How to play Basketball in GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition? (Hoopin' it Up achievement)

Basketball is an interesting challenge in GTA: San Andreas that's also available in the Definitive Edition without any glitch. (image via YouTube/GTA Series Videos)

Basketball is an exclusive game in GTA: San Andreas and players can step onto the court to complete the Hoopin' It Up achievement in the Definitive Edition as well. Players can unlock the achievement by scoring 30 points or more, and the game does a good job of keeping track of their progress.

For most players, this has been the hardest trophy to collect. Basketball in GTA: SA has a simplistic control scheme, but scoring 30 points can be quite tricky in the short time limit that players get. In GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition, the game becomes accessible after players complete the Tagging up Turf story mission.

This article will detail how to play the game and unlock the trophy/achievement.

This is how players can play Basketball in GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition

GTA: SA offers several minigames including pool, dancing, arcade games, and basketball to keep players occupied when not playing the main missions. Basketball is accessible in the game after completing the Tagging up Turf story mission in which players get introduced to the graffiti mechanic.

Once the "Tagging-up" missions are done, and players take Sweet back to his home on Grove Street, they can play basketball on the court beside his house. Players can now walk up to the ball and pick it up and let CJ perform either tricks or shots. Tricks aren't helpful in any way, while shots help get the trophy.

Shooting the ball requires players to hold and release the Right-Trigger on an Xbox controller (R2 button on PlayStation and ZR trigger on the Switch). The ball's perfect release timing will help land an accurate shot, so the closer players manage to release the trigger, the more accurately individuals can land their shots.

Players are not restricted to this court alone in the game, as there are other places as well where they can play basketball such as Madd Dogg’s indoor gym. The indoor gym, however, had a glitch in the original, as mentioned below.

A glitch in the original game

Players faced a glitch in the original GTA: San Andreas game where if a player saved their game while in Madd Dogg's mansion, the basketball mini-game would not be playable at all. This issue existed for a long time until a mod by "silentpatch" fixed the disappearing basketball glitch.

This glitch is not present in the Definitive Edition of the game on any of the platforms that it is available on. There is also a slight trick involved that players have discovered that might help beginners land that perfect jump and timing to get the shot nearly every time.

If players time their shots immediately after CJ jumps, they will most often than not land that shot perfectly. Players just need to focus on CJ’s legs and feet and predict the jump to time it correctly. Players can continue to attempt shots until they get used to CJ’s jump and timing.

Once players complete scoring 30 points, they can either wait for the timer to end or cancel the challenge to earn the trophy.

Other mini-games in GTA: San Andreas

Players can also try their hand at a game of pool and wager a maximum of $1000. Pool is quite straightforward and requires players to pot either the solids or the stripes, depending on which of the balls they pot first, and complete potting all the balls before their opponent to win the wager.

Players can go dancing in the club and if they follow the action arrows that are displayed on the screen, they can land the perfect dance moves every time pretty much like the Lowrider Challenge. Here are three nightclubs where players can go dancing in the game: