Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas  is a 2004  action-adventure game  developed by  Rockstar North  and published by  Rockstar Games . It is the fifth main entry in the  Grand Theft Auto  series , following 2002's  Grand Theft Auto: Vice City , and the seventh installment overall. It was released in October 2004 for the  PlayStation 2 , in June 2005 for  Microsoft Windows  and  Xbox , and in November 2010 for  Mac OS X . The game is set within an  open world  environment that players can explore and interact with at their leisure. The story follows former gangster  Carl "CJ" Johnson , who returns home following his mother's murder and is drawn back into his former gang and a life of crime while clashing with corrupt authorities and powerful criminals. Carl's journey takes him across the fictional U.S. state of San Andreas, which is heavily based on  California  and  Nevada  and encompasses three major cities: Los Santos (inspired by  Los Angeles ), San Fierro ( San Francisco ) and Las Venturas ( Las Vegas ). The game features references to many real-life elements of the world, such as its cities, regions, and landmarks, with its plot heavily based on several real-life events in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, including the rivalry between real-life  street gangs , the  crack epidemic  of the 1980s and early 1990s, the  LAPD Rampart scandal , and the  1992 Los Angeles riots . Unlike its predecessor,  San Andreas  introduced gameplay elements that were incorporated in later games, including  RPG -style mechanics, customisation options with both clothing and vehicle appearances, a vast array of activities and mini-games, and the inclusion of  gambling  games. Considered by many reviewers to be one of the  greatest video games ever made ,  San Andreas  received critical acclaim upon release, with praise directed at its music, story and gameplay, and criticism for its graphics and some aspects of its controls. It was the best-selling video game of 2004, and with over 27.5 million copies sold worldwide as of 2011, it is the  best-selling PlayStation 2 game  and one of the  best-selling video games of all time . Like its predecessors,  San Andreas  is cited as a landmark in video games for its far-reaching influence within the industry. The game's violence and sexual content was the source of much public concern and controversy. In particular, a player-made software patch, dubbed the " Hot Coffee mod ", unlocked a previously hidden sexual scene, resulting in the game being re-rated AO by the North American  Entertainment Software Rating Board  (although its previous M rating was reinstated after the game was edited to remove the content). A  remastered  version of the game was released for  Android  and  iOS  in 2013, for  Windows Phone ,  Fire OS  and  Xbox 360  in 2014, and for  PlayStation 3  in 2015. In June 2018, the game was made available for the  Xbox One  via  backward compatibility . An enhanced version with the subtitle  The Definitive Edition  was released in 2021, and a  virtual reality  version for  Oculus Quest 2  is in development. The next main entry in the series,  Grand Theft Auto IV , was released in April 2008.