5 things that the GTA San Andreas map did right before GTA 4

The GTA San Andreas map is often considered one of the best in the series, as it's one of the largest and also the most diverse. This is in stark contrast to the GTA 4 map, which, although feels lifelike and detailed, is small and less rewarding to explore. The map change in GTA 4 felt like a massive downgrade, as fans expected a larger and even more diverse map compared to that of San Andreas.

Since then, Rockstar hasn't yet made another Grand Theft Auto map that can compete with the uniqueness and diversity of the 3D Universe San Andreas. With that in mind, here are some of the aspects in which the GTA San Andreas map is better than that of GTA 4.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

---

5 things GTA San Andreas map did better than GTA 4

1) Multiple cities

The GTA San Andreas map has three different cities — Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas. These were based on Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, respectively. In comparison, Grand Theft Auto 4 only featured one large city. The HD Universe rendition of Liberty City in GTA 4 features three different islands, which are based on several districts of New York.

Having three different cities made it more fun to explore the map in San Andreas and added a degree of replayability that wasn't there in its successor.

---

2) Countryside

The three different cities in the GTA San Andreas map come with three different countryside regions as well. Each in-game city has a small surrounding area, such as Red County above Los Santos, Flint County below San Fierro, and Bone County around Las Venturas. All of these are rural settlements that you can explore at your leisure whenever you want.

While Grand Theft Auto 4 was supposed to include countryside regions as well, this was removed in favor of a more detailed city. This is one of many downgrades that GTA 4 had compared to GTA San Andreas.

---

3) Diverse biomes

The different regions in the GTA San Andreas map feature diverse biomes. The Los Santos region, for instance, has a warm coastal climate and the biome represents that of the Los Angeles countryside. It has a few hills and some forested areas.

Meanwhile, the San Fierro area is similar to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Flint County region nearby has several hills and small but dense forests. The Las Venturas region, which represents Las Vegas and the Nevada desert, also feels drastically different.

---

4) Better color palette

The orange hue in Los Santos on the PS2 (Image via Rockstar Games)

Most fans believe that the GTA San Andreas map has one of the best color palettes of any game in the series. Each of the three regions has its own color filter that creates a distinct atmosphere. Los Santos has an orange hue, San Fierro has a bluish filter, and Las Venturas has a heatwave filter that changes from day to night.

Although this was removed in the remasters, the color filters were fixed in the Netflix version of the GTA Definitive Edition Trilogy. GTA 4, on the other hand, is notorious for its typical late-2000s "p*ss filter" that drowns the entire map in a dull, golden hue. The first thing that most PC players do is to remove it, as it doesn't really make the atmosphere any better.

---

5) More interesting interiors

One of the many gyms in GTA San Andreas (Image via Rockstar Games)

There are many fascinating things in the GTA San Andreas map that make it so fun exploring, whether it's Easter eggs, enterable buildings, restaurants, or even the different stores. There are much fewer places to explore in GTA 4 and they feel more or less similar. Another issue with enterable buildings in Grand Theft Auto 4 was that a lot of these places had no function.

For instance, the enterable gyms in San Andreas have a purpose; you can work out in there to increase muscle and stamina, or learn different martial arts moves.

---