Why isn't GTA San Andreas available on Steam?

GTA San Andreas is no longer available for purchase on Steam.

Going to GTA San Andreas's Steam page will give players the following message:

"Notice: At the request of the publisher, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is no longer available for sale on Steam."

This message appears regardless if the player owns GTA San Andreas or not. It discusses how one cannot buy the game on Steam anymore.

Rockstar Games stated that those who have already purchased the game could download and install it whenever they want. Hence, players have not lost access to something they bought. This statement applies to other digital retailers that have GTA San Andreas.

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GTA San Andreas is no longer available for purchase on Steam

Players can't find GTA San Andreas even by searching for it (Image via Steam)

Players looking to purchase GTA San Andreas will no longer be able to find it on Steam. If they search for other GTA games (like GTA 4), they will get the results. The only GTA games that were on Steam but are no longer available include:

• GTA 3
• GTA Vice City
• GTA San Andreas

If players find GTA San Andreas's Store Page (such as by accessing it if they own the game), they will see the aforementioned notice about being unable to purchase it. It's the same deal with GTA 3 and GTA Vice City.

Remember, those who bought the game can still download it as usual. Rockstar Games removed the original GTA Trilogy from digital retailers to make room for the new GTA Trilogy.

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Why can't players buy GTA San Andreas?

GTA San Andreas players who own the game can still play it in all its glory (Image via Rockstar Games)

Rockstar Games Support announced that they would be removing the original GTA Trilogy after announcing the new GTA Trilogy. This change was supposed to take place the week of 11 October 2021. Hence, players cannot buy the original titles or bundles associated with them on various digital platforms.

There isn't much information on the new GTA Trilogy game, although Rockstar Games states:

"Stay tuned to the Rockstar Newswire for more information about Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition platforms and release dates."

Fans will have to wait and see if the new GTA Trilogy makes up for the fact that players can't buy the original games on Steam anymore.

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Community reactions

Some parts of the GTA community are unhappy that Rockstar Games removed these titles from Steam. The company stated that:

"To prepare for launch, we will begin removing existing versions of the classic titles from digital retailers next week."

Hence, one can conclude that they removed the original GTA Trilogy to help prepare for the new one's success. If fans wish to relive these classic titles, they're either forced to buy the upcoming GTA Trilogy, pirate the old games, or seek a physical copy elsewhere.

A player urging Rockstar Games to not remove the games from Steam (Image via Steam)

Many GTA fans were reminding others on Steam that the classic GTA Trilogy will disappear soon. If players wanted to buy the game, they should have done it before Rockstar Games removed the option.

Now, anybody wishing to buy GTA San Andreas will have to resort to an alternative method. Either that or they will have to wait for the new GTA Trilogy to be released.