPedId()
    SetPedInfiniteAmmoClip(player, true)
end
RegisterCommand("infammo", InfiniteAmmo)

6. No Gravity Mode (Float Like a Feather)

How to Use: Type nogravity to float in the air.

function NoGravity()
    SetEntityHasGravity(PlayerPedId(), false)
end
RegisterCommand("nogravity", NoGravity)

Is modding illegal? What is Rockstar Games say?

Rockstar’s stance is that single-player mods are okay as long as they don’t affect multiplayer:

“Take-Two’s general policy is to not take legal action against third-party projects involving Rockstar’s PC games that are single-player, non-commercial, and respect intellectual property rights.”

However, there are some important rules to follow:

This means you are safe as long as you only mod the story mode and don’t sell any mods or use stolen content to make them even better. So, if you upload your RDR2 mods to NexusMods or RDR2Mods.com, you won’t face legal issues as long as they are for single-player only.

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Making your own custom mods in Red Dead Redemption 2 is not an easy process, and that’s why modders tend to invest a lot of time modifying games, adjusting the 3D models, creating new missions or stories, and essentially, fixing all the bugs that come alongside any crucial change.

Are you interested in modding? What do you want to build with these tools? Let me know in the comments down below.