There's a very strong argument to be made that Grand Theft Auto is the most successful and influential franchise in modern gaming, and this could be said even back in the days of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, when its west-coast-infused, gritty storytelling represented the pinnacle of the medium. Indeed, GTA: San Andreas is among the best crime games out there, still able to hold its own against the genre's contemporary releases.
It wasn't Rockstar's first attempt at an open-world sandbox, as the previous 3D GTA games did much to further the developer's style of game design, but Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was a significant leap forward at the time, offering a more complex and tangible urban environment for players to inhabit. The thick, sun-drenched atmosphere of the game feels like something straight out of an NWA or Tupac music video, its representation of gangster culture cleverly informed by west-coast trends of the 90s. While some of this representation can take the form of potentially offensive stereotypes—GTA is satirical, after all—the game actually does a remarkably good job of bucking said stereotypes through nuanced character writing. The confluence of Rockstar's always-stellar narrative chops, deep interactivity, and poignant art design resulted in a game world that is consistently alluring, even decades after its initial release.
Remembering the Engrossing World of GTA: San Andreas
San Andreas' Immersive World Is Easy to Get Sucked Into
Players inhabit the role of a gangster in GTA: San Andreas, focusing more on street-level crime and interpersonal relationships than organized or white-collar crime, which are the subjects of many follow-up games, especially GTA 5. This doesn't necessarily mean that San Andreas is more grounded in every way (it does feature a jetpack), but it is more relatable. CJ's struggle with his family and return to his childhood city is easy to understand, and he's a remarkably easy character to like because of this.
Exploring the rough and hot streets of Los Santos in the shoes of this character is like traversing an adult amusement park: there are BMX bikes with absurd physics, San Andreas-exclusive features like Gang Wars, and satirical businesses like Burger Shot, all of which buttress unique world-building and surprising mechanical complexity. Take the Gang Wars system, for example: players can instigate a territorial struggle at virtually any point in the game, adding a degree of variety and minor emergent gameplay that is sorely lacking in other GTA games, which can often feel much more scripted by comparison.
They may seem relatively minor, but San Andreas' character-altering mechanics deserve praise as well. CJ's appearance will change depending on what decisions the player makes: training in the gym will lead to a more muscular character model, eating fast food leads to an overweight one, and so on. These physical changes will also impact gameplay, informing certain stats and altering CJ's combat prowess and mobility. This breeds a sense of meaning and influence on the part of the player, buttressing the sense of agency and leading to a personalized experience—players have a greater degree of control over their version of the game.
This ability to alter the protagonist's physique based on in-game choices wouldn't be seen in another Rockstar game until Red Dead Redemption 2, which arguably takes the idea to the next level.
These are just a few of the most instantly recognizable and unique aspects of San Andreas' world, but there are many more. As is often the case with Rockstar's games, the devil is in the details, and San Andreas is chock-full of them. It may pale in comparison to what Rockstar would go on to do with the likes of RDR2, but GTA: San Andreas played an important role in the company's growth, serving up a complex, alluring, and interactive world that is still compelling today.
- Released
- October 26, 2004
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Engine
- RenderWare
WHERE TO PLAY
Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas — a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs, and corruption. Where film stars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers.
Now, it's the early '90s. Carl's got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading toward disaster.
On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
