5 GTA San Andreas gameplay features that go unnoticed in first playthrough

GTA San Andreas has many gameplay features that are easily missed on a player's first playthrough. After all, this title was enormous when it first launched. It's still pretty big content-wise by modern standards, meaning there are still plenty of things the average gamer might not notice. This article lists several such gameplay features that usually only the most hardcore fans know about.

There's a good chance that some casual fans would have never seen any of the content listed below. It is worth mentioning that there are definitely way more than just five easily missable features in the game, but they won't be featured in this article.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective.

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Bomb shops and other easily missable gameplay features in GTA San Andreas

1) Jealous girlfriends

A gameplay feature many GTA San Andreas players will never see is a jealous girlfriend. In this game, CJ can date multiple women. Given the implications, one would think that a problem could arise from that sort of situation, and they would be correct. Rockstar Games actually programmed a feature where dating multiple women would cause one of them to be jealous and try to ruin CJ's date.

The problem with this mechanic is that it has very specific criteria, which include:

• No dates until CJ has more than one girlfriend
• Do not despawn the jealous girlfriend or get caught by her

If the player happens to ignore any of those requirements, they will never be able to see this gameplay feature.

Most GTA San Andreas players would likely go on at least one date, especially since Denise is available very early on in the playthrough. Going on no dates until one has multiple girlfriends is too strict of a requirement for this niche interaction.

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2) Debt

The vast majority of Grand Theft Auto games have $0 as the bare minimum for how low a player can go. Surprisingly, GTA San Andreas shatters that tradition and allows players to go into debt if they gamble away their earnings in a casino. Doing so will prompt a few phone calls, warning CJ to pay back what he owes.

If the player chooses to ignore that and continue exploring Las Venturuas while in debt, some hitmen will attack CJ. Thankfully, those NPCs drop a lot of money when they get eliminated, which should allow players to recuperate their losses fairly quickly.

If a GTA San Andreas player doesn't gamble often, they will likely never be aware of the debt system in the first place. Even those who like playing the casino's minigames might not know they can go into debt.

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3) Bomb shops

Bomb shops allow players to install a bomb inside their vehicle. It's simple to understand, but there is very little reason to use this gameplay feature in GTA San Andreas. Insurance doesn't exist in this game, so blowing up a car you might like would be counterintuitive.

Not only that, but only a few NPCs would even consider stealing CJ's vehicles. Using a car bomb to defeat them is pointless when CJ can instead:

• Run them over
• Shoot them
• Use any of the game's multiple melee weapons
• Run away from them

No mission requires the player to visit a bomb shop. Their locations aren't marked on the map, either. Unless one accidentally stumbles upon the few bomb shops in the game, this feature is easily missable.

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4) Gangs vandalizing cars during vehicle missions

Gangs like the Ballas will usually attack CJ without much reason. Yet, the above gameplay feature shown around the 2-minute mark in the video above differs from what most players usually experience.

In GTA San Andreas, starting a vehicle mission while near some aggressive gang member NPCs will prompt them to start doing unique animations tied to:

• Kicking
• Tackling

Most players won't see this minor gameplay feature since vehicle missions usually require you to move constantly, so standing still near NPCs that usually attack you isn't something on most people's minds. It's also very easy to simply drive away after they start the animation where they vandalize your vehicle.

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5) GSF members taking pictures for CJ

GTA San Andreas players can recruit GSF members to accompany CJ. That part is pretty self-explanatory and is something everybody who has played this game for a few hours should already know. What they might be unaware of is that CJ can offer his camera to one of his homies, and they would take a photo for him.

To do so, equip the camera and stand near one of the recruited GSF members. You should see a button prompt on the top-left corner of your screen telling you what to press relative to the platform you're using for this game. Afterward, that NPC will stand still, and CJ can move however the player wants.

This feature is nice in case you want to take some scenic shots of GTA San Andreas's many interesting landmarks. Most players wouldn't know about this feature since there is very little reason to be holding a niche item near some specific NPCs.