With the PC version of GTA V on its way, this is an excellent opportunity to consider potential modes or mods that could be added to the game. Everyone has their own ideas about what would make GTA V even more fun, such as a "realistic mode."

When we say "realistic," we aren’t talking about the graphics, but rather the way in-game events and interactions are handled. Damage dealt to you or your vehicle would be more drastic. If your character was shot, he would be seriously hurt, and injuries would be contextual—a character shot in the leg wouldn’t be able to run, for example. Many fans also like the idea of hunger meters, where your character would need to eat and drink on a regular basis in order to remain active. In a similar way, vehicles wouldn’t be able to run without gas.

Of course, a discussion of realism in GTA V always gets around to a discussion of the police. Their AI would need to be different. Police would give you tickets for speeding and ignoring red lights, they wouldn’t shoot criminals with a 1-star wanted level, and their persistence and resources would increase the more dangerous you became. By the time you had a 5-star wanted level, the military would mobilize against you and wouldn’t let up until you were caught.

Other fans feel a realistic mode in GTA Online would benefit from a perma-death system. When your character died, you would have to start all over with someone new. This could result in either players attempting to survive longer than anyone else, or in a life-sim mode where characters formed communities. Additionally, players wouldn’t be labeled, so they would blend in with the NPCs. Such a feature would also work well for competitive gameplay, as it would add elements of stealth and strategy as players tried to locate their enemies or blend into the crowd.

As you can see, there are many different ways a "realistic mode" could be added to GTA V and GTA Online, and all of them would add new depth to the game. While it may be an impossible dream to think Rockstar will officially implement any of these ideas and modes, GTA V PC mods could definitely accomplish such a thing. Would you play a version of GTA V that operated according to the real world’s rules? What other mods would you like to see when GTA V releases for the PC?