GTA: San Andreas Celebrates 20 Years with New Development Insights

Former Rockstar developer reveals original plans for separate city maps in the iconic open-world game.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released on October 26, 2004, is celebrated as a groundbreaking open-world game and a cultural phenomenon.
Obbe Vermeij, a former Rockstar developer, shared that the game was initially planned to have separate maps for each city due to PS2 memory limitations.
A last-minute decision led to a single, interconnected map for San Andreas, enhancing the game's immersive experience despite technical challenges.
San Andreas is praised for its vast and varied open world, featuring three major cities and numerous activities, setting a high bar for future games in the genre.
The game's legacy includes its role in popularizing the open-world format and its influence on subsequent titles, maintaining its status as a classic in video game history.