Grand Theft Auto (GTA) San Andreas is a cult video game created by Rockstar that remains a hit, even though it was released more than twenty years ago. The gameplay, which takes place in the fictional area of San Andreas, focuses on the missions and adventures of gang member Carl "CJ" Johnson and takes the player through a variety of locations, transportation modes, and tasks that need to be fulfilled.
Available on gaming consoles, desktops, and mobile devices, it's addressed to adult players. Overall, it gives players great entertainment, whether they're playing it for the first time or not. It's the third and last game in the GTA III series (the previous ones being GTA III and GTA Vice City), but it's the seventh title overall.
Why should I download GTA San Andreas?
This legendary title helped define modern gaming while also providing players with a huge open world to explore, many customization options, and a variety of missions to complete. The locations in GTA San Andreas are inspired by real cities and areas in the USA, such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, etc., each with its own atmosphere, set of missions, and different characters.
In this action-adventure game with the third-person view, you play the character of a street gang member, CJ. The premise of the game means that you will have tasks that require you to steal, hijack, follow, investigate, terrorize, and murder in order to complete the missions given to you in the storyline. Your adventures will also contain clashes with law enforcement and other gangs. When you commit a crime, you can become wanted by the authorities, and depending on the severity of the crime, the police, FBI, the army, or even the National Guard can be after you.
In order to succeed in the game, you'll have to master your driving, flying, and shooting skills, as well as work on your physical capabilities to be able to run or swim longer distances. GTA San Andreas also gives the player many customization options, starting from the character outfits and style, with detailed tuning of the cars you acquire while playing. Apart from what the game offers on its own, there's also a big community of players that create mods to change the quality of the graphics, add more missions to the game, or even completely change the gameplay.
When the game was first released, it optimized the performance, loading times, and the ground-breaking 3D engine from Grand Theft Auto III. This is such a classic title that Rockstar North has re-released it multiple times, with the latest Definite Edition of the 3 games in the series made available on more platforms in 2021. There is a multiplayer mode for two players who download GTA San Andreas and play the game on Windows PCs, but it only applies to some missions. It shouldn't be considered a fully multiplayer experience.
Is GTA San Andreas free?
You can only download GTA San Andreas and play it if you purchase the game from the provider of your platform (PS Store, Steam, etc.). It's also worth noting that Netflix subscribers are able to play the mobile version of the game for free as long as they pay for their account and the game remains available in their offering.
What operating systems are compatible with GTA San Andreas?
Due to the massive success of the game over the years, the pool of platforms on which you can download GTA San Andreas has grown to support almost every platform there is. You can play the game on Windows and MacOS PCs, download it on Android and iOS tablets and smartphones, or enjoy it on gaming consoles. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is currently available on PlayStation 2, 3, 4, and 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and X, and Nintendo Switch.
What are the alternatives to GTA San Andreas?
If you finished the game and enjoyed getting involved in the street gang business but don't know the whole series, you can choose to explore other titles in the Grand Theft Auto universe. You can start playing the game from GTA I, but you can also just explore the series of 3 titles that San Andreas closes: GTA III and GTA Vice City. GTA V will be an excellent choice for players who prefer more modern graphics and games, as the game has been a bestseller title since it was released. There have been a total of 16 games released as part of Grand Theft Auto, so you can pick from a lot of options, even if you decide to stick with this series.
Players who want a change of scenery but are of a similar game type could opt to play the Red Dead Redemption titles. Set in an aesthetic similar to Western movies, you play the roles of cowboys and explorers who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries into the 1920s. There are currently two games released in this series, and they are available on Windows PCs, PlayStation 3, 4, and 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Mafia is another series that goes back in time but also follows the narrative of an organized crime group. The game currently has three titles available, with the main characters in each game being a part of a mafia climbing the ladder of a mob. Mafia games focus on the atmosphere of the era in which they take place, giving players outstanding, detailed graphics with historical accuracy. The series is available on multiple platforms. The first Mafia game can be played on Windows, PS2, Xbox, and other consoles that support games from their previous versions. Mafia II and III were released to Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3 and 4, as well as Xbox One and 360.
