Why is GTA San Andreas’s Jetpack so iconic?

The Jetpack is unquestionably one of the most iconic vehicles in not just GTA San Andreas, but in the whole series as well.

Futuristic vehicles weren't too commonplace in the GTA series by the time GTA San Andreas came out. Even then, this game still had plenty of realistic vehicles and didn't jump the shark in the same vein a game like GTA Online did. It had ridiculous vehicles, but they were few and far in between.

One of those ridiculous vehicles was the Jetpack. It's a special vehicle that allows players to go in any direction, and players can only get hurt if an enemy shoots at them. The vehicle never blows up, and it had a respectable speed for what was essentially the best mobility in GTA San Andreas. As far as vehicles that define GTA San Andreas go, the Jetpack is near the top.

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How the Jetpack became one of GTA San Andreas's most iconic vehicles

Some people love to use cheat codes (Image via LegendHunter)

GTA San Andreas is one of the most legendary games of all time. Millions of players have played the game, so there are bound to be some vehicles that receive more searches than others.

When it comes to Google Trends, the Jetpack is often one of the most searched results (usually in conjunction with the cheat code). Of course, some people also still reminisce of the Jetpack's role in the game, particularly because of how memorable the mission, Black Project, was.

The Spawn Jetpack cheat code

The Spawn Jetpack cheat code is undeniably one of the most popular cheat codes in the game. Spawning a useful, easy-to-control vehicle is a no-brainer. It can be equipped anywhere in GTA San Andreas, and there aren't many situations where the Jetpack is inferior to another vehicle of choice.

Even outside of the usual Spawn Vehicle cheat codes, this is still one of the most useful cheat codes around. Most of the usefulness from this cheat ties into how amazing the vehicle is as a whole.

Insane usefulness

The Jetpack is a vehicle that never blows up, and it can never hurt the player by crashing or anything like that. It has exceptional mobility, respectable top speed, and it has a small size that allows a player to get to virtually any spot on the map.

As far as sheer utility goes, nothing outclasses the Jetpack in GTA San Andreas. It's not a traditional vehicle by any means, but that's part of the reason why it's so good. It's not limited to the normal conventions most vehicles suffer from.

Traveling by air is often the best form of transport in a GTA game. It allows players to go from one point to another in a straight line, and not worry about traffic or inconvenient hills. However, most aircraft blow up easily when the player crashes and can be hard to control.

The latter point doesn't apply to the Jetpack at all in GTA San Andreas. It's the easiest vehicle to control in the game, especially for one as useful as it is.

The Jetpack's role in GTA San Andreas

It's also amusing seeing The Truth try to fly it (Image via PrinceY)

The idea of flying a Jetpack is rather ridiculous in a GTA game, yet GTA San Andreas makes it seem cool. It debuts in the mission, Black Project, and the premise is even sillier than the vehicle itself.

Here, CJ has to break into Area 69 (the GTA equivalent of Area 51) and steals it for The Truth. He succeeds, and in the next mission, he has to steal "Green Goo" from a moving train. It's such a memorable role for a vehicle as awesome as the Jetpack.

GTA Online has a similar vehicle known as the Thruster, but it's nowhere near as iconic as the Jetpack was in GTA San Andreas. For starters, GTA Online plays differently from a game like GTA San Andreas. Second, the Thruster isn't the most mobile vehicle in the game like the Jetpack was for GTA San Andreas.