Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the fifth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series and the seventh overall entry, following 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Set within the fictional U.S. state of San Andreas (based on California and Nevada) in 1992, the game follows Carl "CJ" Johnson, a former gangster who returns home following his mother's murder. Finding his old street gang in decline, CJ works to rebuild it while clashing with corrupt authorities and rival criminals, and gradually uncovers the truth behind his mother's death.
The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The open world design lets the player freely roam San Andreas, consisting of three major metropolitan cities: Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas, based on Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, respectively. Rockstar conducted on-site research in each city and consulted Los Angeles natives DJ Pooh, Estevan Oriol, and Mister Cartoon for help imitating the city's culture. The narrative is based on multiple real-life events in Los Angeles, including the Bloods and Crips street gang rivalry, the 1990s crack epidemic, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and the Rampart scandal. The 75-person development team spent nearly two years creating the game. San Andreas was released in October 2004 for the PlayStation 2.
The game received critical acclaim for its characters, narrative, open world design, and visual fidelity, but mixed responses towards its mission design, technical issues, and portrayal of race. It generated controversy when the hidden "Hot Coffee" sex minigame was discovered, briefly requiring the game to be re-rated Adults Only. San Andreas received year-end accolades from several gaming publications, and it is considered one of the sixth generation of console gaming's most significant titles and among the best video games ever made. It was released for Windows and the Xbox in 2005, followed by enhanced versions and mobile ports in the 2010s, and a remastered version in 2021. San Andreas is the best-selling PlayStation 2 game with over 17.3 million copies sold, and one of the best-selling games of all time with 27.5 million copies sold overall. Its successor, Grand Theft Auto IV, was released in April 2008.
Gameplay
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is an action-adventure game played from a third-person view. In the game, players control criminal Carl "CJ" Johnson and complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. Outside of missions, players can freely roam the game's open world and complete optional side missions. A multiplayer mode allows two players to roam the world. The fictional state of San Andreas, which makes up the open world, comprises three metropolitan cities—Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas—with some rural areas in between. The cities are unlocked as the story progresses; airports allow teleportation between each city using fast travel. Scattered throughout the map, safehouses can be purchased to save the game and store vehicles.
Players may run, swim, and use vehicles to navigate the world, and use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies, including the ability to dual wield firearms and commit drive-by shootings. Weapons are purchased from local firearms dealers, retrieved from dead enemies, and found scattered through the world. In combat, auto-aim is used to lock on to targets. Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through health pick-ups, and body armour can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage. Players respawn at hospitals when their health depletes. If players commit crimes, law enforcement may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display. Stars displayed on the meter indicate the current wanted level; at the maximum six-star level, police helicopters and military are sent after players. Officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The meter enters a cool-down mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight. The game features more than 180 vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, aircraft, boats, and remote-control vehicles, and most can be accessorised with modifications like hydraulics, nitrous oxide engines, and stereo systems.
In the world, players can fight for territory by attacking rival gang members; the territory is won when players survive three waves of responding enemy attacks. Won territories are subject to periodic enemy gang attacks—they must be successfully defended or else lost. While free roaming the world, players may engage in activities such as burglary, firefighting, paramedic, pimping, taxi, and vigilante missions; completion rewards players with cash, which can be spent on CJ's accessories, clothing, hairstyles, and tattoos—new role-playing elements for the series. Balancing food and physical activity impacts CJ's appearance and physical attributes; eating and exercising maintains health, while losing muscle lessens combat effectiveness. Three styles of hand-to-hand combat—boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts—are taught at gyms in each city. The game tracks respect among CJ's friends, which varies according to his actions and appearance. Acquired skills are also tracked, such as driving, firearms handling, lung capacity, muscles, and stamina, which unlock additional game mechanics. Players can date six different girls and take them to dinner, drinks, dancing, or driving.
Plot
In 1992, after five years in Liberty City, gangster Carl "CJ" Johnson (Young Maylay) returns to Los Santos following his mother's death in a drive-by shooting. He is intercepted by corrupt Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) officers led by Frank Tenpenny (Samuel L. Jackson), who threaten to implicate CJ in the killing of a fellow police officer unless he co-operates with them. CJ returns to Grove Street and reunites with his siblings, Sweet (Faizon Love) and Kendl (Yo-Yo), and members of his old gang, Big Smoke (Clifton Powell) and Ryder (MC Eiht). Discovering the Grove Street Families (GSF) have lost much of their territory, CJ restores the gang to power by helping reunite the various sets who had splintered and allying himself with Cesar Vialpando (Clifton Collins Jr.)—Kendl's boyfriend and leader of the Varrios Los Aztecas gang. He also helps his neighbour, aspiring rapper OG Loc (Jonathan Anderson), launch his career by stealing the rhyme book and killing the manager of successful rapper Madd Dogg (Ice-T).
CJ and Cesar later witness Big Smoke and Ryder meeting with Tenpenny and the rival Ballas gang, discovering they betrayed the GSF and were responsible for killing CJ's mother. Suspecting an ambush, CJ rushes to Sweet's aid in a showdown against the Ballas. Sweet is wounded and incarcerated, while Tenpenny exiles CJ to the countryside, forcing him to eliminate witnesses to CRASH's corruption in exchange for his brother's safety in prison. CJ befriends an ageing hippie and marijuana farmer named "the Truth" (Peter Fonda) and blind Triad leader Wu Zi Mu (James Yaegashi). He engages in illegal street racing and wins a San Fierro garage, which he turns into a profitable chop shop with Kendl and Cesar's help. Learning that the Loco Syndicate, Big Smoke and Ryder's drug connection, is based in San Fierro, CJ infiltrates the organisation and identifies its leader: the affable but mysterious Mike Toreno (James Woods).
Alongside Cesar and the Triads, CJ destroys the Syndicate's drug factory and eliminates its leadership and Ryder; however, Toreno survives and later contacts CJ for assistance, revealing himself as an undercover government agent. CJ performs several shady operations for Toreno in return for Sweet's freedom, and relocates to Las Venturas, joining Wu Zi Mu and Ran Fa Li (Hunter Platin) as co-owners of a casino. Facing competition from the Mafia, CJ and Wu Zi Mu plan and execute a robbery of the rival Mafia-run casino, Caligula's Palace. During this time, CJ finds Madd Dogg attempting suicide after his career was ruined; he intervenes to save his life and sends him to rehab, eventually becoming his new manager. CJ helps take back Madd Dogg's Los Santos mansion from drug dealers and retrieves his rhyme book from OG Loc.
After his release, Sweet and CJ revive the GSF, drive off the rival gangs from their territory, and rebuild throughout Los Santos. Tenpenny is arrested and tried for several felonies, but the charges are dropped due to lack of witnesses, prompting a city-wide riot. CJ soon discovers Big Smoke's hideout, and the two engage in a gunfight. CJ wins, and before dying, Smoke confesses that he had become obsessed with money and power. Tenpenny arrives, holds CJ at gunpoint, steals Smoke's drug money, and escapes after causing an explosion in the building. He drives off in a fire truck, followed by CJ and Sweet, but eventually loses control and crashes over the side of a bridge overlooking Grove Street. CJ and his friends watch as Tenpenny dies of his injuries, ending the riot. In the aftermath, CJ's family and friends celebrate their success at the Johnson house. In the midst of the celebrations, CJ leaves to check on the neighbourhood.
Development
Rockstar North began developing San Andreas after releasing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in October 2002. Their 50-person team grew to 75 after Manhunts 2003 release, while Rockstar Games's New York City team consisted of around 15 members; the testing department grew from 60 to 100 people. San Andreass two-year development, compared to one year for Vice City, gave the team more opportunities to experiment and reevaluate the previous Grand Theft Auto games. Producer Leslie Benzies hoped San Andreas would redefine the series and "revolutionize open-ended gameplay and video game production values". The Warriors was delayed from 2004 to 2005 to provide additional resources. San Andreass budget was under .
Rockstar North's minimal employee turnover since the development of the series's first game, Grand Theft Auto (1997), allowed the team to leverage their experience on the series. Some developers were concerned about the working conditions at Rockstar while developing San Andreas, as they were unable to take an adequate break after Vice City. Programmer Gary Foreman feared the company had entered a "constant crunch", as some developers worked for 17 hours per day. Some stepped away after disagreements with Rockstar president Sam Houser about working conditions, and one long-time employee quit in objection to Rockstar's portrayal of African Americans and what he perceived to be a gloomier and more exploitative tone in their games, particularly San Andreas and Manhunt.
Technical and open world design