5 reasons why Los Santos was better in GTA San Andreas than in GTA 5

GTA Online gave players an updated and expanded version of Los Santos city, which was previously introduced in GTA San Andreas. But for many players, the latter's version of Los Santos still holds a special place for a variety of reasons.

GTA San Andreas did a better job at introducing this incredible metropolis to players than GTA 5. To back up this claim, this article will give players five reasons why Los Santos was better in GTA San Andreas than in GTA 5.

Note: This article reflects the writer's subjective opinion.

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Here are five reasons why Los Santos in GTA San Andreas was better than GTA 5

1) Memorable NPCs

NPCs in GTA San Andreas have some of the best lines out of any Grand Theft Auto game. These memorable and funny moments will stay with players even after they stop playing the game. This also makes Grand Theft Auto San Andreas's NPCs highly quotable.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas players can immediately recognize an NPC just by hearing the one-liner they say when players walk past them. This makes the game and the city very immersive.

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4) Entertaining side quests

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas's Los Santos was filled to the brim with interesting and entertaining side missions that Grand Theft Auto 5's Los Santos was missing. Because of this, players could easily spend hours on end exploring every corner of the city, finding quirky characters to talk to and situations to take part in.

This made the entire city a bit more realistic, as players expect a lot of things to happen in a bustling city like Los Santos. Unfortunately, the side missions were one of the weaker aspects of Grand Theft Auto 5. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas clearly has better side missions to look out for.

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3) More things to interact with

Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is teeming with small mini-games that players can interact with. This contributes to the impression that the city is vibrant and populated.

Players can just walk onto the court, pick up a basketball, and play for a short period of time. This activity is not required for any side missions and does not have a defined goal. It is simply something that players might choose to do in the city.

These types of activities were missing in Grand Theft Auto 5's Los Santos, and everything in the city felt manufactured and goal-oriented. On the other hand, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas's Los Santos feels more natural and human.

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2) Less empty spaces

Many players may feel that because Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5 is larger, the map is better than that of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. However, when players begin exploring Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5, they will soon discover that the city is not very well balanced.

There are several regions that are densely filled with NPCs and mission activities, but there are enormous sections of the map that are filler content. As a result, players will spend more time driving around Grand Theft Auto 5's Los Santos than doing anything else.

Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is smaller in size but far more densely packed with content, so players won't have to spend much time looking for things to do.

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1) A deeper connection to the city

One of the main reasons why players are so connected to Los Santos from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is because of the territorial nature of the turf war system that was introduced in the game. Players had to fight with other gangs to conquer important areas of Los Santos for themselves, and this created a deeper connection with the city that made it feel like a living, breathing space.

Grand Theft Auto 5 did not have anything similar, and the city was more of a playground. In Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Los Santos is the player's home, and they are required to protect to stay in control. Because of this turf war mechanic, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas's Los Santos leaves a much stronger impression on the player.