If you receive a "launcher files missing" error, avoid clicking the .exe directly. Instead, open the Rockstar Games Launcher or Steam and launch the game from your library to ensure all background services are active.
With GTA VI on the horizon (expected late 2025 or 2026), Rockstar will eventually phase out GTA V updates. However, gta5.exe will still function for years. The single-player modding community remains active, and FiveM (the multiplayer mod platform) will likely continue supporting the executable well into the late 2020s. gta5 exe