GTA San Andreas speedrunners record their best runs to achieve recognition; nobody wants to be in second place.
Speedrunners try to complete a game as fast as possible. Most do it for the sake of entertainment. However, more than a few want to prove themselves. GTA San Andreas is one of the most popular games in the series. It's no surprise there is a dedicated player base for it.
Speedrunning may seem like it's all fun and games, but it requires hard work and patience. GTA San Andreas speedrunners must have extensive knowledge of the entire game. They need to memorize every shortcut, even if it only saves them a few seconds as that can make or break a world record pace.
Who holds the world records among GTA San Andreas speedrunners?
Most speedrunners record their runs and send them to Speedrun.com. The moderation team takes a look at their runs. Once they confirm it's legitimate, they will post it on the website. All of these runs are done on PC platforms.
Clarifying the categories
GTA San Andreas has different categories for specific runs. 100 percent requires players to beat everything in the game. Any% only needs them to finish the game. There is also the Any% (No AJS) run. The term refers to the Arbitrary Jump in Script, where players can skip to the final mission early on.
While this article will not cover every category, it will look at the most noteworthy ones. For example, No Major Glitches is self-explanatory. Meanwhile, All Story Missions refers to completing all missions that change the save file name. The only exceptions to this rule are the street races and bike challenges.
Fastest GTA San Andreas speedrunners based on Any%
The Any% category allows players to use exploits. What this means is that players can skip to the final mission. This requires a complicated setup with the Ryder mission. With the proper use of glitches, they can warp themselves to the chase sequence in End of the Line. This is known as the AJS technique.
Here are the fastest speedrunners in the Any% category:
It only takes less than 15 minutes to complete the game. When the glitch was first discovered, it was considered groundbreaking. RealKev3n took back his world record only a few weeks ago. He previously held it for almost a year, an impressive feat among GTA San Andreas speedrunners.
However, some GTA San Andreas speedrunners want a challenge. Under normal circumstances, the Any% category can be completed in less than four hours. Here are the fastest speedrunners without using the AJS technique:
Fastest GTA San Andreas speedrunners based on 100 percent
100 percent completion takes the longest out of any run. GTA San Andreas is a huge game, even for its time, and there are several collectibles across the map. As a result, speedrunners need to have perfect memory. Forgetting a single collectible can force a player to lose time.
These are the fastest speedrunners in the 100 percent category:
Fastest GTA San Andreas speedrunners based on various categories
The only remaining categories left to cover are No Major Glitches and All Story Missions. There have been several record attempts at Speedrun.com. This makes them one of the most popular categories for GTA San Andreas.
Below are the fastest speedrunners based on No Major Glitches:
Meanwhile, here are the fastest in the All Story Missions category:
There are miscellaneous categories which are not covered in this article. Most of these include random collectibles, such as horseshoes or oysters. There is also a category for unique stunt jumps.
Differences between the Original versus Remastered
Notably, the original version of the game sees more competitive play. While the remastered versions have records, they are few and far in between. For instance, the No Major Glitches category is completely empty for the remastered game. The same goes for 100 percent completion.
There is a logical explanation for this. Due to the buggy nature of the remastered ports, it's completely unreliable. GTA San Andreas might crash at any given moment. It can ruin a single run within seconds and most speedrunners stay away from the remasters. It's not worth the potential time loss.
Speedrunning is a long term investment
GTA San Andreas speedrunners have a lot of work cut out for them. Regardless of which category they choose, they must commit to it. Some GTA San Andreas speedrunners run multiple categories at once. However, it requires a high level of skill and knowledge.
World records are constantly broken by GTA San Andreas speedrunners but all it takes is a few seconds for several hours to go to waste. There is a thin line between success and failure. Speedrunning is simply another way to enjoy the game. Despite the highs and lows, it's still a fun experience.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.