Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition Reviews

While it still has bugs and is unoptimized af, it's worth it for that nostalgic feel. The graphics upgrades and achievements are also a bonus for me. Definitely worth it in the bundle for all three remasters.

About 10 hours in, so far so good. As a GTA player since the start, I can recommend this version. The November 2024 update seems to have fixed most of the issues reported at launch. I encountered a resolution issue, if you exit and enter the game a few times in a row, the game get stuck in a window. Might be a GPU issue as well. They appear to have fixed the "low-rider" mission issues, which I believe is still present on the Steam vanilla version. Will update as I progress. Besides that, the game looks and handles great. The modern updates are welcome and of this writing I can recommend, especially on sale!

It's still a good game. There are visual bugs and they can be rather disappointing. But they are not game breaking. I appreciate the quality of life improvements and the visual enhancements are fine. But each their own. Play this or play the original. But play GTA SA. Good game. Would recommend.

Rockstar has spit on the memory of these games, and no matter how much they patch and try to fix it up, it will never be replacement for the original you ripped away from us, and force us to steal now. Let me play the original

If this is the "definitive" version of the game that is shameful and whoever passed this off has clearly not even played it.

it is so bad, the original is so much better, this is my review after my gorendous review 6 hours in. it is buggy as hell, will request refund

I originally had the GTA DE set before the classic lighting update and got a refund. However, since the update I decided to give the trilogy again. I can safely say a worthy remake vs the original now. Ok there are still some irritations, like the facial visuals and some of the limbs looking like clay, but if you can get past that, this is a decent remake of GTA SA. Definitely the best of the three classics.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the defining moment of the GTA series. The GTA that "had it all". I was only in primary school when I started San Andreas and to this day, oh man... it's arguably still the my favourite/THE BEST GTA game to exist. I know, I am going to get crucified for saying that by the GTA fanboys but they will never know what it was like to play a GTA game that was not "full of itself". Here I am, 26 (almost 27) writing a review for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition. Is the definitive edition of San Andreas worth playing now? especially after all those horrible issues and... CJ having no neck? Is it worth it? Well, below I will let you know but first, a quick disclaimer! [b] This review is MY opinion, MY own personal experience and MY thoughts. I am brutally honest when it comes to reviewing games. If you do not like my opinion, my time or respect my personal experience, please move on. [/b] [h1][b] That feeling of Nostalgia [/b][/h1] We all know CJ's infamous line and to hear and see it again after almost 19 years of my life... man... it just brings happy memories flooding back - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3438245402 Then, while playing San Andreas you get to visit a familiar location from memories past, Marco's Bistro from Grand Theft Auto III. This might not mean much to some but this was a hit and a half - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3442177183 We all know that saucy loading screen that, SOMEHOW, always came on when our parents or an adult walked into your room - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3438245263 [h1][b] Pros [/b][/h1] ⚫Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (or Definitive Edition) had, arguably, the best characters in video-gaming history. If you mentioned to someone CJ, Big Smoke, Ceasar.. or heck, Ryder... they would know it is San Andreas. How connected, how in depth, just how... expertly written these characters are is mindblowing. ⚫The story for GTA: San Andreas is unforgettable. The moment you start of the plane, getting picked up and harassed by corrupt, crooked cops... till that moment of betrayal that turns into revenge. The story will have you hooked from the very start and, If I remember correctly - it's also based on real life events. ⚫Rockstar have HEAVILY optimised and worked on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition since it's launch. I have avoided it for a long time due to some MAJOR issues with this version of San Andreas. ⚫Bridges are where they should be and you no longer need to be Indiana Jones to find them. Neck's are where they should be and muscles are properly defined now (I wonder what I mean) and the Fog has fully returned to San Andreas!!! Stephen King would be proud!! ⚫There is so much to do in San Andreas - Racing. Stadium events. Quarry missions. Trucking missions. Paramedic, Vigilante and Firefighter missions. Courier missions and just so much more. Go, explore and see what else is out there!! ⚫You can conquer the map in helicopters, jets, boats, cars and bikes. It's up to you to decide CJ's path and when you finally conquer all the gang territories, THE HOOD IS YOURS!!! ⚫I did not lag, freeze, crash, stutter e.t.c once. I was running at MAX settings on a 4090 and not a single issue was encountered. ⚫The soundtrack is amazing. ⚫The controls now match GTA V. So you get the weapon wheel. It also brings improved gunplay and targeting too. ⚫You also get upgraded graphics, high resolution textures for cars, vehicles, weapons, environment e.t.c. ⚫The mini-map has been upgraded to allow the players to set waypoints... this was sorely needed. ⚫You now get a checkpoint/restart system. This, for all 3 games, is a lifesaver and timesaver. ⚫They made changes to the 100% requirement such as - removing the $999,999,999 need. You don't need to do all 70 stunt jumps. No need to max all your skills. No need to get GOLD medal on all the "school missions/tests". [h1][b] Cons [/b][/h1] ⚫There are locations on the map that has not been fixed. I have went INTO mountains, walls and other locations because the terrain is "floating" above the actual terrain. Really Rockstar? Really. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3439861353 I really cannot think of anything else negative to say about this. [h1][b] My Verdict [/b][/h1] After coming from the OG games way back in my childhood and not playing them until now... this was a blast from the bast. A true hit of nostalgia. I have avoided the Definitive Edition for almost 2 years due to it being plagued with issues and poor optimisation but now, in 2025 the Definitive Editions of GTA have finally earned their name and I would whole-heartedly recommend one of the best, if not, THE BEST, GTA of all time to anyone!!! If you would like to follow more of my reviews or see my opinion about other games, please give my curator a little follow - https://steamcommunity.com/groups/HonestReviewsbyaCompletionist 100% obtained in 58.1 hours - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3442330540 [h1][b] 9/10 - A GTA game for generations to come. A Nostalgia hit for fans worldwide! Finally, earned it's "Definitive Edtion" name! [/b][/h1]

It's been about 10 years (or more) since the last time I played it. Maybe it's the improved graphics, but driving through the city for the first time in so long reminded me of the first time I got the game running back in 2005 or 2006, excited and inviting over a friend who introduced me to GTA Vice City, and the first girl I had my first romantic feelings for. I think the graphical style is a big improvement over the original while still keeping its artistic identity and adding some variety/improvements to things like NPCs and lighting. However, some aspects feel neglected because it's basically just a graphical upscale on a different engine, and there are certain issues, like annoying stuttering, despite having a high FPS. It's not worth it at full price—only if it's on sale for 50% off or more

---{Graphics}--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☐ Good ☑ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ Free Fire ---{Gameplay}--- ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ It‘s just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{Audio}--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{Audience}--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ All ---{PC Requirements}--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☑ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{Difficulty}--- ☐ Just press 'W' ☐ Easy ☑ Significant brain usage ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☐ Difficult ☐ Dark Souls ---{Grind}--- ☐ Nothing to grind ☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks ☑ Isn't necessary to progress ☐ Average grind level ☐ Too much grind ☐ You‘ll need a second live for grinding ---{Story}--- ☐ No Story ☐ Some lore ☐ Average ☑ Good ☐ Lovely ☐ It‘ll replace your life ---{Game Time}--- ☐ Really short ( 0 - 2 hours) ☐ Short ( 2 - 8 hours) ☐ Few hours ( 8 - 12 hours) ☑ Not bad duration ( 12 - 20 hours) ☐ Long ( 20 - 50 hours) ☐ Too long ( 50 - 100 hours) ☐ Endless ---{Price}--- ☐ It’s free! ☐ Worth the price ☑ If it's on sale ☐ If u have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ☐ You could also just burn your money ---{Bugs}--- ☐ Never heard of ☑ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ Cyberpunk 2077 ☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ---{71/100}---