5 GTA San Andreas mods worth downloading for more realism

The Ped Vary Mod helps diversify how pedestrians look, especially with any graphical mod (Image via Rockstar Games)
The Ped Vary Mod helps diversify how pedestrians look, especially with any graphical mod (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA San Andreas isn't known for its realism, but it does have a legendary modding scene that has a mod for practically every occasion. Thanks to several modders' hard work, everything from goofy superheroes to zombie invasions is possible, but some gamers might appreciate something more down-to-earth.

Fans of realism should know that GTA SA isn't the most realistic game. Fortunately for them, they're only a few downloads away from adding some small-but-greatly-appreciated realism mods.


Top 5 GTA San Andreas mods that add realism to the game

5) Bulletholes

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Early Grand Theft Auto games, unsurprisingly, lacked the capability to make realistic bullet holes that stayed in place. The mod's name is "Bulletholes," so the point is fairly clear. It creates lingering bullet holes from any shootout, which is a small but important aspect of realism.


4) Gasoline

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The GTA series has strangely never featured a gasoline mechanic where the player could run out of gas for driving too long. Unsurprisingly, a few GTA San Andreas mods throughout the years have sought to rectify that desire for fans of realism.

The above video shows gasoline getting depleted slowly, so it's not as annoying as it might seem at first glance. Not only that, but it adds an extra layer of strategy at times, as CJ might have to make a stop to get some gasoline if he's in a good car.


3) Original Peds Vary

An example of how two pedestrians have three alternate "skins" each (Image via MixMods.com.br)
An example of how two pedestrians have three alternate "skins" each (Image via MixMods.com.br)

One thing that the GTA San Andreas Definitive Edition did right was give the classic pedestrians a few new outfits. Thankfully, this old mod does something similar to reduce the overall repetitiveness of seeing the same pedestrian multiple times.

GTA San Andreas infamously features pedestrian clumping as a feature. For those that don't know, it essentially means that the game will reuse the same few pedestrians that are already loaded to save resources.

This mod will at least make those same few pedestrians look a little more diverse, which is excellent for realism.


2) 1st Person POV

An example of 1st Person POV in GTA San Andreas (Image via MixMods.com.br)
An example of 1st Person POV in GTA San Andreas (Image via MixMods.com.br)

Every gamer is aware of what a 1st Person POV offers in a video game. It basically allows the player to see the game from the protagonist's view, which is more realistic than the usual 3rd Person POV seen in games.

It will lessen the appeal of customization and slightly limit the player's view, given they won't see CJ often or what's behind him. Still, it's a commonplace feature in most modern games, so some gamers might want it in GTA San Andreas too.


1) Ragdoll Physics

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Once players saw how fun the feature was in GTA 4, it was only a matter of time before somebody made a mod replicating it in GTA San Andreas. It's not a perfect 1:1 clone by any means, but it's unquestionably more realistic than the old physics engine.

Hitting people with vehicles or weapons feels far more fluid with Ragdoll Physics enabled. One can also alter the content of the .ini file to tweak the overall physics to one's liking, although the default version works well enough.


Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.

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