Top 5 San Andreas mods for GTA 5 in 2023, ranked

The story of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 5 takes place in Los Santos. When Rockstar Games revealed this fact, many fans rejoiced at the prospect of revisiting the beloved virtual city. However, the setting and the characters were quite different as the title is set in a different universe. Luckily, fans of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas can download various mods to fix this issue.

From swapping character models to user interface renewals, the options are endless. These mods are incredibly detailed and greatly enhance the overall experience. With that said, we will be ranking the top five San Andreas mods available for GTA 5 in 2023 in this article.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.

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Big Smoke character model and 4 more San Andreas mods for GTA 5 in 2023, ranked

5) San Andreas Graffiti

San Andreas Graffiti mod (Image via gta5-mods.com)

Graffiti is a form of art that can elevate a simple wall to have a picturesque view. However, they are also used by gangs to mark their territories. This also played a role in some GTA San Andreas missions where Carl "CJ" Johnson, the protagonist, had to spray over rival gang graffities.

While the San Andreas Graffiti mod doesn't add that mechanic into the game, it replaces some of the default wall art in HD Los Santos with those from Rockstar's 2004 release. This can help fans to an extent in bringing back the familiar aesthetic from the older game.

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4) SA Theme Song Loading Screen Music

Besides the fun characters, engaging storyline, and revolutionary gameplay, San Andreas' primary soundtrack also contributed towards making it iconic. It even made the game's loading screens easier to sit through, which is saying something. While GTA 5's music isn't bad by any metric, it cannot compete with the older game.

To fix that minor gripe, players can download the SA Theme Song Loading Screen Music mod to change Grand Theft Auto 5's stock loading screen music. This will add more of a Grand Theft Auto San Andreas vibe to it. The mod was first uploaded in 2018 and recieved updates till May 2020.

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3) Big Smoke character model

Big Smoke is the antagonist of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. He is incredibly well-written and is among the most hilarious characters in the series. Fans of the game and Big Smoke now have the opportunity of bringing him back in Grand Theft Auto 5.

By downloading the Big Smoke mod created by TheFriedturkey, players can replace Franklin Clinton's character model with the former's. The textures have been imported from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, so it might not fit that well in HD surroundings, but it is still quite a fun mod to use.

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2) San Andreas HUD

Grand Theft Auto 5's HUD is considered a vast improvement over its predecessors by many as it is simple yet effective. However, it is very different from what the fans of the popular action-adventure series have become used to. Hence, those who prefer the older style can download the San Andreas HUD mod to switch things up.

This GTA 5 mod changes replaces the default HUD with the San Andreas' user interface, presenting more of a tradional Grand Theft Auto aesthetic. It has been created by by Zolika1351 and has over three thousand downloads.

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1) HD Universe Carl Johnson

Carl "CJ" Johnson is arguably the best main character in GTA games. He went through betrayals and extremely tough situations in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, but was always there for his loved ones. When Rockstar announced that Los Santos would return in Grand Theft Auto 5, many wondered if CJ would also make a comeback.

While that didn't occur, players can add Carl to the game by downloading the HD Universe Carl Johnson mod. It replaces Franklin with CJ's character model, whose textures have been updated to match the HD surroundings. It was originally uploaded in 2016 and recieved several updates till 2018 to fix certain issues.