Cruising down the highways of Los Santos is one of the most therapeutic experiences in Grand Theft Auto V, but even the game’s stellar soundtrack can get repetitive after hundreds of hours of gameplay. Fortunately, Rockstar Games included a built-in feature for PC players called Self Radio, which allows you to inject your own MP3s, WAVs, or M4A files directly into the game.
If you are ready to trade the default stations for your own hand-crafted playlist, here is a complete, step-by-step guide to setting up custom songs in GTA V.
Step 1: Gather and Prepare Your Audio Files
Before diving into the game folders, you need to have your music files ready on your computer.
Supported Formats: GTA V natively reads MP3, AAC (M4A), WMA, and WAV formats.
File Requirements: Ensure your songs do not have digital rights management (DRM) protection. Standard audio files downloaded from your favorite digital stores or ripped from CDs work perfectly.
Pro Tip: You need at least 3 separate audio files in your folder for the game to recognize and register the custom radio station.
Step 2: Locate the GTA V “User Music” Folder
Rockstar hides the custom music folder inside your Windows user profile, not in the main game installation directory where your Steam or Epic Games files live. Open File Explorer on your PC. Navigate to your Documents folder. Open the Rockstar Games folder, then double-click on GTA V. Inside, you will see a folder named User Music. The full folder path typically looks like this:
C:Users[Your Username]DocumentsRockstar GamesGTA VUser Music
Step 3: Transfer Your Music
Now, copy the audio files you gathered in Step 1 and paste them directly into the User Music folder.
Note: If you want to save hard drive space, you can create shortcuts to your music files or folders elsewhere on your PC and paste those shortcuts into the User Music folder instead. GTA V will follow the shortcuts to play the audio.
Step 4: Scan for Your Music In-Game
Once your files are in place, you need to tell GTA V to look for them. Launch GTA V (either Story Mode or GTA Online). Pause the game and navigate to the Settings tab. Select Audio from the left-hand menu.
Scroll down to the bottom of the audio options where you will find the music scanning tools.
Click Perform Full Scan for Music. The game will freeze for a brief moment while it indexes your songs.
Step 5: Customize Your Self Radio Experience
While still in the Audio settings menu, look at the Self Radio Mode option directly above the scan button. You can customize how your custom station behaves:
Radio: This is the most immersive option. It plays your custom tracks back-to-back but intersperses them with humorous commercial breaks, news bulletins, and banter from Los Santos radio DJs.
Sequential: Plays your songs in the exact alphabetical order of their file names without any interruptions.
Random: Shuffles your music library randomly without any DJ commentary or ads.
Step 6: Hit the Road
Hop into any vehicle in Los Santos, bring up the radio wheel (hold Q on the keyboard by default), and scroll until you find Self Radio.
If you set everything up correctly, your custom playlist will immediately begin blasting through the speakers. You can skip tracks at any time by pressing the = (equals) or – (minus) keys on your keyboard.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Self Radio isn’t appearing on the wheel: Double-check that you have placed at least 3 valid audio files in the folder and that you performed a “Full Scan” in the audio settings.
Leave a Reply