Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for Android

Softonic review

Advanced gaming on your Android

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas brings a console port of one of the most popular games in the Grand Theft Auto series. It is an action and adventure video game published by Rockstar Games. You play as the main character CJ, who needs to complete missions like finding someone specific to talk to, getting a job, and stealing cars.

Climb the ranks in a criminal organization

The Grand Theft Auto games first became popular on the Playstation, and then later spread to the Xbox 360 and PC. Now, the game developers have tweaked the gameplay and the graphics to make it available on your portable devices. Having a game of such high-caliber as a mobile app has paid off. The high-resolution graphics are impressive, and it’s clear the game was rebuilt specifically for this platform.

The setting for this version of GTA is San Andreas, which is a city based on Los Angeles, and there are three different cities that you explore as you play the game. It is set in the early 90s, and your character CJ returns to help his gang The Grove Street Family dominate the territory. You can customize your character with clothes, haircut, the works.

Like many GTA games, San Andreas comes with plenty for you to do. The missions from the main story are estimated to take around 30 hours to complete, which makes the price for this paid app seem reasonable, especially when compared to buying a console version. The gameplay outside of the storyline is just as interesting, so expect even more hours of entertainment.

You can visit the gym to learn new moves when fighting and to bulk up. There are also side missions, and the usual opportunities to pick up guns and cash by stealing ambulances, fire trucks, and other vehicles. In fact, the choice of vehicles is vast, with 240 to choose from, including bicycles, speed boats, SWAT vans, and sports cars.

It’s all about controls

Whether you are familiar with the Grand Theft Auto franchise or not, San Andreas is an enjoyable game. It is full of content, as well as being fast-paced and fun. You can stick to the mission format, or go on a classic GTA rampage, wreaking havoc in your location, which is one of the features that the game became known for.

The biggest concern for any console port is about the game controls. Players of GTA Android won’t be disappointed, although the controls aren’t perfect. There are three control methods to choose from, and they are all customizable. You can choose the touch layout, which displays two analog style stick in the corners. You can also choose buttons, or to use gestures.

Steering the vehicles can be challenging at first, but you soon get the hang of things. The shooting mechanism isn’t the most precise, which is something you need to take into account, but it shouldn’t stop you from completing missions. You can change the controls at any point while playing, including adding tilt controls. You can also attach a game controller to your Android device, as this game supports external controllers.

Pick up from where you left off

After downloading GTA, you could easily spend your first time playing just getting used to the controls, choosing your character’s tattoos, or getting to know your location. You start the game with training missions, which gives you time to understand how to make CJ or Carl run around, pick up items, and swipe to check out your surroundings. GTA is easy to play in shorter bursts as you can save your game.

The missions can be long, which is why it is useful that there are checkpoints throughout the game to allow you to save your progress. There are two options for saving. You can become a Rockstar Social Club Member and log in and save your progress to the cloud. Alternatively, you can save progress locally, which means resume from the data stored on your phone.

The graphics and soundtracks are definitely worth mentioning, as they make the whole game more immersive. The voice actors are particularly noteworthy, as there are more than 800 different voices, and that includes celebrities like Axl Rose, James Woods, and Samuel L Jackson.

Alternative games

GTA San Andreas is a form of entertainment and will please fans of the franchise. However, it isn’t the only game or console port out there. If you’re not sure what you are looking for, or don’t get on with the controls, there are alternatives you could try. Grand Theft Auto fits into the action-adventure genre, so here are some other games along the same lines that you might like.

A surprising fun alternative or follow up if you have already completed GTA San Andreas is LEGO City Undercover. There is a huge amount to explore as an undercover cop trying to bring down the criminals. The range of vehicles will give you your driving fix, but with less violence. It has more than its fair share of technical issues but is still immensely fun to play.

Another vehicle and crime-focused action game is Beat Cop. The storyline will keep you engrossed, and the 80s references and the black humor really add to the experience. The graphics and soundtrack are nowhere near as sharp as GTA, but it has an even darker underworld feel. It will suit you if you’re looking for danger and adult themes.

If you want more of the same, but with a different theme and location, then there are other GTA games available on Android. After San Andreas, why not try Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The complex mafia links, Art Deco architecture, and 80s cars show how attention to detail really adds to a game.

Action, nostalgia, and entertainment

Anyone familiar with the Grand Theft Auto franchise will find a lot to appreciate in this console port. The graphics and gameplay have transferred successfully. The controls certainly take some getting used to, but won’t ruin the gameplay. The hours of fun that you have ahead of you in this immersive game make it good value for money. From the music and the voices to the missions, there is a lot to love.

The latest version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas included a workaround for issues when saving game progress. When coming back to your game after the update, you’ll need to choose from the manual save slot rather than clicking resume. The resume function should then work normally.