5 best GTA San Andreas mods for next-gen graphics (2023)

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) San Andreas came out in 2004 and pushed the boundaries of what was possible in games. It was packed with features well ahead of its time and a huge map. But that came at the price of underwhelming graphics. Even in its remaster, The Definitive Edition, the visual effects were not up to the standards set by Rockstar Games.

Fortunately, those who want more of a next-gen experience with the title can get that with the help of various mods. Here is a list of the five best GTA San Andreas mods for next-gen graphics in 2023.

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Renderhook Serendipity and four other GTA San Andreas mods for next-gen graphics (2023)

1) V Graphics

V Graphics is arguably the best graphics mod for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, as it enhances the game's visual effects to a much higher degree. In fact, V Graphics makes the 2004 title look as close to 2013's GTA 5 as possible. While it ditches the classic San Andreas sunset orange hue, the new bluer skies provide a more realistic look.

Apart from lighting, the textures of all in-game entities, like trees, buildings, cars, and dynamic shadows, are also much improved. V Graphics has a range of graphical settings as well and a small download size of just 26.884 MB.

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2) SA_DirectX_2.0

GTA San Andreas' SA-DirectX_2.0 is undoubtedly the most popular graphics mod among the player base. While it was originally released in 2018, it is still one of the best mods for improving the game's visual effects in 2023. It greatly enhances the title's base reflections, lighting, and weather system, which makes rain incredibly realistic.

Additionally, San Andreas' base textures get slightly upscaled, which maintains the original look yet brings them closer to today's standards. Those not having a high-end PC can also enjoy the SA_DirectX_2.0 mod, as its creator, Makarus, has included a range of graphical settings.

Installing it makes the original GTA San Andreas just as good-looking, if not better, than The Definitive Edition.

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3) Renderhook Serendipity

The Renderhook Serendipity mod focuses more on San Andreas' in-game lighting rather than largely upscaling its assets. However, it still turns Rockstar Games' 2004 release into a next-gen title. The new and improved visual effects make the game almost unrecognizable.

Furthermore, the inclusion of volumetric clouds and reworked detailed ground textures also contribute towards enhancing the realism factor. Interestingly, a Renderhook graphical mod is also present for GTA Vice City, which implements ray tracing effects into the game, greatly improving its standard visuals.

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4) SDGE Reborn 2.0

SDGE Reborn 2.0 enhances both the base textures and lighting of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. The most notable of all changes are the improved water effects that it adds to the game and a plethora of new tree models with detailed leaves and branches.

The in-game car models are also enhanced as their surfaces become way more reflective than usual. The authors of the SDGE Reborn 2.0 mod include BestArModding, ReShade, and MartMcFly, along with Makarus, who also worked on the SA_DirectX_2.0 mod. It also has a very small download size of just 35.53 MB.

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5) ROSA Reborn

ROSA Reborn is a retexturing mod for GTA San Andreas. As ROSA stands for Retexture of San Andreas, installing the mod will improve the standard textures provided by Rockstar Games.

These include ground textures like rocks, roads, and sand. It also upscales the vanilla textures of various wall arts that can be found across the game's map.

Additionally, ROSA Reborn uses AI upscaling to improve the NPC character models in the game. It also includes a lower-quality variant named ROSA Reborn Lite, which slightly lowers the texture resolution to help the mod work better on weaker systems.

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Those interested can now also play GTA San Andreas on Android; however, it is not free of cost.