5 important events seen in The Introduction from GTA San Andreas

The Introduction was a near 20-minute short film that helped explain the important events preceeding GTA San Andreas.

GTA San Andreas had a "prequel" in the form of a short film known as The Introduction. Its main purpose was to set up the plot of GTA San Andreas, as the game wasn't able to do all of it on its own.

It should be noted that The Introduction is free to view on Rockstar Games' official YouTube channel. That said, it's in 360p, meaning its quality is incredibly poor by modern standards. GTA San Andreas looks a lot better by comparison, so some of the screenshots from The Introduction will be fuzzy due to that feature.

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Five events seen in The Introduction from GTA San Andreas

#5 - CJ doing petty crimes in Liberty City

CJ carjacking in Liberty City (Image via GTA Wiki)

While the CJ of San Andreas becomes an incredibly important figure in the criminal world, his importance in Liberty City is a complete far cry by comparison.

In GTA San Andreas's The Introduction, he steals a car and robs a person, showing off what he's been doing in Liberty City prior to the events of GTA San Andreas.

#4 - Mike Toreno has a buyer in Big Smoke

The three main members of the Loco Syndicate (Image via GTA Wiki)

Big Smoke's desire for power and ambition has led him to contact the Loco Syndicate, with Mike Toreno confirming to T-Bone Mendez that they have a potential buyer. In the background, the player can see T-Bone Mendez assaulting a former gang member.

Thus, another establishment is made between the San Fierro and Los Santos storylines.

#3 - Big Smoke convinces Ryder to ally with him

Ryder and Big Smoke plotting together (Image via GTA Wiki)

In another moment showcasing Big Smoke's greed, he convinces Ryder to side with him in what will eventually be revealed as their betrayal towards Grove Street. GTA San Andreas doesn't do a good job explaining why Ryder sides with Big Smoke, but The Introduction does a decent job by showing Big Smoke recruiting Ryder to his cause.

Big Smoke cares about making "those Benjamins," whereas Ryder just wants to be the master of his own destiny.

#2 - Officer Pendelbury's death

The culprit behind Officer Pendelbury's death (Image via Rockstar Games)

Technically, this event is a two-parter. It began with C.R.A.S.H. recruiting Officer Hernandez to their crew, with the latter part of this event having him being forced to kill Officer Pendelbury.

Officer Pendelbury is killed because he threatened to expose Officer Tenpenny and Pulaski's corrupt acts to Internal Affairs, which obviously didn't go over well with the two officers. They use Jimmy Hernandez to do the act, so as to make him complicit with their corrupt behavior.

#1 - Green Sabre drive-by

The Green Sabre would later show up in the aptly-named "Green Sabre" mission (Image via GTA Wiki)

This moment is undisputedly the most important event in The Introduction, as it gives CJ a reason to go back to Los Santos to kick off the events of GTA San Andreas. Here, the Green Sabre drives to Grove Street, with a Ballas member doing a drive-by at the Johnson house.

Unfortunately, CJ's mother perishes in the attack, with Sweet notifying CJ of the news as the latter is in Liberty City.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinion of the writer.