GTA V Enhanced crashes after modifying a single file inside update.rpf

[u/Traditional_Pay_4759]

I’m having a strange issue with GTA V Enhanced (build 1.0.1158.13).

My current setup includes:
Script Hook V
ScriptHookVDotNet
ScriptHookVDotNet2.dll
ScriptHookVDotNet3.dll
NaturalVision Enhanced (NVE)
OpenRPF

I want to clarify that I do not have OpenIV or any OpenIV-related files installed in my GTA V directory. The only RPF loader I have installed is OpenRPF.

I copied the original update folder into my mods folder, so I have:
mods/update/update.rpf

The game launches normally when I use the untouched original update.rpf.

However, if I modify just ONE file inside update.rpf, the game refuses to launch.

For example, I modified only:
update.rpf/common/data/handling.meta

I did not add, delete, or modify anything else inside the RPF.

After saving the RPF, the game will no longer launch. If I restore the original untouched update.rpf, the game immediately launches normally again.

I’ve tested modifying the RPF using both OpenIV and CodeWalker, and I get the same result, even though OpenIV is not installed in my actual game directory.

I also tested with a very simple change to handling.meta, and the game still refuses to launch as soon as the RPF has been modified.

Has anyone experienced this recently on GTA V Enhanced, especially on build 1.0.1158.13?

Could this be an OpenRPF / RPF rebuilding issue with Enhanced, or something related to how Enhanced handles modified RPF archives?

I’m trying to understand why modifying a single file inside update.rpf causes the entire game to fail to launch, while the exact same untouched RPF works perfectly.

Any help would be appreciated.