5 biggest differences between GTA San Andreas Remastered and original

GTA San Andreas: Definitive Edition is the remastered version of the original game that Rockstar has always been proud of. The newer version is part of a package called GTA Trilogy, which has other remastered titles including Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, and San Andreas.

The original version of the game cannot be easily replaced by its remastered versions, as evidenced by speedrunners and streamers still playing it. But both game titles have distinctive features and attributes that create a vast difference between them.

This article breaks down some of the biggest differences between the original and the Definitive Edition of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

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Five differences between GTA San Andreas original and remastered versions

1) Revised targeting, weapons access, and drive-by controls

Compared to the original GTA SA, the remastered one has better controls, a new aiming system, improved weapon accessibility with a GTA 5-like weapon wheel, and drive-by controls.

The original version had no weapon wheel, and players could only choose between weapons by scrolling through them one by one.

This was removed from the remastered version, and now players can select the weapon they want by moving the mouse/controller's analog stick in the direction of the weapon icon in the wheel.

Apart from that, the remastered versions create a more focused aiming system that highlights the target with a white aura around them, and players can focus their weapon on them as long as they are in a certain radius.

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2) NVIDIA DLSS Support for PC gamers

Unlike the original version of GTA SA, which required specialized graphics mods to improve the resolution, textures, and other visual effects of the game, the remastered version came with NVIDIA DLSS support.

Deep Learning Super Sampling, or DLSS, allows players to run games at a very low input resolution by using a neural network to upscale the resolution at higher levels.

It provides three modes: Quality, Balanced, and Performance; which vary graphics options between optimal GPU and CPU usage.

It should be noted that DLSS only works for PCs and laptops that have a Geforce RTX graphics card.

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3) Unused hidden interiors

This topic is widely discussed throughout the GTA San Andreas forums. In the original game as well as the remastered version, hidden interiors can be visited by players with the help of a script in the game files.

These rooms are featured and used for cutscenes in the story, and can be accessed by players with special techniques.

For example, the famous speedrunner Joshimuz shows that players can fly to a constructed model of Liberty City, where a mission occurs, by glitching from the garage in San Fierro.

Comparing both versions, the original has over 150 hidden interiors, while the remastered one has 33, much fewer than can be found in the original version. However, the latter has more detailed and interactive interiors than the former.

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4) Change of game engine

Generally, Rockstar Games uses its in-house RAGE engine to develop games like GTA IV, V, and Red Dead Redemption 2. Instead, Unreal Engine 4 was used for the remastered version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Noticeable differences can be made in the visual quality and performance of both versions of the game given that they use different game engines.

Unreal Engine 4 is able to provide more realistic game physics and better graphics presets containing specialized textures and shaders.

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5) Option to restart missions

One of the biggest differences that players have appreciated in the remastered version of GTA San Andreas is the restart mission feature.

The inability to restart failed missions has always been frustrating for gamers. Rockstar Games had that in mind for the Definitive Edition.

When a mission fails, a prompt opens up asking if the players want to restart the mission from a checkpoint, which definitely improved gameplay.

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The remastered version of the game initially did not have the support and praise from the gaming community as it was underdeveloped and had bad graphics and character models. However, after a few months, the developers at Rockstar fixed everything up.

Fans can only hope that a better-remastered version of GTA: San Andreas or an entirely new extension to the original story will be seen in future Rockstar game titles.