BepInEx vs ScriptHookVDotNet

BepInEx is a plugin and modding framework for Unity Mono and IL2CPP games, as well as .NET Framework games such as those built with XNA, FNA, and MonoGame. It provides configuration and logging, runtime method patching, and in-memory assembly patching. Runtime patching uses Harmony, including HarmonyX and MonoMod; in-memory patching uses Mono.Cecil with UnityDoorstop. The installation guide lists Windows, Linux, and macOS, though supported operating system versions and architectures depend on the build and game. Setup is manual: download the appropriate build and put its contents in the game’s root folder. Official binaries are available as stable and bleeding edge builds; the documentation recommends stable in most cases and notes that bleeding edge builds tend to be buggier. The project is open source under LGPL-2.1 and links to guides for users and developers. Compatibility has limits: stable releases are available only for Unity Mono, BepInEx 6 documentation remains a work in progress, and BepInEx 5 plugins do not yet work with the 6.0.0 pre-release.

ScriptHookVDotNet is free Windows PC script runtime software for Grand Theft Auto V Story Mode. It runs under Script Hook V and connects custom .NET code to the game, allowing scripts in any .NET language; the FAQ recommends C# for new coders. Object-oriented APIs provide guided interfaces and documentation for common GTA V scripting tasks. Scripts are built as .NET Framework class libraries and can reference the ScriptHookVDotNet3 package, including through NuGet, as well as arbitrary .NET Framework libraries. The runtime and scripts can be reloaded with SHVDN commands, although the runtime cannot currently reload after Script Hook V unloads all loaded ASI scripts. The project says official game versions are supported, while some advanced scripts may fail on certain versions. Requirements include Script Hook V, Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 or later, and the x64 Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2019 or later. GTA Online requires removing SHVDN and related mods when an ASI loader is installed.