5 things that make GTA San Andreas much better than earlier titles within the series

GTA San Andreas has a strong claim to being the best Grand Theft Auto title within the 3D Universe. Out of all the PS2 titles within the series, this game has stood the test of time astonishingly well. So much so that gamers still speak fondly of it.

This short listicle primarily focuses on what GTA San Andreas does better than the rest of the games in the 3D Universe. That means its competitors for this topic are:

• III
• Vice City
• Advance
• Liberty City Stories
• Vice City Stories

That means this listicle doesn't compare this iconic game to GTA 5 or other titles within the franchise.

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Five things GTA San Andreas has over the rest of the 3D Universe

1) Customization

The rest of the 3D Universe's customization features combined would still feel paltry compared to what GTA San Andreas offers. Those games only have preset outfits, while GTA San Andreas is far more robust in terms of how players can alter CJ's appearance.

This game allowed one to change his:

• Body weight
• Hairstyle
• Individual clothing pieces

None of these were possible in the other early 3D Universe Grand Theft Auto titles. That's not even mentioning how CJ had a good amount of customization options over vehicles and even his own fighting style.

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2) Best world

A map of the entire world (Image via Rockstar Games)

The state of San Andreas is far larger than Vice City and Liberty City. While size isn't everything per se, it is worth noting that there is no shortage of stuff to do in GTA San Andreas's overworld. Los Santos, San Fierro, Las Venturas, and the countryside are all uniquely different from one another.

While there is some overlap between the activities you can do in each area, there are a few things that make them different. For example:

• Certain side missions like Beat the Cock! only spawn in a few areas
• Girlfriends
• Safehouses
• Various collectibles
• Some vehicles spawn more often in different areas

This overworld has both quantity and quality in great demand for a 3D Universe title.

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3) Post-game activities

Some of the side activities are sillier than others (Image via Rockstar Games)

Many of the early titles in the Grand Theft Auto series didn't have much in the way of a post-game. While GTA San Andreas doesn't have anything specifically unique to the game's epilog, it does have a plethora of side activities that are enjoyable in all stages.

Thus, it technically has more stuff for you to do in the post-game. Other titles might have a few collectibles and side missions, but the sheer quantity and quality of what you can do in this game are far greater.

For example, there are way more collectibles that offer even more rewards if fully collected by CJ.

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4) Great controls

CJ diving underwater (Image via Rockstar Games)

It's no secret that early Grand Theft Auto titles often have clunky controls that make playing them a bit difficult for first-time players. Not to mention, these games even lacked some quality-of-life fixes that later titles in the series would always have.

For instance, GTA San Andreas is the only Grand Theft Auto game where the player can dive underwater, as well as one of two where they can actually swim in general. Don't forget that you can climb over objects in this game, a feature bizarrely absent in some of its successors.

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5) Massive amount of mods

GTA San Andreas's popularity ensured that it would have a ton of mods available to anybody curious enough to download them. While all the other 3D Universe titles also have some good options, the sheer quantity of high-quality mods lies in GTA San Andreas's favor.

This title has everything from quality-of-life fixes to major modifications that drastically change how you play the game. If you want something, chances are, this game already has a modification of it somewhere online.

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Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective.