5 incredible details in GTA San Andreas that are missing in GTA 5

Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto San Andreas in 2004, but some of its amazing aspects are missing from 2013's GTA 5. Both titles are highly rated, set in the same fictional state, and revolutionized the gaming industry in their own way. While some prefer the former, others believe the latter is greater.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is undoubtedly superior in technology, but it could have been even better if it borrowed more features from San Andreas. So, here are five things in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas we don't see in GTA 5.

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Different fighting styles and 4 more incredible details in GTA San Andreas that are missing from GTA 5

1) Talking to NPCs

Players can talk to NPCs in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. Rockstar Games allows them to respond positively or negatively at will, dictating the conversation's outcome. Some pedestrians might even be armed and can start shooting if players continue to respond negatively.

A similar mechanic is also present in Rockstar's 2018 release, Red Dead Redemption 2, albeit a bit more advanced. While players can say things to NPCs in GTA 5, there doesn't seem to be a way to direct the conversation. If this feature was a little more like in San Andreas, the game would have been even better.

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2) Different fighting styles

One of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas' most incredible details is the inclusion of different fighting styles. Players can visit gyms across the game's map to learn them. Each style has a distinct animation, which elevates melee combat in Rockstar's 2004 release and adds to the realism.

Sadly, players can't learn different fighting styles in GTA 5. Michael, Trevor, and Franklin's melee combat animations might differ a little, but they cannot rival the variety seen in San Andreas. The GTA 6 announcement date remains unknown, but many wish for this feature's return in that game.

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3) Varying body shapes

GTA San Andreas allows players to render its protagonist, CJ, in whatever way they want. They can visit the gym regularly and develop a muscular body or eat a lot of junk food and get big. This body difference also impacts in-game mechanics like stamina.

In Grand Theft Auto 5, players can customize Michael, Trevor, and Franklin's hairstyle, facial hair, and clothes and add or remove tattoos but cannot change their body types. Interestingly, all of these features were present in San Andreas.

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4) Accessible interiors

Despite being released nearly two decades ago, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas includes numerous accessible interiors such as safehouses, shops, and restaurants. They help the game's open world seem real and lived-in and are one of the many reasons this title is considered ahead of its time.

Grand Theft Auto 5, however, features very few interiors, which has been one of the biggest complaints about this game. Its map might be much bigger, but there are far fewer things to see and do.

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5) Paramedics actually revive NPCs

Pedestrians get killed more often than not in Grand Theft Auto games. However, the paramedics soon arrive at the scene to revive them in titles like GTA San Andreas. This also happens in games like Grand Theft Auto Vice City, which is even older than San Andreas, but sadly not in Grand Theft Auto 5.

While the paramedics do arrive in the 2018 title, they cannot revive the injured NPCs. While it doesn't greatly impact the overall gameplay in either title, it is a nice little detail to have, which, once again, elevates the level of realism.