5 reasons why GTA San Andreas is remembered to this date (2024)

GTA San Andreas is undoubtedly one of the most valuable assets from Rockstar Games’ collections. The game will complete 20 years this coming October, and it still has a huge fan following worldwide. It was the last and most ambitious project of the gaming studio in the 3D Universe. The hard work also paid Rockstar well, making the game and its assets immortal in the gaming and entertainment industry.

While there are endless things to praise in the game, this article lists five things that make GTA San Andreas memorable even in 2024.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and only reflect the writer’s opinions.

---

5 things that make GTA San Andreas evergreen

1) Theme song

San Andreas arguably has one of the most popular theme songs in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. It is called the Theme from San Andreas and was written and produced by Michael Hunter. The melody needs no introduction, as anyone who hears a small fraction of it can instantly recognize it as the theme of GTA San Andreas. Rapper and Carl “CJ” Johnson’s voice actor Young Maylay’s cover makes the theme more memorable for the fans.

The gaming studio utilized the theme song extensively and added a part of its jingle as the mission pass sound. Even in 2024, this part of the jingle is used to denote various thug life moments in pop culture.

---

2) Mods

There is no shortage of mods for GTA San Andreas. Whether you are looking for in-game mods or want to use San Andreas mods in other games, the PC modding community has a plethora of patches to offer. It is one of the main reasons the 2004 title remains a thing after two decades.

One of the funniest things to note is that whenever a new game or console-exclusive title is released on PC, one of the first things modders develop is a GTA San Andreas CJ mod. Carl “CJ” Johnson is a gaming universe boss, as you can find him in almost all major video game worlds.

---

3) Number of in-game content it offers

One of the main reasons why GTA San Andreas is still popular is the number of content the game offers. This includes not only the story missions but also the side activities, collectibles, mini-games, hidden treasures, and other features that Rockstar Games hides in plain sight.

Quantitatively, San Andreas has more gameplay things to offer than Grand Theft Auto 5 Story Mode. You can roam three major cities, play basketball, date girls, take flights to travel, visit Liberty City (temporarily), grow muscle or become fat, and do many other interesting things. Unfortunately, many of these features were discontinued in the latter titles.

---

4) Memes

Similar to the mods, memes are also one of the things that make GTA San Andreas special in 2024. Over the years, the player base has dug out many memorable scenes and dialogues and converted them into popular memes. Some of them include:

• “Ah Sh*t, Here We Go Again”
• “All We Had to Do Was Follow the Damn Train, CJ!”
• "Now, I Know You Blind Man. But You Gotta See This!"
• “I’ll Have Two Number 9’s, A Number 9 Large…"

These dialogs are also frequently used as reactions to various things on the internet. The fact that a 20-year-old game has so many memorable dialogs is a fascinating thing.

---

5) Improvements

The improvements had a great impact on GTA San Andreas’ gameplay. If you consider all Grand Theft Auto titles from the 3D Universe, then San Andreas provides the most advanced and refined gaming experience.

You can swim in water, dive deep, drive trains, manually customize cars, recruit gang members, improve combat skills, and do many other things. Rockstar Games also added some survival elements in GTA San Andreas, such as eating and exercising. Such levels of attention to detail are more than enough to keep the game memorable for ages.