How does San Fierro rank among the rest of the cities in the GTA franchise?

San Fierro has appeared only once in the GTA franchise, but fans are always eager to remember it as one of the best locations.

Naturally, a topic of rank is always bound to start discussions, particularly regarding one's subjectivity. In terms of appearances, San Fierro is objectively at the bottom, as it has only appeared in-person within GTA San Andreas. However, this was enough for fans to be charmed by its beautiful aesthetic and its San Francisco vibes.

Considering GTA San Andreas is one of the most fondly-remembered games of the GTA franchise, it shouldn't be a surprise to see some fans clamor for the return of San Fierro. Both Las Venturas and San Fierro are yet to show up in a game other than GTA San Andreas, but this article will focus more on the latter it is the more often overlooked town.

Ranking San Fierro among other GTA cities

As previously mentioned, San Fierro is themed after San Francisco. GTA cities tend to draw heavy inspiration from real-life cities, with Los Santos being heavily inspired by Los Angeles and Liberty City being heavily inspired by New York.

This means that a lot of architecture is shared between San Fierro and San Francisco. The latter's Golden Gate Bridge serves as the inspiration for the Gant Bridge, just as the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge does the same for the Garver Bridge.

The atmosphere of San Fierro

San Fierro feels like a more quiet town compared to the other cities in GTA San Andreas. It isn't so isolated like the countryside cities, but it is far more peaceful than Las Venturas and Los Santos. Las Venturas is always so busy, with its casinos making it feel more grandiose and active. Gang warfare is common in Los Santos, but San Fierro gangs normally ignore CJ and his antics unless it is in a mission.

Most of San Fierro feels polished and middle-class (even after its earthquake), making it feel more welcoming than Los Santos's juxtaposition between the rich areas and the poorer ones. There are plenty of trees and grass around for nature lovers to appreciate, while the tram makes the city feel more modern. In fact, the tram (the cable car) goes around much of San Fierro, so players are bound to remember their vehicles getting destroyed by this invincible car.

The storyline

For some players, the real memories lie in the storyline missions that take place in the city. San Fierro is the 3rd location players get to do missions in, but it admittedly doesn't feel as memorable as either Los Santos or Las Ventura's missions.

However, it does introduce several key players to the GTA San Andreas storyline. Wu Zi Mu helps CJ out a bunch and even helps him partially own the Four Dragons Casino in Las Ventura. Caesar continues to be dependable and helps CJ build some new connections, including their new property. Of course, it is also where the memorable Mike Toreno shows up.

San Fierro does feel like the least important city in GTA San Andreas (not counting the countryside), but that is less of a diss towards it and more of a praise to the other two locations. San Fierro is still a great location players fondly remember when they're thinking about GTA San Andreas.

Ranking it against other cities in the GTA franchise

Some cities, like Liberty City, show up so often that they become synonymous with GTA itself. It is unfair to compare a city like San Fierro against one with multiple incarnations, as San Fierro is above and beyond superior to the first few Liberty City variations, but it is arguable that the GTA IV version of Liberty City is better.

Liberty City technically houses several other major cities that can be more fairly compared to San Fierro. Something like Dukes is similar to San Fierro so that they would rank similarly against one another in an overall list. A city like Bohan might not look as good as San Fierro, but its memorable storyline makes it hard to rank lower compared to it.

Technically, Vice City is described as a fictional city taking place in Florida, so it should be compared to San Fierro as well. Considering Vice City might show up in GTA 6, as well as how memorable and charming it was with its aesthetic back in the day, it seems highly unlikely for San Fierro to be ranked above it.

Ultimately, it would seem like San Fierro would rank among the lowest in the GTA franchise. It is not a bad town by any means, but it is incredibly minor compared to some of the other options, and its simple atmosphere might not capture some player's attention as much as the previous cities. It isn't poorly designed or anything; it's just too difficult for players to honestly rank it higher than some of its competition.

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