How to Cruise Los Santos to Your Own Beats: A Complete Guide to GTA 5 Custom Radio
There is nothing quite like tearing down the Del Perro Freeway at sunset, dodging traffic, and outrunning a five-star wanted level. Grand Theft Auto V has one of the most iconic soundtracks in gaming history, but after hundreds of hours in Los Santos, even the best radio stations can start to feel repetitive.
Fortunately, Rockstar Games included a built-in feature for PC players: Self Radio. This feature allows you to inject your own MP3s directly into the game, complete with authentic commercial breaks, DJ banter, and radio imaging.
Here is a complete, step-by-step guide to setting up your own custom radio station in GTA 5.
Step 1: Prepare Your Music Files
Before touching the game files, you need to gather the audio files you want to hear on the road.
Supported Formats: GTA 5 primarily looks for .mp3, .m4a, and .wma files.
Audio Quality: Ensure your files have proper metadata (Artist and Title tags) so the track names display correctly on your in-game dashboard.
Quantity: You need a minimum of 3 to 5 songs for the game to recognize the station, but you can add hundreds if you want a truly diverse mix.
Step 2: Locate the User Music Folder
Rockstar hidden a specific directory in your Windows user folders specifically for your custom soundtracks. Open your Windows File Explorer (Shortcut: Win + E). Navigate to your Documents folder. Open the Rockstar Games folder, then open GTA V. Inside, look for a folder named User Music. The full file path typically looks like this:
C:UsersYourUsernameDocumentsRockstar GamesGTA VUser Music
💡 Pro-Tip: To save precious hard drive space, you do not need to copy and paste massive music libraries. Instead, right-click your music files or folders, select Create shortcut, and paste those shortcuts directly into the User Music folder. GTA 5 will read the shortcuts perfectly.
Step 3: Scan Your Music In-Game
Once your files or shortcuts are safely resting in the folder, it is time to let the game know they are there. Launch GTA 5 (Story Mode or GTA Online). Pause the game and navigate to the Settings tab. Scroll down and select Audio.
Scroll down to the bottom of the Audio menu where you will see the perform scan options:
Perform Quick Scan: Instantly searches the folder for new files (recommended).
Perform Full Scan: A deeper scan that analyzes the tracks (use this if tracks aren’t appearing).
Ensure that the Auto-Scan for Music option is toggled to On so the game updates your station whenever you add new tracks in the future.
Step 4: Customize Your Radio Experience
Right above the scanning options in the Audio menu, you will find the Self Radio Mode setting. This dictates exactly how your custom station behaves: Radio Mode Description
Radio
The Ultimate Experience. Integrates your music seamlessly with classic GTA commercials, news updates, and custom DJ commentary between tracks.
Random
Plays your custom tracks back-to-back in a completely randomized order, bypassing advertisements.
Sequential
Plays your songs in alphabetical order based on the file names. Great if you are trying to listen to a specific album mixtape.
Step 5: Tune In and Drive
Hop into any vehicle in Los Santos, hold down your radio wheel button (default Q on keyboard or D-pad Left on controllers), and cycle through the wheel until you find Self Radio.
As your custom tracks play, look at the bottom-right corner of your screen—the game will display your song titles just like it does for the official soundtrack. If you chose “Radio Mode,” you can even use the game’s default skip track keys (default – and = on the keyboard) to change songs on the fly.
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