Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Returning to Los Santos on mobile is like stepping back into your favorite pair of jeans, slightly faded, a little rough around the edges, but still incredibly comfortable. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar’s iconic open-world epic, has made its way to modern phones with sharper textures, better lighting, and just enough tweaks to remind us why this game became a cultural landmark in the first place.

We’re back in CJ’s shoes, or more accurately, in his busted sneakers as he’s dragged back home after his mom’s murder. From there, it’s all crooked cops, family drama, and gang turf wars. Classic Rockstar chaos.

The scale still impresses. San Andreas sprawls across three cities and a ridiculous amount of countryside in between. You’ll cruise through faux-Los Angeles, get lost in desert biker bars, and even gamble in a cartoon version of Las Vegas. That’s assuming you survive your first few missions, riding a bike has never felt this dangerous.

The mobile version tries hard to make all of this work. There are multiple control schemes, contextual buttons, and even support for MOGA and other Bluetooth controllers. But let’s be honest: touchscreen controls are still the biggest gang you’ll have to fight. You can play the game without a gamepad, but expect some accidental wall-hugging and aimless spinning when things get heated.

That said, Rockstar did add helpful features. Mid-mission checkpoints are a blessing, and aim assists make shootouts manageable. You can even customize the layout if the default setup isn’t working for you.

Visually, it’s a glow-up, sort of. Lighting, draw distance, and colors are sharper, but character models and animations still scream “2004.” It’s part of the charm. And at around 2GB, it’s surprisingly content-packed for a mobile port.

The real joy of San Andreas, though, isn’t in the polish. It’s in the freedom, robbing stores, jetpacking off rooftops, or just cycling through Vinewood while dodging corrupt cops.

It’s not perfect. But for $7 and 70+ hours of mayhem? That’s a deal even CJ would call sweet.