Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

 PC
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4324 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,871 out of 4324
  2. Mixed: 324 out of 4324
  3. Negative: 129 out of 4324
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  1. grandpajoe6191
    Nov 9, 2011
    8
    "GTA: San Andreas" was a great free-world open sandbox game. You can try all sorts of weird gags and beat kick-ass missions with your black homies. However if you don't want to suffer glitches and tweaks that often happen, try "GTA: Vice City".
  2. W3XC
    Jul 1, 2012
    10
    Say hello to one of the best games ever made. Graphics are offcourse not very good, but this game is quiet old. The gameplay is amazing, plus the fact that there are so manny cheats, which i love :3
    The story is probably the best. I havent skipped a single cutscene trough out the entire game. It made me **** in excitement to know what the next thing to do was. But it was a little bit    Say hello to one of the best games ever made. Graphics are offcourse not very good, but this game is quiet old. The gameplay is amazing, plus the fact that there are so manny cheats, which i love :3
    The story is probably the best. I havent skipped a single cutscene trough out the entire game. It made me **** in excitement to know what the next thing to do was. But it was a little bit repetitive sometimes i thought. The sound is veeeeeery good. The soundtracks from the radios fit prefectly. The voice acting is great and the sound from ALL the different veichels are awesome. Actually, what made this game for me was all the veichels i could drive, anything from different types of planes to helicopters, tanks, dirt bikes, bulldozer and bmx.

    ROCKSTAR ROCKS    … Expand
  3. duckypwns
    Dec 11, 2011
    8
    For me, GTA games are about driving, vehicle variety, weapon variety, mission variety, and exploration. In other words, I play these games for the gameplay. That being said, I find San Andreas to be the greatest GTA game of all time. The driving is probably the most important aspect of a GTA game. It's what you're going to be doing most of the game. Yes, you can walk on foot, but most ofFor me, GTA games are about driving, vehicle variety, weapon variety, mission variety, and exploration. In other words, I play these games for the gameplay. That being said, I find San Andreas to be the greatest GTA game of all time. The driving is probably the most important aspect of a GTA game. It's what you're going to be doing most of the game. Yes, you can walk on foot, but most of the time missions require you to drive to your destination, and it's not always just a mile or so away. And even once you arrive at your destination, half the time the mission is going to require that you drive anyway. So if the driving doesn't work well in a GTA game... Well what does? There goes a massive portion of the game down the toilet. But like I said, this isn't the case for San Andreas. It has the best vehicle variety we've seen in a GTA game so far - Cars, airplanes, motorcycles, motorbike, bicycles, helicopters, boats, jetpacks, tanks, etc. each of which having their own advantages in differing situations. For example, a bike is slower in general, but you are able to bunny hop when you're on the bike so it is good for hopping over fences to get away from cops. Motorcycles have a very high acceleration (short term speed), and a decent top speed, but you won't have the defense that a car provides. I could sit here and explain each vehicle type in detail but it would be useless - Bottom line, the vehicles are widely varied in this game. Now as for the actual driving mechanics, this game went for the unrealistic, fast paced style GTA game. GTA IV went with a slower, more realistic style. Well, I mean I'm playing a video game. I don't expect it to be realistic. That adds nothing to the game for me, but the change between the driving mechanics in San Andreas and GTA IV did in fact slow the gameplay down severely. It only did negative. I don't think they're going to go back to the old, unrealistic but fun style of GTA games. San Andreas is probably the last good GTA game. Also, the difficulty level of this game was amazing (referring to the missions). It is without a doubt the hardest GTA game, and although there are a few silly, problematic missions where things are hard for reasons obviously unintended by Rockstar, these very few negatives are severely overshadowed by the massive amount of positives. So let me sum it up - It provides the best challenge, it has the best mechanics in a GTA game, and it has the most variety. What more could you ask for?… Expand
  4. MatthieuR.
    Jun 8, 2005
    10
    Terrific. I've played the PS2 version, and the PC version just blows it away... The graphics finally look good, the draw distance is much better, and the custom soundtracks rule! The control scheme could offer a few more options or at least flexibility, but on the whole this game is phenomenal.
  5. WilliamMayes
    Jun 23, 2006
    10
    I was suprised, after just about three months of game play, I wasn't even halfway done. Rockstar Games have put ALOT of work San Andreas. So I must give them a very good rating. Sincerely, I must say this is about the longest, best game I have ever played in my life.
  6. JeroenP.
    Aug 21, 2005
    10
    At least one game where you can use your imagination.
  7. Simon
    Jun 14, 2005
    10
    K-Rock and other people having sound problems - click on the start menu, choose 'run' and type dxdiag - click 'ok'. The panel that pops up has a sound tab - click on this and alter sound acceleration to 'basic'. I had sounds like the loud bike one after loading or even just going into the menus and this solved it.
  8. G_Mackzy
    Mar 30, 2012
    10
    Almost a decade on I played this again and honestly it is more fun than GTA 4 and the Saints Row series despite its age. An absolute blast, has aged well,
  9. DeiCide
    Feb 19, 2012
    9
    This game was awesome, so many things to do to kill time, I would literally get lost sometimes. Not the best Graphics but it was bearable. Top story and gameplay though, I spent many, many hours in this one and so did all my friends.
  10. masterbezruk
    May 8, 2012
    9
    Gand theft auto san andreas - Ñ
  11. JohnJ.
    Mar 6, 2006
    10
    nice game but sometimes you stink on missions.
  12. smc
    Jun 2, 2006
    10
    SO many things in this game are well worth playing. So what if you can't mod it, any intelligent PC gamer would know that when you mod someone elses work it is infringing on their rights to sell a unique product. Then again many people just dont care about Rockstar and their goal of making a profit. If it wasnt for the good gamers you wouldn't have a game to play. I am not sure SO many things in this game are well worth playing. So what if you can't mod it, any intelligent PC gamer would know that when you mod someone elses work it is infringing on their rights to sell a unique product. Then again many people just dont care about Rockstar and their goal of making a profit. If it wasnt for the good gamers you wouldn't have a game to play. I am not sure where most people are coming from when they play the game. Driving is really easy and flying the planes is possibly the easiest thing I have ever done. Don't be so quick to blame Rockstar for the issues that you have. If you cant fly then dont fly. Overall i love the game tremendously. Much more in-depth missions and just when you think you are doing good they throw a twist at you, which I like. The missions may be straight forward, but they can be hard to complete which makes it a good game because you just have to beat that mission! No problems whatsoever in playing the game, except that the sound has crashed and I can't get it fixed and there is no patch for it but thats ok because honestly when flying the hydra or the at-400 it can get pretty loud. All in all anyone who has a problem with the game is probably just venting because of their computer systems inability to handle the game since it does use a lot more memory than previous versions did. Well that's my take on it. Completely awesome and love playing it… Expand
  13. CharlesB.
    Nov 30, 2005
    9
    My favorite kind of game, and Rockstar mastered it!
  14. JamieS.
    Jun 10, 2005
    9
    This is a great game. I have the ps2 version, but I got the pc version so I could see it on a monitor. There is a MUCH greater draw distance and the textures are sharper. It's great fun to just go driving and see hills in the distance, even condos on the hills! It can be breathtaking at times. You really feel like you're driving around a real city; there's a range and This is a great game. I have the ps2 version, but I got the pc version so I could see it on a monitor. There is a MUCH greater draw distance and the textures are sharper. It's great fun to just go driving and see hills in the distance, even condos on the hills! It can be breathtaking at times. You really feel like you're driving around a real city; there's a range and diversity to the terrain that you just don't get from imagined environments. The only negative point is the scripting and AI. This was a problem I didn't notice on the PS2, but on the PC, they stumble around like clowns. Cops in cars will make u-turns, fail to turn tightly enough, and kill other cops by squashing them against a wall. (I picked up a free baton and a gun this way!) Other drivers will sometimes bizarrely turn off a straight road for no apparent reason and smash into a wall. I saw one guy drive over a dock - his car plunged into the water, and he died. The people will walk into each other and get stuck, hilariously calling each other "fool" while they mill around unable to get out of each other's way (This happened with the gangs). It's a shame..graphically, you really feel like you're exploring San Andreas but when things like that happen suddenly it's just a game again. Also character models are repeated WAAAAAY too often. You can often see as many as five identical clones within viewing distance - five short skirted hookers, or half naked strutting men, or whatever. Once again it detracts from the experience reminding you it's just a game. But overall these were minor flaws, in the main, it's a great experience, I even had my GF watching over my shoulder because she wanted to see what the US looked like ....she was a little shocked by the language. :-)… Expand
  15. PizzaJ.
    Jun 17, 2005
    9
    ten times better than vice city, but i will always like gta3 the most no matter what san andreas has. bring back italian mobsters!
  16. BBDenmark
    Jul 3, 2005
    10
    I think this is a great game! If it has errors, i havent seen them yet.
  17. MP83
    Aug 13, 2005
    10
    Only bad things I can think about this game are its original gaming platform (PS2) and the standard keyboard controls. Otherwise this game is GREAT and deserved 10 points out of 10!
  18. Groundfisher
    Aug 7, 2005
    8
    The missions are too similar to previous GTA games, i.e. drive from A to B, kill someone and drive back to A. Or kill someone and drive back to A while some people chase you. Or while the cops chase you. Or before time runs out. The side missions are the same. Whether it's collecting secret packages, spraying 'tags', taking photos or collecting horse-shoes, IT'S ALL The missions are too similar to previous GTA games, i.e. drive from A to B, kill someone and drive back to A. Or kill someone and drive back to A while some people chase you. Or while the cops chase you. Or before time runs out. The side missions are the same. Whether it's collecting secret packages, spraying 'tags', taking photos or collecting horse-shoes, IT'S ALL THE SAME. Delivering pizzas, passengers, prostitutes or couriering, IT'S ALL THE SAME. Sure, it's fun but no where near as fun as it was the first time you did it in GTA 3 or Vice City. Probably the only differing missions are the flying missions and there's not much variety there, either. For such an open-ended game, the missions are so unimaginative, repetitive, and SHORT. The theme of L.A. street gangs is the worst yet. That's partly because the scope of your typical street gang is too small and offers no real possibly for character development/evolution. And partly because you sense it's aimed at satisfying those who go puppy-eyed when they see Tupac on TV and who romanticise petty crime. With such a theme, the music is predictably the worst of any 3D GTA game. The sheer size of the game world is impressive at first, but not when you realise that so much of it is dead space and offers severely limited interactivity. I'd prefer a world the size of Vice-city with maximum interactivity than a larger world with great pockets of useless space. The graphics are poor. The inclusion of girlfriends is totally pathetic and surely can't interest anyone over the age of 13. I'm a millionaire who takes an unattractive girl to a fastfood restaurant for dinner? What the hell is that? A relationship? There are some neat improvements such as customising cars and a pay'n'spray that eliminates any wanted level, not just the first two wanted levels. Driving schools and flying schools are great optional activities in which to hone skills. There's so much more to say but, in short, Rockstar have to re-conceive of GTA, re-plan missions (don't make them so straight-forward and short) and get rid of all the cutesy-poo girlfriend nonsense and disco dancing. Vice City was captured so perfectly. There is so much to lampoon both in and out of popular culture when it comes to L.A. streetgangs, yet Rockstar panders to it instead of treating it as it treated Vice City. Since GTA is so popular in Japan, it would great if the next GTA was set there because it so nicely opens up the possibility of again humourously reflecting upon popular culture while unleashing total carnage. Oh yeah, bring back the RAMPAGES! The best repetitive side-missions!… Expand
  19. Bram
    Sep 7, 2005
    9
    Love this game. Just looking for the best keyboard settings though.
  20. LaylaM.
    Jun 23, 2006
    10
    What I have to say is besides the mere tweaks, and small glitches, there just part of the fun to explore. This game should be used for players have have a really good computer, and shouldn't be judged if your computer sucks, and you haven't experienced the gameplay. This game is an awesome game. San Andreas deserves a 10.
  21. JMAN
    Jul 6, 2006
    8
    For all those who said the controls where bad Why dont you change it you loser. Man this is the best rockstar game so far it kicks everythang in half. For those who said the grapics were crap, try turning up the resolution and if your computer can't handle it you've got a shit computer. Yes some of the objects still look fake and sometimes the sound drops out but get over it. For all those who said the controls where bad Why dont you change it you loser. Man this is the best rockstar game so far it kicks everythang in half. For those who said the grapics were crap, try turning up the resolution and if your computer can't handle it you've got a shit computer. Yes some of the objects still look fake and sometimes the sound drops out but get over it. GTA3 is crap and Vice City had better music but just use the user sound track player geeez.… Expand
  22. BehroozM.
    Oct 21, 2007
    10
    It's wonderfull, the best game that I've ever palyed. with a variety of real life things to do like tattoos, the hair cuts, the clothings,and so on. It made me feel like a real gangster. the scenario is also so much entertaining and i felt like i was in a movie and i'm watching an playing a role in an exciting fim. also the music and the radio stuff was so cool. another It's wonderfull, the best game that I've ever palyed. with a variety of real life things to do like tattoos, the hair cuts, the clothings,and so on. It made me feel like a real gangster. the scenario is also so much entertaining and i felt like i was in a movie and i'm watching an playing a role in an exciting fim. also the music and the radio stuff was so cool. another thing is that the submissions in this game are like some games in another game if you know what i mean. and finally i should say that i've played it third times.… Expand
  23. ChrisMcNabb
    Jan 9, 2007
    9
    If you hate gangsta rap, gang banging, are offended by excessive swearing, prostitue abuse and are generally a redneck wuss with a low end computer and low gaming skills, stay away from this game. The controls may be tricky at first, but it's nothing a little patience can't fix. The flying lesson may be difficult, again... you need patience. The storyline may not be as good asIf you hate gangsta rap, gang banging, are offended by excessive swearing, prostitue abuse and are generally a redneck wuss with a low end computer and low gaming skills, stay away from this game. The controls may be tricky at first, but it's nothing a little patience can't fix. The flying lesson may be difficult, again... you need patience. The storyline may not be as good as Vice City's but this is still an EXCELLENT game. The HUGE environment, the ability to steal people's cars and generally cause complete mayhem, the various and entertaining side missions and the top notch voice acting (including Samuel L Jackson as Officer Tenpenny) makes this one of the best games (once you adapt to the controls) around.… Expand
  24. AarneusU.
    Feb 13, 2007
    10
    San Andreas is the best game in the series, the music rocks and I love the bicycles and motorbike policemen. I don't care that I can't mod it, most mods are fun for only five minutes. The city is huge compared to vice city. I haven't controlled the plane yet, but I don't think that the controls suck. I play with both the mouse and gamepad. It's excellent, San Andreas is the best game in the series, the music rocks and I love the bicycles and motorbike policemen. I don't care that I can't mod it, most mods are fun for only five minutes. The city is huge compared to vice city. I haven't controlled the plane yet, but I don't think that the controls suck. I play with both the mouse and gamepad. It's excellent, especially with a gamepad.… Expand
  25. FrancisF.
    Jan 2, 2008
    8
    People here say the aircraft is difficult to control, of course if you're just starting out. I personally enjoy the Hydra/Harrier Jump Jet. There's so many glitches, just finding them and reviewing them with other people could be fun. I do agree that the cop AI is CRAP; when THEY drive into YOU, and you get 1 or 2 stars, is ridiculous, also when you already have a star (or People here say the aircraft is difficult to control, of course if you're just starting out. I personally enjoy the Hydra/Harrier Jump Jet. There's so many glitches, just finding them and reviewing them with other people could be fun. I do agree that the cop AI is CRAP; when THEY drive into YOU, and you get 1 or 2 stars, is ridiculous, also when you already have a star (or more), the cops run INto your vehicle, how realistic that is not. With the amount of things to do to get 100%, that is a slight upset, as it takes AGES to do it all, but I guess once you've done everything (including the odd-jobs which are not required to reach 100%), it seams pretty good.… Expand
  26. JohnK.
    Jan 5, 2008
    9
    GTA SA is one of the best games ive ever played its car mods are really making it cooler.. The Hydra is a cool plane to go in the only thing i have to say is NICE..I also play on the GTA SA MP(multiplayer) its funner than singleplayer(duh) Graphics are great,gang attacks are always good because i can always do i drivebyXD!! The Storyline is good To much cursing though but im cool with GTA SA is one of the best games ive ever played its car mods are really making it cooler.. The Hydra is a cool plane to go in the only thing i have to say is NICE..I also play on the GTA SA MP(multiplayer) its funner than singleplayer(duh) Graphics are great,gang attacks are always good because i can always do i drivebyXD!! The Storyline is good To much cursing though but im cool with it.. There are some lag in the game but Still a great game. The Cops on singleplayer is Not too good i mean like u die very easy on like the 4 to 5 stars the 6 star is even hard..Only i have to say is Best Game Ive Ever Played… Expand
  27. BrandonH.s
    Jan 5, 2008
    10
    I like the fact that you can fly planes, helecopters and drive cars. Not a lot of games can do that. Also it includes nice guns and sometimes cutsences. So i'll give Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas a 10
  28. ChaosJ.
    Jan 9, 2008
    10
    The bad user comments seem to be based on Viewpoints (That you can change anyway) and graphics (And they are quite good anyway), but to be honest with you, this game is amazing. The graphics are acceptable, the physics are nice, and the gameplay is unbeatable. They didn't HAVE to unclude quite so much swearing, and it's not a very good game to play when parents are around, but The bad user comments seem to be based on Viewpoints (That you can change anyway) and graphics (And they are quite good anyway), but to be honest with you, this game is amazing. The graphics are acceptable, the physics are nice, and the gameplay is unbeatable. They didn't HAVE to unclude quite so much swearing, and it's not a very good game to play when parents are around, but all in all, it's deserving of a 10. You start as a gangster, but after a few missions you give up on that and there is (slightly) less swearing, so just put up with the vulgarities. Also, there are a few... dodgy scenes, but you don't see anything so it's not a problem.… Expand
  29. TriesteL.
    Mar 15, 2008
    9
    This game is by far the best I have played. The only things that I feel are depreciating the rating that I give it is the fact that the second edition is non moddable, which somewhat ruins the fun of using other mods. The other factor is that the planes are difficult to control. That may be mostly my fault, since I can't drive anything non-terrestrial with proficiency. The rating This game is by far the best I have played. The only things that I feel are depreciating the rating that I give it is the fact that the second edition is non moddable, which somewhat ruins the fun of using other mods. The other factor is that the planes are difficult to control. That may be mostly my fault, since I can't drive anything non-terrestrial with proficiency. The rating stayed as it is since the NRG-500 is so fast, powerful and easy to maneuver.… Expand
  30. BillB
    Aug 3, 2008
    8
    San Andreas is a lot of fun overall. It's what games such as Shenmue tried to be but didn't quite deliver. That said, the flying scenes were pure frustration and felt out of place since driving in SA is very intuitive. I could only tolerate the flying missions for so long before finally giving up on the game. Graphically, SA gets the job done but it appears nothing was done in San Andreas is a lot of fun overall. It's what games such as Shenmue tried to be but didn't quite deliver. That said, the flying scenes were pure frustration and felt out of place since driving in SA is very intuitive. I could only tolerate the flying missions for so long before finally giving up on the game. Graphically, SA gets the job done but it appears nothing was done in translating this title from the consoles. Character animation is good, but the models are extremely blocky. Explosions, environments, etc. all look quite dated. It says something that this game is as good as it is despite those shortcomings.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best PC Game of 2005
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 2005
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 47 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 47
  3. Negative: 0 out of 47
  1. Next Level Gaming
    98
    Kudos to Rockstar for actually including gamepad support for the PC!!
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  2. PGNx Media
    97
    It will surely take up hundreds of hours to even the most casual of gamers.
    Read full review
  3. ActionTrip
    94
    It is the perfect crime game.
    Read full review
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