GTA 5 vs GTA San Andreas: Which game has the better storyline?

Rockstar changed the world of gaming when it created the GTA franchise. Since 1997, more and more gamers have fallen in love with the games and are still anticipating a long future of new editions ahead.

Fans of the games have had many discussions online as to which is the best in the series. This is a hard thing to choose as each of the games in the franchise is a winner. However, when discussing the best game, two names come up the most in terms of the storyline.

This article will discuss which game is thought to have the best storyline between GTA San Andreas and GTA 5.

---

GTA San Andreas has the better storyline by far

While there may still be a few gamers that haven't played San Andreas, most should be aware of the significant differences in stories and gameplay. Primarily the number of protagonists and how this affects the overall plot.

It is also important to remember that San Andreas was made up of three major cities and numerous small country towns. Even though the map is the second biggest in the franchise, it feels more detailed with these exciting locations. Many fans commented on the videos about this subject online.

Gamers and fans remember the extra cities fondly (Image via Sportskeeda)

As is clear from these comments, most people seem to prefer the world of San Andreas over Los Santos and its neighbouring counties. With the ability to travel to three separate bustling cities, each with its unique vibe and style, fans would love to see return again.

GTA 5 is a much bigger map and comes with graphics far better than previous games in the series. The interactions seem more detailed as the newer graphics and game mechanics allow this. The city of Los Santos and the surrounding counties in the game are vast and impressively rendered. Of course, the most significant difference is three separate protagonists in GTA 5 with interwoven storylines.

While it does feel like more gameplay and perhaps more of a story in the latest game, this is not the case. In reality, San Andreas, with its solo protagonist CJ, has 31 more missions in its story mode than GTA 5, with 100 to 69. GTA 5 feels more in-depth to players and fans because of the immense amount of extra activities they can participate in, such as side-missions and everything to do in the Online element.

While fans of the game do love Michael, Franklin and Trevor as protagonists, they must be able to see that the storyline lacks as much depth as CJ's having to switch between the three characters so much in the game.

---

Gamers can think of many reasons why GTA San Andreas takes the lead

The YouTube video above lists ten things that Sand Andreas did better than GTA 5. It talks about things like how players could modify CJ's body, making him fat or skinny, and how there was more access to restaurants and other businesses like the gym.

These minor aspects of the game made gamers feel like they played a bigger role in the protagonist's personal life, giving the storyline a slightly more meaningful element. The players helped make CJ the man he became in the game, meaning they significantly impacted the story. This makes the storyline of this game much more meaningful and enjoyable.

Many gamers believe that the storyline becomes a bit watered down with more than one protagonist. Even though Michael, Trevor and Franklin all have exciting stories, gamers did not get the same chance to get to know them all and CJ from the previous game. At least when fans played the game solely as CJ, they could see his progression from nothing to something.