GTA San Andreas is an evergreen game. Just like any GTA game in the whole franchise. The game world changed completely when Rockstar games first dropped GTA Vice City on 27 October 2002. Once the franchise started, the rest was history. One after another, GTA kept growing and hitting every gamer’s PCs just right. The unique thing about it was the brilliant open world and amazing storylines that led from one mission to another.
San Andreas was released two years after Vice City. And instantly it became the best game in the market. It sold about 2.6 million copies within 6 days of its release in the United States of America. It would go on to sell over 5 million copies in the U.S. that very year. Obviously, it became the highest-selling game of 2004. Everything was new this time. It portrayed the real raw America. There were gang wars, a more open social life, and the same old action-packed adventure.
The story followed CJ. His mother had been killed in a drive-by shooting and he had been arrested by corrupt police officer Tenpenny. After threatening to frame him for the murder of a cop, they dispose of him. This is where the game starts.
We learn to drive the bicycle, swim, and do a lot more as the game progresses. The unique cheat codes only make things even more fun. Even though they weren’t meant to be a part of the full game. Making gangs and messing around. Completing annoying missions and interacting with in-game characters. San Andreas had everything Vice City did not.
Top 5 best things about GTA San Andreas that make it better than Vice City
Here, we will talk about the top five things. Let’s get started.
5. CJ Can Swim
Unlike his predecessor Tommy Vercetti from Vice City, CJ could actually swim. This was a great addition to the game. In Vice City, you could accidentally fall into deep water and instantly die. But here, the story was different. Running away from the police or any other kind of danger became easier. And let’s just admit, swimming was always something that felt important to the protagonist of an action-adventure game. CJ brought this amazing feature to San Andreas making the player experience even better.
4. Flying/Sky-Diving
You could do everything in your power on the Vice City to fly a plane but it would work with only a few. In San Andreas, flying became the norm. Whether it was with a cheat code or not, San Andreas brought about the unique twist of faster travel. You could also get the heights of thrill by spawning a parachute and skydiving out of a moving vehicle. Everyone loves to complete a mission like an action movie.
3. Protagonist Backstory
CJ’s story up to the start feels a lot more fleshed out than Tommy’s. Both seem to have been thrown out by someone at some point. But CJ’s story includes being framed by corrupt officials and trying to keep the power center of his fellow gang members intact. He feels like someone who has a lot of pressure and responsibilities. There’s a hint of empathy for the character.
2. World Build
San Andreas was bigger and more ambitious. Once you play San Andreas, the map of GTA Vice City starts feeling tiny. San Andreas has so much space, so many cities, and counties. The potential for exploration becomes unlimited. So, even after finishing all the missions, San Andreas has a lot to offer. One could never get bored.
1. Storyline and The Final Mission
And finally, the storyline. The GTA franchise always seems to have a twist of sharp betrayal. In the end, Big Smoke betrays CJ. He was supposed to be one of our most trusted allies. And so, the final mission is hunting down and killing Smoke in his fortress. This also ends with the end of Tenpenny. This whole sequence brings the story to a redeeming closure.
It is no wonder that GTA San Andreas is still being played by millions. Even though it cannot compete with today’s games that have a very high quality of graphics. It still manages to be loved by almost every gamer in the world. It’s like they say, nothing is quite like GTA.
And these were the five best things about GTA San Andreas that separate it from Vice City. Did we miss anything out? Let us know in the comments.
