GTA San Andreas vs GTA 4 PC system requirements: Which game is easier to run?

GTA 4 and GTA San Andreas are two of the most successful games from the GTA series. In terms of system requirements, though, these titles are poles apart.

GTA San Andreas came out for the PS2 and Xbox in 2004 and was ported to PCs in 2005. It wasn't the most graphically impressive game of that year, but it did have some remarkable features. It was an all-around improvement over its predecessors, with a massive map, tons of content, and RPG-like gameplay elements.

GTA 4 came out for Windows PCs in 2008, a few months after the console release, meaning it took four years to release another GTA game after GTA San Andreas. The technological difference was drastic. With GTA 4, Rockstar Games came to the forefront of AAA game development.

Since both these games are so distinct from each other, they have vastly different system requirements.

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GTA San Andreas and GTA 4 system requirements for PCs

GTA San Andreas

Minimum system requirements

• OS: Microsoft Windows 2000/XP
• Processor: 1Ghz Pentium III or AMD Athlon Processor
• Memory: 256 MB of RAM
• Graphics: 64 MB Video Card (Geforce 3 or better)
• Hard Drive: 3.6 GB of free hard disk space (minimal install)
• Other Requirements: Software installations required, including DirectX and Sony DADC SecuROM

Recommended system requirements

• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon XP Processor
• Memory: 384 MB of RAM (the more, the better)
• Graphics: 128 MB (or greater) Video Card (Geforce 6 Series Recommended)
• Hard Drive: 4.7 GB of free hard disk space (full install)
• Sound Card: DirectX 9 compatible Sound Card (Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Recommended)

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GTA 4

Minimum system requirements

• OS: Windows 7 (Service Pack 1 or above)
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8GHz, AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHz
• Memory: 1.5 GB
• Graphics: 256 MB Nvidia 7900/256 MB ATI X1900
• Hard Drive: 16 GB of Hard Disk Space

Recommended system requirements

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4GHz, AMD Phenom X3 2.1GHz
• Memory: 2.5 GB
• Graphics: 512 MB NVIDIA 8600/512 MB ATI 3870
• Hard Drive: 18 GB of Hard Disk Space
• Sound Card: 5.1 Channel Audio Card

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Which game is easier to run?

GTA San Andreas is less taxing on PCs (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA San Andreas is easier to run on PCs, as evidenced by the above requirements. It was released in 2004, and even then, it wasn't the most difficult to run on systems.

In contrast, GTA 4 necessitates a slightly more powerful computer. It should run on most modern PCs, but getting above 60 fps on the highest settings may be difficult on weaker machines.

GTA 4's PC port was not well optimized, which is one of the reasons why it doesn't always run smoothly.