The OpenIV modding group has an update on its "Liberty City in GTA V" project, which is a total conversion mod bringing Grand Theft Auto 4 into Grand Theft Auto 5. The effort is on track and scheduled to release a beta version of the mod in spring 2017 as planned.

Accompanying the announcement were several new screenshots showing off the mod, as well as a reconfirmation that a second group is now working on bringing Red Dead Redemption into Grand Theft Auto 5 as well.

As a total conversion mod, Liberty City in GTA V mods the entire Grand Theft Auto 4 game into Grand Theft Auto 5. This is a massive effort within Grand Theft Auto mod groups, with past accomplishments including porting Grand Theft Auto 3 into Vice City, and San Andreas into Grand Theft Auto 4.

Liberty City in GTA V will be the first modding project of this caliber for Grand Theft Auto 5's engine by OpenIV, however. Nevertheless, the team is reportedly made of experienced Grand Theft Auto 4 modders who are focused  on the project's completion.

For those who are interested in participating in the beta when it is (hopefully) delivered later this year, players will be required to own either Grand Theft Auto 4 or Episodes from Liberty City. The mod won't include the files for the game itself, but will involve converting the map over from the original game files.

It's a second modding team that will be working on porting Red Dead Redemption into Grand Theft Auto 5, though OpenIV has laid the groundwork for the project. The Red Dead Redemption V project is planned to go into beta this summer, which shows just how fast progress is moving within the two groups. That should line up nicely for fans, considering Red Dead Redemption 2 is planned for release late this year -- knock on wood.

You can tell that both of these projects mean a lot to those within the Grand Theft Auto modding community, as the majority of the GTA update from OpenIV focused on the history and members of the community. Grand Theft Auto 5 itself was released almost four years ago, but many members of this community have been working on mods for many years prior to that. Odds ar, they'll be doing these types of inspiring projects for many years to come.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is currently available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. The OpenIV mod bringing Grand Theft Auto 4 into Grand Theft Auto 5 is planned to launch in beta this spring, and is naturally exclusive to the PC platform.

Source: GTAForums