Why GTA San Andreas is considered to be the best GTA game?

You can never get bored of playing as Carl Johnson in GTA San Andreas.

Rockstar Games started the GTA franchise with Grand Theft Auto 1 in 1997. It was a 2D game in which players can carjack people on the streets, do crimes, engage in gang wars; the usual GTA stuff. The next GTA title GTA 2 also followed the same thing and saw appreciable success. But in the year 2001, Rockstar shifted the gear and released GTA 3, the first 3D title in the franchise. Players loved the lore of Claude, a guy who was betrayed by his girlfriend. Just after a year, Rockstar Games released GTA Vice City, one of the most iconic games in the GTA Franchise which explored the story of Tommy Vercetti. Both of these titles, GTA 2 and GTA Vice City, saw immense success and were highly applauded by the fans. But, Rockstar Games just took their game to next level with the introduction of the best GTA game of all time GTA San Andreas.

Spread across San Fierro, Las Venturas, and Los Santos, San Andreas was the game that put all the elements together to create a genuinely spectacular open-world experience, even though the other two are excellent games. San Andreas was the best Grand Theft Auto game to date, and it still holds up well today because of its characters, activities, and gameplay. Rockstar Games added a huge map, a number of new mechanics, and experience to the original game in GTA San Andreas. These unique mechanics like being able to go to the gym to make your character bulky, which even GTA 5 and GTA Online lack. This game has aged like a fine wine.

GTA San Andreas is the best-selling PS2 game of all time. Here are some facts about why GTA San Andreas is the best Grand Theft Auto game ever introduced by Rockstar games.

10 Things that made GTA San Andreas best GTA title of all time

Substantial improvements compared to the predecessors

As everyone expects a sequel to be better than the predecessors, GTA San Andreas just hits the ball out of the park. It adds a number of fresh features that set it apart from its predecessors. Additionally, it enhances already-known features in ways that make the game more practical and enjoyable. Especially, the helicopter flying mechanics was improved tremendously. Some of the games that followed GTA San Andreas didn’t make the same advancements. They could seem like a downgrade in certain aspects.

A range of character customization options

GTA San Andreas offers a lot of wardrobe options which you can choose from different stores. There are a number of stores which sell different attires with respect to the location. You can buy rural clothes, urban clothes, fitted suites, biker’s suits, leather jackets, police uniforms, overalls you name it. It was also the first GTA title to introduce ink art. You can get tattoos on your chest, lower back, hands, etc. You can also set unique and cool haircuts by visiting barbers.

Cheat Codes

Cheat Codes have always been a staple in GTA Franchise. Although previous GTA titles offered tonnes of cheat codes, San Andreas just took this list to the next level. Spawning cars and getting HP full is very basic cheats and every title has it. San Andreas features cheats to make you invincible, ultimate ammo. You can also make the bullets of your regular weapon as incendiary bullets with cheats. There’s also a fun cheat in which when you touch any other vehicle it goes up in the sky. These cheat codes make it enjoyable when not working on any main mission or side mission.

A number of Side activities

GTA San Andreas unarguably has the most side activities which you can play. Previous to San Andreas, Vice City and Liberty offered very limited side activities. Rockstar Games added a number of minigames like Basketball, Billiards, Roulette, Slot Machines, and Wheel of Fortune. You need to use every weapon to increase your accuracy while using them. In addition to these minigames, you can also go to clubs to get drunk and dance. San Andreas also features the most number of collectibles and side missions. If you are a truly dedicated player and like to complete every aspect of the game, it will take you 77+ hours to complete the game. This is almost double the time you will spend if you just stick to the main story. However, these side missions are fun to do so it is advisable not to skip them.

Gang Wars in GTA San Andreas

Everyone who keeps up with pop culture must know the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry. It did cost the world one of the greatest hip-hop stars, Tupac Shakur. Now coming to GTA San Andreas, creators added this thing to some extent to the game. You will fight Ballas, Vagos, and other gangs to gain control of territories. You can gain respect for doing missions and other side activities which helps you to recruit gang members.

Huge Map of GTA San Andreas

GTA San Andreas has the second-largest map in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Liberty City and Vice City look very tiny in comparison to San Andreas even GTA 4’s Liberty City is smaller than this. It features Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas. The bold city of Los Santos was greatly influenced by Los Angeles. Since the two cities are so similar, many players travel to Los Angeles and take pictures of game-related elements to compare. San Fierro resembles the psychedelic San Francisco. San Andreas also features the Golden Gate Bridge under the name of Grant Bridge.

New and some exclusive Gameplay features

In addition to the side activities in GTA San Andreas, it also has tonnes of new gameplay features. Players were finally able to dive into the ocean and explore the deep world. It’s a running joke that both Tommy Vercetti and Claude can take bullets, and fly helicopters but cannot swim. However, Rockstar Games fixed this thing and let Carl Johnson swim. You also have to feed Carl in order to survive. If you starve him for a long, he will lose health and eventually dies. If you overeat, Carl will vomit which is quite accurate to real life. Overeating also leads to making Carl obese. Speaking of obesity, You can go to the gym to cut your fats and make your character ripped. This unique feature where you can control your physique is only limited to GTA San Andreas.

Wide range of Vehicles and Customization options in GTA San Andreas

GTA San Andreas has over 200 vehicles you can hop on. The vehicle designs were also very clean and the driving mechanics are also very smooth. It also lets players finally fly planes and jets in the game. You can also travel by commercial plane. GTA Online has Batmobile, Oppressor Mk II, and Back to the Future’s DeLorean but San Andreas introduced the literal jetpack in 2004 to the game. You can fly around in Los Santon and shoot down enemies while flying with your jetpack. In addition to the wide range of vehicles, players also get the feature to customize their vehicles at their will. It just added a different layer while cruising in your vehicle. You can customize the car’s hood, bumpers, exhaust, engines, etc.

Over the top Storyline

In terms of storytelling, No comes to GTA San Andreas’ lore. The story features Carl Johnson, a mobster who returns to his home and gets to know that his mother was killed by some gang members. He starts his hustle to take over the crime world of Los Santos. The story is very complex and has a lot more multi-threading. Storyline has brotherhood, betrayal, and, an unexpected turn of events. You fight the system, gangs, and other adversaries to take revenge for CJ’s mother’s murder. There are more than 100+ main missions that you will do in Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas.

Memorable Characters in GTA San Andreas

The characters in GTA San Andreas are among the best-written in the entire series. Only a few video games featured as many fully realized characters as the 2004 open-world game did, which is another element that made it unique. Big Smoke and Officer Tenpenny make excellent antagonists, and CJ does a great job as the protagonist. In addition to these three, each did a fantastic job. Sweet, Officer Pulaski, Kendl Johnson, Catalina, etc. all have managed to leave mark on players’ minds. On top of that, Officer Tenpenny was voiced by none other than the legend Samuel L. Jackson. Tenpenny’s dialogue with Samuel’s voice just makes this character much great.