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What is Grand Theft Auto Connected?
Grand Theft Auto Connected is a custom, scriptable multiplayer modification for several classic Grand Theft Auto games. According to its site, it works with GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas and GTA IV, and it lets you run both offline and online play. Scripting is supported in JavaScript, Lua and Squirrel, and the feature list includes synced pedestrians, traffic and missions, custom objects, peer-to-peer sync, dynamic snow, a module SDK for server and client, and support for Windows XP and WINE. It is an independent project and states it is not affiliated with Rockstar Games.
A practical example: a small group wanting to run a custom San Andreas server with its own missions, vehicles and weather could use the scripting and module SDK to build that, rather than relying on the games' original multiplayer modes. The trade-off is that this is a community modification, so setup effort, scripting knowledge and compatibility with older Windows or WINE environments matter more than with an official release.
For more on the GTA series itself, see Rockstar Games.
Which GTA games can I play multiplayer with GTA Connected?
GTA Connected supports multiplayer for four titles: GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA IV. According to the project's own description, it is a custom scriptable multiplayer modification that works across all four, and it also lets you play them offline as well as online.
What that means in practice
- Older 3D-era games (III, Vice City, San Andreas): these are the classics that never shipped with official online play, so a mod like this is the main route to multiplayer. The page notes synced pedestrians, traffic, and missions, which matters if you want co-op-style play rather than just free-roam deathmatches.
- GTA IV: the newer of the supported titles, and the one where you may already have some official multiplayer experience to compare against.
- Scripting: servers and game modes can be written in JavaScript, Lua, or Squirrel, so the range of available modes depends on what the community has built rather than a fixed set shipped by the developers.
A practical next step
Decide which game your group actually owns and wants to play, then check that game's server browser and mode list on Grand Theft Auto Connected before installing. If you mainly want San Andreas roleplay or racing, confirm those modes exist for SA specifically; support for one title does not guarantee the same mode lineup across all four. Also note the page lists Windows XP and WINE support, which is useful if anyone in your group runs Linux.
How do I set up a GTA Connected server for my friends?
To set up a GTA Connected server for friends, start with the client and server downloads from Grand Theft Auto Connected, then run the server on a machine your friends can reach and share its connection details. The page confirms it is a scriptable multiplayer modification for GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas and GTA IV, with scripting in JavaScript, Lua and Squirrel, peer-to-peer sync, and support for Windows XP and WINE.
Practical setup path
- Pick the game and host machine. Decide which supported GTA title you will play, and choose a host: your own PC for a small private session, or a separate always-on machine if friends will join at different times.
- Install the modification on every player's PC. Each friend needs the same game and the GTA Connected client. Version mismatches are a common cause of failed joins, so agree on one version before the session.
- Run the server and note its address. Launch the server, confirm it is listening, and give friends the address and port plus any password you set. For internet play, the host may need to allow the port through the firewall or router.
- Choose or write a game mode. The stock server experience is thin; the value comes from scripts. If you want custom peds, traffic, missions or objects, pick an existing script or write one in JavaScript, Lua or Squirrel.
- Test with one friend first. Join from a second machine before inviting the group, so you can separate connection problems from script problems.
Decisions that matter most
| Choice | Good for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Host on your own PC | Quick private sessions with a few friends | Server stops when you log off; home connections can be unreliable |
| Dedicated host or rented machine | Regular sessions and larger groups | More setup and cost; you manage updates yourself |
| Existing script/game mode | Fast start, known behaviour | Less control over rules and features |
| Custom script | Tailored missions, traffic and objects | Requires scripting knowledge and testing time |
For a first session, host locally, use a simple script, and keep the group small. Once joining works reliably, move to a dedicated host and add custom content.
What scripting languages can I use to create custom game modes in GTA Connected?
GTA Connected supports scripting in JavaScript, Lua, and Squirrel, according to the project's own feature list on Grand Theft Auto Connected. All three can be used to build custom game modes across GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA IV.
Choosing among the three
The site lists the languages but does not rank them, so the following is practical guidance rather than a product claim:
- JavaScript is the safest default if you already know web development or want the largest pool of tutorials and community examples to borrow from.
- Lua suits people coming from other game-modding scenes (for example, FiveM or Garry's Mod), where Lua is common and lightweight.
- Squirrel is closest to the scripting style used by GTA's own engine-adjacent tools; it appeals to modders who want syntax resembling the original game scripting.
A concrete scenario
Suppose you want a team deathmatch on San Andreas with custom spawn points and rotating weather. You would pick one language, write the server-side logic for teams and scoring, and use the same language on the client side for UI or local effects. Because the modification exposes a module SDK for both server and client, you can extend behavior beyond pure scripting when the built-in API is not enough.
A useful next step
Check the Wiki and Forum sections linked from the site's navigation; they are the natural places to find API references and working examples per language before committing to one. If you are undecided, prototype a small mode (a spawn command plus a score counter) in JavaScript first, then port it to Lua or Squirrel to compare how each feels.
Does GTA Connected work on Linux or with Wine?
Yes—GTA Connected is built with WINE in mind. Its own feature list cites "Support for Windows XP and WINE," so running the client through WINE on Linux is an intended use rather than an unsupported workaround. The multiplayer modification covers GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas and GTA IV, and its scripting, sync and custom-object features don't depend on native Linux builds.
What that means in practice
- Likely path: install WINE, set up a Windows prefix, install the supported GTA game and then the GTA Connected client inside that same prefix. Keeping game and mod in one prefix avoids the registry and path mismatches that break script loaders.
- What to expect: peer-to-peer sync, synced peds/traffic and the module SDK are the parts most sensitive to timing and networking differences, so test on a small server before committing to a big session.
- Where to check first: the download and version-history pages on Grand Theft Auto Connected list current builds, and the forum and bug tracker are where WINE-specific issues would surface.
Decision criterion
If you already play these games on Linux, WINE support makes GTA Connected a reasonable choice; if you need guaranteed stability for a large community server, verify current WINE reports on the forum before standardizing on it. Native Linux users without WINE have no stated path, since no Linux build is listed.
How does GTA Connected's peer-to-peer sync affect online multiplayer performance?
GTA Connected's peer-to-peer sync changes how multiplayer performance behaves compared with a traditional dedicated-server setup. On the site, peer-to-peer sync is listed as a core feature alongside synchronized peds, traffic and missions and scripting in JavaScript, Lua and Squirrel; the page does not publish latency targets, player caps or bandwidth figures, so treat any specific numbers as unverified.
What the architecture implies in practice
In a peer-to-peer model, players exchange game state more directly rather than routing everything through one authoritative server. That has concrete trade-offs:
| Factor | Likely effect of peer-to-peer sync | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Latency | Can be lower between well-connected peers, since fewer hops are involved | Highly variable; one player with a poor connection can degrade what nearby players see |
| Server load | Less central processing of every update | Each client does more work sending and reconciling state |
| Consistency | Depends on how the modification reconciles conflicting updates | Desyncs in peds, traffic or mission state are the usual symptom |
| Cheating and authority | Harder to enforce a single trusted state | A modified client may influence what others see |
| Scaling | Often struggles as player counts rise | Test with realistic lobby sizes, not just small groups |
The scripting angle matters here. Because servers and clients can both run scripts (the page also mentions a module SDK for server and client), server authors can choose to keep sensitive logic—scoring, mission progression, economy—on the server side while letting peer sync handle cosmetic or high-frequency updates like vehicle positions. That split is the practical way to get peer-to-peer responsiveness without handing authority to clients.
A concrete scenario
Suppose you run a San Andreas roleplay or freeroam server with synchronized traffic and peds. With peer-to-peer sync, players in the same area may see smoother, more immediate movement of nearby vehicles, but a player on a weak or distant connection can cause visible stutter or teleporting for the people synced to them. The fix is usually server-side: cap lobby size, require reasonable connections, and keep mission and ped state validated by server scripts rather than trusting peers.
Next step
Before committing to a large public server, run a small stress test with players on mixed connections and watch for desync in peds, traffic and missions—the three areas the page specifically claims are synced. If consistency problems appear as player counts grow, shift more logic to server-side scripts and consider a hybrid approach. For broader context on the GTA modding multiplayer scene, Grand Theft Auto Connected is the project's own site, and Multi Theft Auto is a long-running alternative whose official documentation is worth comparing on networking models.
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