Played GTA SA for the first time 'properly' and I'm shook.
Just finished Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas properly for the first time and I finally understand why people call it a masterpiece.
I first played it when I was around 10–12. Back then it was mostly:
* cheat codes
* trainers
* jetpacks
* tanks
* mods
* skipping hard missions
* skipping cutscenes
* causing chaos for hours
This time I played it fully on PS5 with no cheats, no skipping, and actually paid attention to the story.
And honestly, the emotional journey surprised me.
What hit me most was how the game handles growth and identity. Early on, everything feels small and trapped within Grove Street politics. Sweet Johnson is completely locked into the “Grove Street for life” mentality, while CJ slowly realizes the world is much bigger than the hood.
That conflict felt incredibly real.
Also, I think Cesar Vialpando was the only truly genuine character in the whole game. He never manipulated CJ, never got jealous of his growth, and stayed loyal through everything — even though he technically started as an outsider.
Meanwhile:
* Big Smoke betrayed everyone for power and comfort
* Ryder folded for ego/status
* Sweet loved the hood so much that it almost became a prison mentality
And the biggest moment for me was returning to Los Santos after spending so much time in:
* San Fierro
* Las Venturas
* the countryside
* the desert
That genuinely felt like a homecoming.
Not because the map changed — because *CJ changed*. When I came back, Grove Street felt nostalgic instead of normal. Rockstar somehow made the geography feel emotional.
I know Grand Theft Auto V is technically the better game in almost every way, but I was far more emotionally invested in San Andreas. GTA V feels more like a satire of modern society, while San Andreas feels like an actual life journey.
Playing this game properly as an adult is a completely different experience from playing it as a kid.
PS : Compiled using chatgpt, thoughts are mine. Because americans think that only language in this world is english.