No need for 100 Error Code 16 Posts

JohnFromGWN

There I just broke my own suggestion, but I wanted to clarify some confusion and hopefully this post will be read and understood.

A new Rockstar Launcher, dated April 4, 2023 (version 1.0.71.1428), broke GTA 5 games that were reverted. The launcher did not break modded games that were updated for the latest version of GTA5 which is 2845. Here are the facts as I understand them.

The new launcher checks for complete installations. This means your game has to be updated. You can't revert back. You can mod, but you can't revert. Impact is that mods like Liberty City will no longer work nor will many MLOs unless they are fixed one by one. Not sure if LC can be fixed.
You can't play GTA 5 forever offline. Not consistently. Many have reported they were able to do this but it is hit or miss and sooner or later you will be forced to go online because R* checks for activation, it checks your product/game key. When you go online the launcher will force an update. This is a losing battle.
If your game is crashing or in an infinite loop it has nothing to do with Code 16, because Code 16 will not allow you to load your game. Once more if your game is updated, you can play mods - but you need to understand how to install and configure mods. You can no longer revert, end of story.
Was this intentional by R*? I think so. They may have done this to ensure forced updates but more likely they did it to protect Liberty and Vice City.
What will happen with the new game update? Currently both SH5 and OpenIV are no longer functional sites. Perhaps R* has bought them off and brought the sites down or maybe it's the war in the Ukraine, take your pick, but your mods will no longer work with the next Game patch without a SH5 update. And as usual, mods will be broken.
Is there a fix for this madness? Possibly, but it will be just a question of time before R* closes all loopholes if they want.
What is this theoretical fix? You need to download and install an old version of the R* launcher. The modded game will indeed start offline, but not the combination of reverted and the 1428 launcher. To play reverted you will need to install the old launcher version, you then need to disable your internet. You will likely have to repeat the process at some point. You have to be very careful where you download the old version because although this is legal, you might get malware/virus from a bad site. For that reason I'm not posting any links, use Google if you want.
Have I tried this? Nope. As I wrote in another post, I'm done modding. Why? Because this is a timebomb. Sooner or later R* will create more obstacles and I've had it. As I wrote above, R* will eventually find a way to force updates on legal copies that can't be circumvented. This will likely be a handshake between your game and their servers. Only updated games will be able to be modded and that's assuming SH5 ever comes back.
Are there any other legal options, other than cracking the exe? Possibly emulators, I don't know, haven't tried them and I no longer have time to waste.

One final point, just to reiterate:
Don't confuse Code 16 with your game no longer working. These are two completely different issues.
Code 16 does not have a reliable solution.
Mods not working means troubleshooting - you are essentially starting from scratch if your game was reverted.

And once more, the new launcher DOES NOT break an updated modded game. It only stops a reverted modded game from working.

If you crash, or have infinite loops, don't blame this error and don't blame dinput8.dll or SH5. It's your mods crashing the system.

https://gta5modhelp.blogspot.com/p/troubleshooting_4.html

edit: suggested launcher versions. remember any download from a non official site could contain malware.
1.0.70.1389 Feb 23, 2023
1.0.67.1178 Dec 7, 2022
1.0.631.962 Aug 31, 2022

JohnFromGWN

@JohnFromGWN

As I wrote in a previous post, a quick and safe way to temporarily enable or disable your internet is to create a batch file, or pass these commands:

To get your ethernet adapter:
netsh interface show interface

To disable, using Ethernet 2 in this example, replace with Ethernet 1 or whatever the first command displayed as "connected"
netsh interface set interface "Ethernet 2" disable

To enable
netsh interface set interface "Ethernet 2" enable

Other methods:

Temporarily disable your network adapter
Unplug your ethernet cable or disable your wifi
Use an app (firewall or utility)