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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games

This page is for the original 2005 PC release. For the remaster, see Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition. For the 2014 Microsoft Store re-release, see Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 10 Year Anniversary.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas cover
Developers
Rockstar North
macOS (OS X) TransGaming Inc.
Publishers
Rockstar Games
Japan Capcom
Russia 1C-SoftClub
Engines
RenderWare
Release dates
Windows June 1, 2005
macOS (OS X) (Cider) November 12, 2010
Reception
Metacritic 93
IGDB 93
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Third-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Open world, Gambling/casino, Shooter, TPS
Vehicles Automobile, Bicycle, Bus, Flight, Helicopter, Hovercraft, Motorcycle, Off-roading, Street racing, Tank, Train, Transport, Truck
Art styles Realistic
Themes Contemporary, North America
Series Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on HowLongToBeat
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on IGDB
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas guide on StrategyWiki
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on MobyGames
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on Wikipedia
Grand Theft Auto 1997
Grand Theft Auto 2 1999
Grand Theft Auto III 2002
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 2003
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 2005
Grand Theft Auto IV 2008
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City 2010
Grand Theft Auto: iFruit 2013
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 10 Year Anniversary 2014
Grand Theft Auto V 2015
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 2021
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (series)

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a singleplayer third-person action, open world, gambling/casino, shooter and TPS game in the Grand Theft Auto series.

The PC version allows importing music files for playback in a custom radio station. Rockstar Games has removed some music tracks from the game due to expired licenses. Downgrade to restore.

Many visual features from the original PlayStation 2 version of the game are either simplified, missing, or broken in the PC version, and exceeding 30 FPS introduces various timing issues, including game-breaking ones. There are mods available to restore these features back into the PC version; see Restorations/backports.

General information

GTAForums - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Discussion
Grand Theft Wiki
GTA Network - A large network of fansites dedicated to the Grand Theft Auto series
Steam Community Discussions (Windows)
Steam Community Discussions (OS X)

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
SecuROM 7 DRM disc check.
Polish copies use StarForce 5 DRM.
Custom DRM code may sabotage the game in several ways.
Windows
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
Included in Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy.[1]
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Publisher website
Icon overlay.png
Included in Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy. Playable without DRM by using SA RGSC Downgrader.[2]
Windows
Amazon.com (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
[3]
Windows
Green Man Gaming (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Humble Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Steam (unavailable)
DRM-free after installation through Steam client (notes may include more details)
DRM-free as the November 7, 2014 patch, despite the system requirements stating the game uses SecuROM DRM.[4][5][6]
Windows
macOS (OS X)
If the Steam version is detected, the Rockstar Launcher can launch the game through Steam instead.
Given for free to anyone who purchased The Definitive Edition on the Rockstar Store before June 30, 2022.
Delisted from Steam on October 13, 2021.

Version differences

This game has seen multiple revisions since its initial v1.0 release: v1.01 ("No More Hot Coffee" patch), v2.00 ("Second Edition" re-prints), v3.0 (initial Steam version), and "NewSteam r1/2" (latest Steam revisions).[7].
The Second Edition re-prints and Rockstar Games Launcher version have anti-modding measures to prevent major modifications to the game.[8][9]
Steam and Rockstar Games Launcher versions lack some radio songs that were present in the retail release.[10] To restore them, see Downgrading.
The v1.0 release is most recommended for modding, consider downgrading if you plan to mod.

Monetization

Type Notes
One-time game purchase The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

Microtransactions

Type Notes
No microtransactions None

Essential improvements

Downgrading

Any save game created previously must be converted. See here for instructions.
Downgrading restores all removed licensed songs from the game for the latest Steam and Rockstar Games Launcher versions and removes modding prevention checks from the Second Edition and Rockstar Games Launcher versions.
US executable that is provided misses French, German and Italian localization support. See here for restoration.
Use San Andreas Downgrader[2]
  1. Download the San Andreas Downgrader that matches with the version that is currently installed.
  2. Extract the contents of SA DOWNGRADER.rar (Steam and Rockstar Games Launcher) or SAv2to1.rar (retail Second Edition) to <path-to-game>.
  3. Run install.bat to start the downgrading process. The tool will automatically close its command prompt window and remove patch files afterwards.
  4. Launch the game from the newly created gta-sa.exe v1.0 executable. It is advised to not use the original executable leftover after downgrading, especially for the Rockstar Games Launcher version as it has problems with the modified files and can undo file changes unless it's launched with -scOfflineOnly parameter.

Game doesn't start after downgrading

Delete gta_sa.set[11]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Delete gta_sa.set.

SilentPatch

Limited support for the latest Steam (December 9, 2014 update) and Rockstar Games Launcher versions. Consider downgrading to take full advantage of the mod.
Fixes many of the bugs introduced in the PC version like bugged sun flare, rotor blades, road reflections and some timing issues.[12]
Adds new features to the game like FLAC codec support.[13]
Installing SilentPatch[14]
ASI Loader required.
  1. Download SilentPatch SA here
  2. Extract the contents of SilentPatchSA.zip into <path-to-game>\scripts.

ThirteenAG's Widescreen Fix

Fixes aspect ratio, HUD and FOV for widescreen and ultrawidescreen monitors.
Adds adjustable FOV and HUD/subtitles scaling.
Installing ThirteenAG's Widescreen Fix[15]
Downgrading and ASI Loader required.
  1. Download ThirteenAG's Widescreen Fix.
  2. Extract the contents of GTASA.WidescreenFix.zip to <path-to-game>.
  3. Optionally, a download for high quality textures for HUD and loading screens are available. To install these, download on the same page Widescreen Frontend and copy the models folder from GTASA.WidescreenFrontend.zip to <path-to-game>, replacing the stock files when prompted (or use the modloader)

Skip intro videos

Install SilentPatch[14]
Use Improved Fast Loader[16]

Notes

ASI Loader required. Can use alongside SilentPatch.
Offers the ability to load the last used savegame automatically and disable the loading screen, which can speed up loading times considerably.
Launch the game with -skip parameter
Only works for 1.01 and 2.0 versions.

Game data

Default configuration/saves folder path can be customized.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\GTA San Andreas User Files\gta_sa.set
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/12120/pfx/[Note 1]
Configuration file is encrypted, although it can still be modified.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\GTA San Andreas User Files\
macOS (OS X) $HOME/Documents/Rockstar Games/GTA San Andreas User Files\
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/12120/pfx/[Note 1]

Fixing incompatible save game data

Save games created with the v2.0 executable and newer will refuse to load with previous versions.
Saves made with original 1.0 scripts will fail to load when used with Hot Coffee patched ones, and vice versa. This can be fixed by converting them.
Install SilentPatch[17]
Makes newer versions of the game compatible again with save files created with an older version of the game.
Convert the save files[citation needed]
  1. Go to GTASnP
  2. Upload your save from save game data location
  3. Expand the Modifications section
  4. At Downgrade Version, select your desired version (e.g. downgraded game requires "Script/SCM" version v1, for Steam & Rockstar Games Launcher choose v2).
  5. Select your download slot below to download the save
  6. After downloading, place the save back from where you uploaded it.

Portable GTA

Downgrading and ASI Loader required.
This mod moves the user files from %USERPROFILE%\Documents to the game's installation folder.
Installing Portable GTA
  1. Download Portable GTA.
  2. Rename the file extension from portablegta.dll to portablegta.asi.
  3. Move portablegta.asi into <path-to-game>\scripts.
  4. Launch the game and then quit to desktop, then delete the contents inside <path-to-game>\userfiles.
  5. Copy/move all user files from %USERPROFILE%\Documents\GTA San Andreas User Files into the Portable GTA's new <path-to-game>\userfiles folder.

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
OneDrive
Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud
Uses Rockstar Social Club's save game and settings cloud sync function.

Video

Display options
Display options
Advanced display options
Advanced display options

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
16:9 options added in v1.01. Very poor support by default.[18] See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
See Widescreen resolution and Device selection window.
Ultra-widescreen
See Widescreen resolution.
4K Ultra HD
See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See Windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See Anisotropic filtering (AF).
Anti-aliasing (AA)
2x-4x MSAA. Misleading in-game selector.[19]
See Broken reflections when anti-aliasing is enabled for up to 16x.
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
Automatically enabled with frame limiter.[20]
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Limiting framerate is mandatory to prevent a huge amount of timing-related issues.[21]
In-game framerate limiter locks to 25 FPS by default - use SilentPatch to change that to 30 FPS.[22]
The Framerate Vigilante mod is partially addressing the issues.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

Game normally renders stretched image when using a widescreen resolution. In-game widescreen option uses correct aspect-ratio but cuts view (Vert-).
SilentPatch restores 5:4 and 16:9 resolutions back to v1.0, but does not fix the stretching.[23]
Use ThirteenAG's Widescreen Fix.[24]

Field of view (FOV)

Use SAMP FOV Changer[citation needed]
Downgrading and ASI Loader required.
  1. Download the latest version of SAMP FOV Changer here.
  2. Place the downloaded fov.asi into <path-to-game>\scripts.
  3. Launch the game, then quit to desktop.
  4. Open the newly generated fov.cfg in <path-to-game>\scripts with a text editor to customize FOV.

Notes

Zooming with sniper rifle and camera won't work properly.[citation needed]

Windowed

Use Windowed Mode[24]
Create a wndmode.ini file in <path-to-game> with Ultimate ASI Loader installed[24]

Notes

Breaks the missing moon phases fix from SilentPatch[citation needed].

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

The game does not use anisotropic filtering by default.
Use MixSets[citation needed]
ASI Loader required.
  1. Download the mod.
  2. Extract the EN\MixSets from the archive to <path-to-game>\scripts.
  3. Configure MixSets.ini as required.

Run the game at screen refresh rate

Fullscreen mode defaults to 60 Hz, even if the screen refresh rate is set higher than that.
Set screen refresh rate[citation needed]
  1. Install Special K by following the Unofficial Special K Guide. Manual local installation is recommended.
  2. Go to the installation folder and rename SpecialK32.dll to dinput8.dll.
  3. Start the game once and close it to allow the configuration file of Special K to be created.
  4. Open <path-to-game>\dinput8.ini.
  5. Change RefreshRate=-1 to RefreshRate=0 under [Render.FrameRate].
Override refresh rate set by game[citation needed]
  1. Install ThirteenAG's Widescreen Fix.
  2. Download Chiri's resolution forcing tool.
  3. Extract d3d9.dll and d3dx.ini to the installation folder.
  4. Open d3dx.ini.
  5. Change refresh_rate=60 to desired hertz; e.g. refresh_rate=120.
Install RefreshRateFix[citation needed]
ASI Loader required.

Input

Input settings
Input settings
Mouse settings
Mouse settings

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Can be further adjusted with sensitivity fix[citation needed] (requires ASI Loader)
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse Sensitivity slider only affects the X-axis. Use SilentPatch to tie sensitivity to both axes.
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Very basic support for DirectInput controllers on v1.0.
Full controller support
Native in the Steam version only. Use GInput for full support on other versions.
Controller remapping
Can be remapped by adding ControlsSet=* at section [Pad1] in GInputSA.ini when using GInput. 1 for classic controls and 2 for direct controls.
Controller sensitivity
Use GInput and adjust sensitivity options in GInputSA.ini.
Controller Y-axis inversion
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
Limited XInput support only in the Steam/RGL version. Use GInput for full XInput support.
Xbox button prompts
Uses generic button prompts. Xbox prompts can be used with GInput.
Impulse Trigger vibration
PlayStation controllers
GInput only supports DualShock 3 controllers, not DualShock 4 or DualSense. Use an XInput wrapper in tandem with GInput as a workaround.[25]
PlayStation button prompts
Uses generic button prompts. PlayStation prompts can be used with GInput.
Light bar support
Adaptive trigger support
DualSense haptic feedback support
Connection modes Wired
[25]
Generic/other controllers
Supports DirectInput in non-Steam/RGL version while basic XInput support was added to the Steam version.
Button prompts Input settings icon - Generic Controller.svg GInput can be configured to use Xbox or PlayStation prompts. For Nintendo Wii prompts, use this GInput addon. An alternative GInput icons pack can be found here.
Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Use GInput.
Haptic feedback
Use GInput for XInput and DualShock 3 controllers.
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

GInput

Adds full XInput and DualShock 3 controller support with relevant controller prompts.
Supports pressure sensitive buttons and SIXAXIS accelerometers.
Restores haptic feedback present on the console versions.
Features various tweaks such as controller sensitivity, axis inversion, and controller layout from Grand Theft Auto IV.
Installing GInput[26]
Downgrading and ASI Loader required.
Works with DsHidMini, but requires to drop DsHidMini's xinput1_3.dll into the game directory.[27]
  1. Download GInputSA here.
  2. Extract the contents of GInputSA_*.zip, and copy the models folder, GInputSA.asi, and GInputSA.ini files into <path-to-game>\scripts.
  3. Open GInputSA.ini with a text editor and configure the desired settings.

Audio

Audio panel
Audio panel

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Separate sliders for SFX and Radio.
Surround sound
Up to 7.0 output.[28] May require DirectSound 3D restoration software.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Use ThirteenAG's Widescreen fix.[29]
EAX support
EAX 1, EAX 2, EAX 3, EAX 4.[30]
Royalty free audio
Newer versions of the game, such as the current ones on Steam and Rockstar Games Launcher, have had several licensed music tracks removed.[10] Downgrade to a previous version to restore them.
To enable EAX on Vista or newer, see DirectSound hardware path.

Uncompressed SFX Pack

Restores uncompressed versions of vanilla sound effects to the game.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Arabic
Fan translation.
Czech
Fan translation.
French
German
Hungarian
Fan translation.
Italian
Japanese
Unknown if taken from the Japanese PlayStation 2 version or retranslated from English into Japanese, available here.
Korean
Fan translation.
Polish
Local retail only. Patch for digital release can be downloaded here or here.
Portuguese
Fan translation.
Brazilian Portuguese
Fan translation (sub+dub). Audio and voice: Nemesis Fandubs. Player and some NPCs are not dubbed but gangs are.
Russian
Official localization by «1C-Softclub».
Russian
1) Fan translation by «ENPY Studio/Sherhan Group/®‡™Mad?Dogg™‡® Crew/SerGEAnt's Zone Of Games»
2) «Потраченный перевод»
Serbian
Fan translation.
Slovak
Fan translation.
Spanish
Latin American Spanish
Fan translation (not the official localization present in the Definitive Edition).
Turkish
Fan translation.

Add more localizations to the in-game language option

Install Language Loader[31]
1.0 version and ASI Loader required.
  1. Download Language Loader.
  2. Extract LanguageLoader.asi to <path-to-game>\scripts.
  3. Drag the corresponding languages.ini file to <path-to-game>\text according to the number of languages actually available.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
2 Co-op
See Local play.
LAN play
Requires a third-party multiplayer client, such as San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP) (EoL), Multi Theft Auto (MTA:SA) or GTAConnected.
Online play
Requires a third-party multiplayer client, such as San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP) (EoL), Multi Theft Auto (MTA:SA) or GTAConnected.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Requires a third-party multiplayer client, GTAConnected.
Dedicated
Requires a third-party multiplayer client, such as San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP) (EoL), Multi Theft Auto (MTA:SA) or GTAConnected.
Self-hosting
Requires a third-party multiplayer client, such as San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP) (EoL), Multi Theft Auto (MTA:SA) or GTAConnected.
Direct IP
Requires a third-party multiplayer client, such as San Andreas Multiplayer (SA-MP) (EoL), Multi Theft Auto (MTA:SA) or GTAConnected.

Local play

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Download 2 Player Missions Loader
  2. Extract everything inside Two Player Missions Loader 1.2 in <path-to-game>\cleo.
  3. Configure controls:

Notes

CLEO, ThirteenAG's Widescreen Fix and downgrading required (plus GInput if using controllers).

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
TriDef 3D
vorpX
G3D, Z3D
Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.
Devices
Tobii Eye Tracking
Works with Tobii EyeX tracker or Tobii EyeX 4C and 5 headtracker plugins for FaceTrackNoIR.
TrackIR
Works with FreeTrack 2.0 protocol using software like FaceTrackNoIR.

Issues unresolved

Save game corruption glitches

Some save corrupting glitches can be worked around with an online repair tool or a savegame editor.[32]
Even though virtually every major bug has been addressed by mods such as SilentPatch, there's no guarantee that some of the rarest ones will not occur.[33][34]

German Steam version doesn't work on OS X

The German Steam version for OS X doesn't launch.[35]

Timing-related issues

Playing above 30 FPS causes timing-related issues.

Relevant issues

  • Game-breaking bugs and glitches
    • Some missions such as Amphibious Assault or Driving School missions[36] or Mike Toreno (on entering the airport) are unbeatable or incredibly difficult.
    • Some cutscenes display black screen: Cleaning The Hood (after entering Crack Den building) or Cesar Vialpando (after entering to tune shop) or during robbery of betting shop (after leaving the place [+ indestructible doors by detonator with unlocked framerate]), and Vertical Bird (after entering the ship; to be more precise, the game crashes).
  • Physics bugs
    • Vehicles & bicycles handle like brakes are always on, decelerate almost immediately, wobbly rear ends, and seem feathered whenever in-air.
    • Turning sirens on or off is much harder due to shortened timing of pressing the assigned key to do so.
    • Inability to dive underwater.
  • Gameplay absurdities
    • The camera during stunt jumps can lock up at any moment and would never go back to normal state.
    • Aiming while walking is silly.[37]
    • Spray cans and fire extinguishers become lethal.[38]
    • Inability to walk while aiming a rifle/desert eagle.[38]
    • Climbing walls results in sudden deaths.[39]
    • Vehicles and/or pedestrians move extremely fast.
  • Crashes when listening to User Radio (fixed in patch 1.01).[40]
  • Cutscenes not ending (black screen - described above).[38]
  • Weird audio pitching when panning the camera.[41]
Turn on the in-game frame limiter[42]
Locks the framerate to 25 FPS by default. Use SilentPatch to increase the limit to 30 FPS.
Use Framerate Vigilante[43][44]
Contains fixes for many framerate related issues.
By using this mod and limiting the game to 60 FPS, game-breaking bugs are avoidable and the game is mostly beatable from start to finish.
Does not fix all of the issues.

Visual C++ Runtime Error when using mods

Enable the Large Adress Aware flag for the executable[citation needed]
Increases RAM amount the game can use. Required when using memory intensive mods to avoid crashes.
Issue may still occur if mods exceed the 4GB RAM limit.

Issues fixed

Vegetation disappears in the distance

Tweak draw distance[citation needed]
ASI Loader required.
  1. Download Project2DFX.
  2. Extract archive contents to <path-to-game>\scripts.

Notes:

It is also possible to make the vegetation disappear in further distances by opening SALodLights.ini with a text editor and increase the number in VegetationDrawDistance (value is measured in meters).

Missing or broken features and bugs

Examples

  • Broken reflections, lighting, transparency
  • Streaming memory bug, incorrectly rendered pedestrians
  • Missing moon phases
  • Gym persistently reports to have been worked out enough
  • Rare game crashes when standing near escalators
Use SilentPatch[14]

Pressing Alt+Tab crashes the game

Use SilentPatch[45]

Broken Alt+F4 function

Use SilentPatch[46]

User tracks don't play on modern systems

Use SilentPatch[14]

Game crashes on multi-monitor systems

Use SilentPatch[47]

Cannot find 800x600x32 video mode error

Use SilentPatch[14]

Lens flare is too thin and barely visible with AMD/Intel graphics cards

Use SilentPatch[14]

Broken reflections when anti-aliasing is enabled (Windows 10 and newer)

Use SilentPatch[45]
Install Multi-sampling FIX[citation needed]
Downgrading and ASI Loader required.

Error on startup due to a DirectX 9.0 prompt (Windows 8 and newer)

Use SilentPatch[48]
Removes the DirectPlay dependence altogether.
Install DirectPlay[citation needed]

Loading older save file starts a new game

Attempting to load v1.0 saves on v2.0 (and newer) will fail and a new game will start instead.
Use SilentPatch[14]
Convert the affected save file[citation needed]

Mouse fails to work

Use SilentPatch[14]

Intro movies not playing on modern systems

Windows Vista/7: disable desktop composition[49]
Windows 8 and newer: enable DXMaximizedWindowedMode shim[50][citation needed]

Intro movies not playing and broken Alt+Tab

Fix codec hell

Accidental activation of cheat codes

Unlike III and VC, SA uses a sophisticated hashing mechanism to recognize the input of cheats. Unfortunately, this mechanism is faulty - leading to cheats sometimes being triggered by WASD keys commonly used for movement, among many others. Unwanted activation of cheats can ruin normal gameplay and speedrun experience.[51][52][53]
Disable cheats through CLEO[citation needed]
Use Cheat Menu as an alternative way of activating cheats.[citation needed]

Sound issues on modern systems

Enable Windows 98/Me compatibility mode[54]
Downgrade the EAX United dll to version 3.066 or 3.065[55]
Update to version 1.01[56]

Map/texture/models issues

The game has a huge amount of visual issues, some from the original release, some from the PC port. The community has made an effort to fix most of the issues.
See Modifications - Fixes

Device selection window opens at launch

If running more than one monitor, the game will display a message to configure the resolution every time the game is launched.
Install SkipDeviceSelection.asi[citation needed]
ASI Loader required.
  1. Download SkipDeviceSelection.asi.
  2. Move the file to <path-to-game>\scripts.

Multi monitor issues on left and right side of the screen

Use ThirteenAG's Widescreen Fix

Freezes randomly when starting up or loading the game

Use SilentPatch[14]

Game doesn't start and gets stuck in task manager

Use RunDLL32.exe fix[24]

Access violation DEP crash

Use NoDEP[24]

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
OpenGL 2.0 OS X only.
Shader Model support 1.1, 2.0
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.

Modifications

Downgrading and ASI Loader are required for modding.
GTAInside - Very popular and long running GTA modding site with a huge catalog of mods.
MixMods - Brazilian modding community.
GameModding - Mod site with many mods available for many games; similar to NexusMods.
GTA Garage Mod Database
GTA-All - Newer website with lots of high-quality mods available.
GTA San Andreas Land - Grand Theft Auto San Andreas Modifications Land.
LibertyCity - Russian modding community.

Utilities

The mods/tools in this section may be required by other mods.

ASI Loader

Required for many script-based mods and fixes. Most mods include some ASI loader, however, avoid overwriting this one as it is more up-to-date than the ones supplied by the mods.
Does not work on old versions of Windows (XP, Vista, 7) due to missing DLL files.[citation needed]
Install Ultimate ASI Loader[57]
  1. Download Ultimate ASI Loader here, then extract the contents of Ultimate ASI Loader.zip into <path-to-game>.

Link2012's Mod Loader

May be required for easier mod installation.
Install Link2012's Mod Loader[24]
ASI Loader required.
  1. Download the latest release
  2. Extract the contents of modloader.zip to the game folder.
  3. Read the README.txt for instructions on manual mod installation.

CLEO

CLEO may be required for some script-based mods.
Install CLEO[24]
ASI Loader required.
  1. Download the latest release
  2. Extract the contents of CLEO4.zip to the game folder.

CLEO+

An addition for CLEO. May be required by some mods.

RepairGTA

An automatic tool to fix various issues when modding the game.

Restorations/backports

The mods in this section feature PS2 restorations, 10 Year Anniversary backports and general restorations of lost features.

PS2 Features To PC

A list of various PS2 restoration mods.

Mobile to PC Research Project

A list of various 10 Year Anniversary backporting mods.
Alternative set of radar icons that are faithful to the original art instead can be found here.

SkyGfx Extended

Restores PS2 and Xbox graphics to the PC version, with some extras of the 10 Year Anniversary release.
Recommended to be used with PS2 Timecyc.

Mobile Tattoo for PC

Backports higher quality tattoo's from the 10 Year Anniversary release.

Remastered GUI Textures for SA

Backports higher quality GUI textures from the 10 Year Anniversary release.

More Hostile Gangs

In some missions, gangs would damage your car. This mod restores this feature to the freeroam.

Fixes

The mods in this section fix various aspects of the game.

Proper Fixes

Requires Mod Loader and SkyGfx with buildingPipe=PS2 enabled.
Features almost 4,000 fixes while optimizing performance and adding a few extra features from PlayStation, PC, and Xbox versions. In general, it should not cause any performance issues, even on lower end hardware. See the mod page for exhaustive details of its features.
Replaces/includes SA Optimized Map, LOD Vegetation, Better Leftovers Fix, Map Textures Fix, PS2 Map + Fixes, Xbox Map Features, Grass Color Fix, Vertex Color Fixes + Improvements + 2dfx effects, ORG Patch, Project Lumos, Proper Radar, Neons and Shadows, Restored Mailboxes, Fix Textures Pack, Mugetsuga's Fixes and Unofficial Patch.

Improved Streaming

Fixes streaming issues by pre-loading types of assets (customizable) and keeping them in memory. Might improve performance.

SkyGrad

Fixes gradient banding from the sky gradient.

Fixed Vehicle Lights

Fixes vehicles not using their correct light textures at night.

Train Light

Restores train headlights at night.

Orange Bulb Lampposts

Changes the white lampposts bulbs to orange ones instead, as it should be.

Pyramid 2DFX Fix

Fixes the Las Venturas pyramid's broken 2DFX.

Jizzy's Pleasure Dome Remastered 2DFX

Redone all the 2DFX in Jizzy's club.

Fixed Vanilla Vehicles

Fixes a lot of various issues with vehicle textures and models.

Peds Hands Up Fix

Fixes the bug where pedestrians will drop their hands and walk while aiming at them after a while.

Gangster Swat Fix

Replaces the Micro SMG the SWATS carry to a more fitting MP5.

Escalator Physics Fix

Fixes broken escalator physics (or rather, makes them actually work in the first place).

Real Traffic Fix

Fixes and majorly improves traffic AI.

Bollards Fix

Various fixes for various bollards present in various places.

Bleeding Trees Fix

Fixes the issue where trees are capable of bleeding if you shoot them.

Fixed transparent chains

Fixes broken transparency on chains.

Body Stats Fix in Interiors

Allows to see body changes during a workout without having to leave the gym.

El Corona Shadow Fix

Fixes a weird shadow that shouldn't be there in El Corona.

Black roads fix

Fixes black roads when playing on low graphics.

Desert Sheriff Fix

Fixes the game spawning normal sheriff instead of a desert one in the desert area.

Fix Seville Parked Car

Fixes a wrongly placed parked car spawn.

Plane Explode Fix

Fixes an issue where the game would sometimes just make a plane disappear before the explosion during a collision.

Spread Fix

Fixes the spread of the gun shots.

Improvements and additions

The mods in this section improve the various aspects of the game, even if they were only partially or not at all present in the game.

MixSets

Allows to extensively tweak a lot of gameplay mechanics, visuals and more, totaling at more than 250 features available.
Due to the nature of being able to tweak any feature separately, it can be made compatible with any mod.

Project2DFX

Adds LOD corona effect to a game map, making the LOD-world look a lot better.
Comes with Open Limit Adjuster that allows to increase all kinds of limits and render distances.

Bullethole

Adds bulletholes in the game.

Combat Improvement

Improves the fighting in the game. Recommended to be used along with Mixed Fighting Styles.

PedSkills

Improves the AI.

Cutscene Characters for Gameplay

Replaces the low-resolution gameplay character models with their high-resolution cutscene counterparts.

Ladders

Adds actual animation for climbing ladders.

Manual Driveby

Allows to free aim while in Driveby mode, similar to future GTA games.

Improved Default Armory

Majorly enhances weapon textures and models, aswell as adding a few extras to them.

Green Sabre Cutscenes Fix

Fixes various issues present in the cutscene's animations.
Alternative versions of the Green Sabre cutscene to avoid an issue with story's logic. Page contains spoilers.

Rescaled Pickup Icons

Scales pickup icons to a more pleasant level.

Manhunt Cranes

Replaces low quality cranes with the ones from Manhunt.

Cutscene Liberty City Xbox Textures

Uses GTA 3's Liberty City textures for the Saint Mark's Bistro mission in favor of low resolution vanilla textures.

Single Notes Fix

Uses Max Payne textures for single notes in favor of the vanilla ones which were taken from the bundle texture.

Lit Church

Makes the church lit at night.

Stories Sprinting

Adds an animation for sprinting with heavy weapons, alike to the one in LCS and VCS.

Airport Radar Animation

Adds an animation to the radar prop in the airport, alike to the one in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

HD mods

These mods increase the texture quality of various aspects of the game that aren't ported from other versions.

RoSA Project Evolved

Radar Icons HQ Remastered

HD Floppy

HD Stickers

HD Vinyls for lowriders

Welcome to Las Venturas Sign Remastered

Candy Suxx Billboard HD

HD Menu

HD Cursor

Total conversion mods

Things to do in San Andreas: Overall Improvements

Extends and expands the game significantly using as much official content as possible, such as unused content and content from other GTA games. (requires new game)

San Andreas: BETA Edition

Restores a lot of beta content that was cut from the final release.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 2000, XP
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium III 1.0 GHz
AMD Athlon 1.0 GHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 3.6 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 3
ATI Radeon 8500
64 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
Sound (audio device) DirectX 9 compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum
Operating system (OS) 10.6.8
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo
System memory (RAM) 1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 5.2 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT
ATI Radeon X1600
Intel GMA X3100
This game will NOT run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems (PowerMac)


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/12120/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (12120) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2021-10-24
    Does not appear to use SecuROM DRM after installing the game from the disc, and running SecuROM's removal tool does not return any instance of SecuROM being installed onto the system while the game was installed. Tested on Windows 10 64-bit.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2020-12-14
    Tested on the "Second Edition" (v2.00), Steam (New Steam r2), and the RGL releases and they downgraded them to the v1.0 release of the game.
  3. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Games for Windows - last accessed on 19 August 2022
  4. San Andreas updated on Steam (Updated) - Rockstar Nexus (archived) - last accessed on 2019-07-20
  5. Patch incoming? - Steam Community Discussions - last accessed on 2019-07-20
  6. (False Alarm) Suddenly... Securom DRM listed in requirements! WTF Rockstar? - Steam Community Discussions - last accessed on 2019-07-20
  7. San Andreas Versions - GTAMods Wiki - last accessed on March 2, 2019
  8. San Andreas Versions - last accessed on 2019-10-06
    "Version 2 has the same bug fixes and additions that were introduced in the 1.01 patch. It also checks the size of the 'gta3.img' file, which causes the game to crash if the size is not equal to a predetermined (hardcoded) size."
  9. Rockstar Games Launcher just released! Download and obtain GTA San Andreas for free! - GTA Forums - last accessed on 2019-10-06
  10. 10.0 10.1 STEAM | September 2014 - Nice thread. Btw, Bayonetta 2 is out next month. | NeoGAF
  11. Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2024-01-08
  12. SilentPatch - Page 27 - GTA Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  13. SilentPatch - Page 23 - GTA Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 14.8 Verified by User:Silent on 2017-08-16
    All confirmed by the author of the unofficial patch SilentPatch
  15. Verified by User:AmethystViper on March 31, 2019
  16. Verified by User:AlphaYellow on 2024-01-08
  17. SilentPatch - GTAForums - last accessed on 2022-11-28
    "Steam/RGL version of the game will not reject 1.0/1.01 saves anymore"
  18. [PLUG|OS] Widescreen Hor+ Support - GTA Forums
  19. SilentPatch - Page 139 - GTAForums - last accessed on May 2023
  20. SilentPatch - Page 91 - GTA Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  21. [REL]Multi-sampling FIX - GTA Forums - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  22. SilentPatch - Page 22 - GTA Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  23. Patch incoming? :: Steam Community Discussions - last accessed on May 2023
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 24.6 Verified by User:Sandemc on 2024-02-16
  25. 25.0 25.1 Verified by User:Amethystviper on 2022-10-13
    Tested with a V1 controller connected through USB.
  26. Verified by User:AmethystViper on May 13, 2019
  27. Was somebody able to make DS3-mode in GInput work via DSHIDMini yet?
  28. PC Gaming Surround Sound Round-up - last accessed on May 2023
  29. [GTA|NFS|MP|OTHER] Widescreen Fixes Pack - GTA Forums
  30. Gaming - SoundBlaster.com (retrieved) - last accessed on May 2023
  31. Language loader - GTAForums - last accessed on May 2023
  32. SilentPatch - Page 85 - GTA Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  33. [SA Crashes & Their Causes - GTAForums] - last accessed on 2024-02-16
  34. SilentPatch - Page 86 - GTA Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  35. Problems Launching German Steam Version of San Andreas on Mac – Rockstar Support
  36. Need Help on Alley Oop Driving School - iGrandTheftAuto.com Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  37. Сборки CLEO-скриптов для GTA III, VC, SA (Page 5) / Модификации / SannyBuilder.com Forums
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 Do not play GTA SA with high FPS! - | MixMods | - Mods to GTA San Andreas and other
  39. SilentPatch - Page 149 - GTAForums - last accessed on May 2023
  40. San Andreas Versions - GTAModding - last accessed on May 2023
  41. GTA San Andreas - Crash with Radio EQ option enabled · DSOAL - last accessed on 9 June 2023
  42. From the Readme, about the frame limiter:
    This option allows the game to go faster than 30 [sic] frames per second. Be warned that this will not magically make GRAND THEFT AUTO: San Andreas run better, but rather may make your experience "more variable". We do not recommend unlocking the frame rate. If you have a fast machine, it is far preferable to increase resolution, detail options, anti-aliasing, etc. rather than trying to achieve a higher frame rate by un-locking the Frame Limiter. This will lead to a more variable gameplay experience.
  43. GitHub - last accessed on May 2023
  44. gtaforums.com - last accessed on May 2023
  45. 45.0 45.1 SilentPatch - Page 141 - GTAForums
  46. SilentPatch - Page 173 - GTAForums - last accessed on May 2023
  47. SilentPatch - Page 148 - GTAForums
  48. SilentPatch - Page 99 - GTAForums - last accessed on May 2023
  49. GTA San Andreas black screen during intro - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
  50. ESSENTIAL PATCH (Silent Patch) :: Steam Community Discussions - last accessed on May 2023
  51. GTA SA - Alternative Cheats - Feat. Badger Goodger - last accessed on 2022-03-28
  52. GTA:SA Speedrun Ruined by WASD Cheat (Joshimuz) - last accessed on 2022-03-28
  53. Stream Highlights: 03/2022 - YouTube - last accessed on 2022-11-28
  54. NEW Fix for Sound Problems - GTA Forums - last accessed on May 2023
  55. Fix for some of the audio problems in GTA:SA - GTAForums - last accessed on May 2023
  56. Rain/Thunderstorm Bug - GTAForums - last accessed on May 2023
  57. Verified by User:Amethystviper on 2022-10-13
    Ultimate ASI Loader has been updated more recently compared to Silent ASI Loader and this pre-made package I've created uses the latest release from Github as of writing. The original v1 vorbisFile.dll supplied by CLEO 4 is also included.