What makes GTA San Andreas perhaps the most important game in the series?

Perhaps no other video game franchise in history has had the kind of mainstream appeal and attention to the levels of GTA. Despite the blinding spotlight, Rockstar Games has been able to maintain a level of consistency and quality that is simply unparalleled.

The roots of the GTA series date back to the late 90s, back when Grand Theft Auto was still called "Cops and Robbers." When an error in coding led to police NPCs becoming increasingly hostile to players, the studio (DMA Design back then) knew that they might have a winner on their hands.

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Grand Theft Auto and the rise of Rockstar

The shock-and-awe-like marketing style led to Grand Theft Auto being plastered all over the news and TV (Image via iphantom3d, youtube)

The branding was quickly altered, resulting in the original title in the series "Grand Theft Auto." The game's marketing involved using controversial news headlines to sell to audiences at large that GTA might just be the most detrimental piece of entertainment to modern society.

This shock-and-awe-like marketing style led to Grand Theft Auto being plastered all over the news and TV. It led to the runaway success of the original and its subsequent sequel, which did little to expand on a design that was clearly highly successful.

As Rockstar Game was born, the studio would go on to completely reinvent the series with GTA 3 and move into a 3D open-world. The sequel, Vice City, built on the foundations, and the series was quickly gaining steam.

However, it would be the next game in the series that would genuinely solidify Rockstar's position as a giant of the industry and a true pioneer of the genre.

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What makes GTA San Andreas so significant?

The sky-high ambitions of Rockstar

After the runaway success of GTA 3 and Vice City, Rockstar was no longer the scrappy underdog. They were now a considerably strong force in the industry with strong ties to the PlayStation brand, and the pressure on them to deliver was quite significant.

The publisher typically followed an almost annual release-like structure to its games, but San Andreas would be different. Instead of a year-long gap, the American company chose to spend an additional year in development, given the scale and scope of their ambitions with GTA San Andreas.

The studio was no longer content with just one vast metropolitan city for the player to explore. They were now going to give players an entire state to explore, with multiple cities and terrains, apart from just the cityscapes players were used to.

GTA San Andreas was a massive project, and the scale and size of its open-world map alone were monumental. Yet, the developer's ambitions extended far beyond the map. The game was also going to include many new features, an ambitious narrative, and vastly superior tech compared to other games in the series.

Needless to say, GTA San Andreas was either going to be the game that makes Rockstar a publishing giant or the title to shatter that dream.

The record-breaking success of GTA San Andreas

It would be the understatement of the century to suggest that GTA San Andreas was a massive hit. Selling out millions of copies in just its first weekend, it didn't take long for the game to become the best-selling title on the PS2.

While that achievement sounds excellent by itself, when considering the lineup of games the PS2 had, it becomes even more significant. Games like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Final Fantasy X, and Kingdom Hearts all came out for the console around the same time as San Andreas.

It wasn't just commercial success that led to GTA San Andreas becoming the benchmark against which other open-world titles would be measured for decades to come.

The game made massive improvements to the 3D open-world structure and essentially was the trailblazer the industry needed. Some might even suggest that every title in the series since San Andreas has been an attempt to tinker with the formula from the 2004 title, whether it is scaling back on the comedy in GTA 4 or doubling down on it in GTA 5.

If fans were to look at the timeline of the GTA franchise, it becomes increasingly clear that San Andreas was the focal point that changed everything for Rockstar. They proved that they weren't just a one-hit-wonder, as they pretty much have delivered nothing but excellence since 2002.

While many games have lost their charm or aged poorly, GTA San Andreas remains as playable and enjoyable as it did back in 2004. Which is a feat not too many games from that era have been able to achieve.

Note: This article reflects the author's opinions.