5 subtle mechanics in GTA San Andreas that slip past new players

GTA San Andreas was a mammoth game of its era, and it can still give tough competition to many modern video games. The 2004 title includes a plethora of gameplay mechanics that can keep you busy for hours. While Rockstar Games directly introduces you to a few features, others are portrayed in a very subtle way. As a result, many new players often overlook them.

This article lists five of the subtle mechanics in GTA San Andreas that every new player must explore.

5 subtle mechanics that GTA San Andreas players should try

1) Car customizations

Rockstar allows you to modify cars in San Andreas (Image via Rockstar Games)

While car customization is mostly popular in GTA 5 and its multiplayer version, you can also do it in GTA San Andreas. The game has 198 vehicles, and you can bring 63 of them to the TransFender auto shop and customize them manually.

One possible reason the feature is not popular among players is that Rockstar does not allow you to keep the acquired vehicles permanently or as personal cars. The game despawns them if they go out of your sight.

2) Dating girlfriends

Dating girlfriends in GTA San Andreas is an elaborate process, where you have to learn your partner’s preferences, likes, and dislikes. However, the feature also rewards you generously if you grind it properly.

The game introduces you to two girlfriends whom you meet by following the storyline. However, there are four other girls that Carl “CJ” Johnson can date after he finds them in the open world. If you never knew about the other four, we suggest you check out the GTA San Andreas girlfriends guide to learn about them.

3) Increasing health and armor

San Andreas has a default amount of health and armor, with which you can complete the entire game. However, it is always best to increase them by completing the following two side missions:

Paramedic: Increases the health bar by 50%
Vigilante: Increases the armor bar by 50%

While we are at it, you should also do the Firefighter missions as soon as possible. Completing 12 Firefighter missions will make Carl “CJ” Johnson immune to fire. Which means his health bar will not decrease even while standing on fire.

Also read: 5 things GTA 6 should bring back from GTA San Andreas

4) Learning new combat movements

Carl “CJ” Johnson can learn new combat moves from gyms and fight schools. This will help you fight the enemies more efficiently. The gyms also help you gain more muscle and stamina. Having max stamina will help the protagonist to sprint for longer durations before getting tired.

Therefore, whenever you come across a gym or a fight school on the map, use the features to the maximum time permissible to improve CJ’s health.

Also read: 5 GTA San Andreas features that are mysteriously never seen again in the series

5) Extra activities

Rockstar offers some unique side activities in GTA San Andreas (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA San Andreas is not only about missions and common side quests. Rockstar offers some unique side activities that are rare in the GTA series games. You can go to four different types of vehicle schools, play basketball, pool, attend stadium events, rob houses, and do many other things.

However, most of these activities do not appear as missions on the map. You must keep an eye on the in-game prompts to know about them.

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About the author

Mridul completed his post-graduation in Mass Communication, Journalism, and Media Studies. His career as a journalist began at Sportskeeda, and he has been associated with the Esports & Gaming division for over 1.5 years. He has produced 1600+ articles on Grand Theft Auto, his favorite gaming franchise of all time.

Mridul writes detailed and well-researched articles, relying solely on official sources and reputable insiders for credible information. His immense love for the GTA series shines through in his work, which resonates with readers, with five of his articles having crossed the 100,000 reads mark each. Overall, his reads count stands at close to 8 million.

GTA: Vice City served as Mridul's introduction to Rockstar Games, and he has dedicatedly made his way through the publisher's catalog since then. If given a chance, he would love to drop into the world of Bully and relive his school days. However, he would like to recommend Grand Theft Auto 4 to beginners due to the depth of its narrative and in-game mechanics.

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba