Modder putting GTA 6’s map in GTA 5 hit with Take-Two copyright claim

A mod putting a playable approximation of GTA 6’s map into GTA 5 has been run into trouble after Rockstar owner Take-Two issued a copyright removal request to its creator’s YouTube channel.

The mod, created by Youtuber Dark Space, was an effort to bring GTA 6’s map to life in GTA 5 by building on the work of the Mapping Vice City project – a community led attempt to piece together GTA 6’s map by scrutinising all currently released official media and combining any discoveries with previously leaked map coordinates.

Dark Space began detailing their progress on social media in January and a version 1.0 release of the mod – built from GTA 5 assets – launched last week. However, the project may already have run aground; Dark Space is reining things in after Take-Two’s legal team hit his YouTube channel with a copyright removal request.

“I spent months building a fan-made GTA 6-inspired map inside GTA 5 — something purely made out of passion, not profit,” Dark Space wrote in an introduction to a new video detailing the week’s events. “But shortly after uploading a video showcasing the project, Take-Two Interactive took it down. No warning. No conversation. Just gone.”

“I’ve also removed the download link even though they didn’t ask me to,” Dark Space continued in the video itself. “But I think it’s smarter to get out in front of them rather than waiting for their email that will never come… So why did they remove my video?… Well, my guess is that the map is probably a little too accurate.””

In a follow-up interview with IGN, Dark Space admitted he’d anticipated Take-Two might respond the way it did based on previous mod takedowns. “I went into this project knowing it was a possibility,” explained, “and the fact that it happened does not surprise me.”

“I think my map could have ruined the surprise of their map, which I get,” he continued. “If you spent years building out this amazing game world just to have some YouTuber spoil the experience of the map’s shape, size, and vibe… I’d want it removed too.”

Take-Two has long been at loggerheads with the GTA modding community, most recently shutting down the Liberty City Preservation Project – an ambitious mod adding a playable version of GTA 4’s map to GTA5. In 2023, however, it hired CFx.re, the team behind the popular GTA 5 FiveM and RDR2 RedM multiplayer mods (and another group of modders who’ve previously faced Rockstar’s wrath) – and the team is currently working on an official “conversion tool” to bring GTA 5 mods into the recently released PC version of GTA 5 Enhanced.

As for GTA 6, that’s still targeting the autumn 2025 release window Take-Two previously announced despite persistent reports of a delay – although a third-party accessories company recently claimed the PC version wouldn’t arrive until early next year.