Frequently Asked Questions

Who created GTA San Andreas?

GTA:SA was created by the Rockstar Games team lead by Leslie Benzies of Rockstar North and Sam & Dan Houser of Rockstar Games NYC.

The city is so big, I keep getting lost!

There's a very useful new feature in SA to help you learn your way around. Press Start, scroll over to the map option and hit X. You can now view the whole map zoomed in and you can even find where you want to go in the crosshairs and hit O. This will place a blip on your radar which will guide you to your marked destination.

Can I go to the other cities before unlocking them?

Unlike in the previous GTA's, yes, you can visit other cities without cheating or glitching before unlocking them, however you will instantly receive a 4 star wanted level which cannot be removed via cheating or Pay N' Spray and the cops won't give up until you're dead.

How do I recruit gang members?

Once you have enough respect, walk up to them and hold R1 to target them. Now press up on the D-Pad and they will be recruited. You can hold down for a few seconds to tell your gang members to stay put, tap up to get them to follow you closely, or hold up to tell them to go home.

How do I get more respect?

Play missions, wear your gang colors, and visit enemy territory often to kill your rival gang members. Killing cops will also increase your respect, as will spraying over enemy gang tags.

How do I enter 2-player free roam?

There are several places to activate 2-player free roam in San Andreas. In order to do so you will need to stand on a floating 2 player icon and then push any button on controller 2. You will find 2 player Free Roam Icons at the following locations:
Idlewood, Los Santos - Climb over a fence West of the bridge with the wire fencing across it and you'll find a red floating 2 player icon.
Dillimore, Countryside - To the South West of Dillimore you'll find a red 2 player icon floating in front of a building.
Kings, San Fierro - Follow the building site from the garage North, then when it ends, follow the road West. After crossing the junction you'll see a car park to the left and the red icon can be found here.
El Quebrados, Desert - Right in the center of the town you'll find AmmuNation. The icon is just to the West.
Royal Casino, Las Venturas - Right in the middle of the Royal Casino square is the floating icon for 2 player in Las Venturas.

How do I get into the airport?

• You need a pilot's licence from the flight school. This can only be obtained by completing the flying school missions which are unlocked after purchasing the abandoned airstrip during the mission "Verdant Meadows".
• You can alternatively use the new jump and grab feature to jump onto the booth in front of the airport gates, then jump over the fence and grab a plane. To do this, park a vehicle in front of the booth and jump on it. From here, jump towards the booth and hit jump to pull yourself up, then jump over the fence and make your way into the airport. If you fly the plane inside there for about 30 minutes you will gain enough pilot skill to unlock the pilots licence early!
• Max out your cycling skill and use a bunny-hop to jump over the wall or gate. You can then optionally follow the above instructions to earn your pilot licence.

Where's the flight school?

In the desert. You can learn there once you beat "Verdant Meadows".

How do I rob people?

You have to complete the mission "Home Invasion" for Ryder first. Then you'll need to find the parked Black Boxville (Opposite the Gym in Los Santos, In an alley North of the Driving School in San Fierro) and get in then push R3 to start the mission. From there the on screen instructions will guide you through the mission or you can read the Sub-Missions Guide on this site for an in-depth description. Remember that you MUST use the parked Black Boxville to start the mission.

Can I pee on people?

No. Why would you want to do that anyway?

How does car modding work?

Get a suitable car and take it down to TransFender or any other place that does car mods. Different cars can have different types of mods applied (I.E. You can't mod fenders on the Turismo because it doesn't have any), you'll have to experiment.

I beat "The Green Sabre" and now when I return to Los Santos, my gang is gone! What happened? [Spoilers]

This question basically answers itself. If you don't know why, you most likely skipped over a couple cut-scenes and don't listen to the radio in SA too often. Big Smoke and Ryder screwed you over and helped the cops. Sweet was wounded and you both got arrested. Sweet was thrown in jail, and you were dropped off in the middle of nowhere. Hence the gang no longer exists... For now.

What flyable aircraft are there in San Andreas?

Planes: Dodo, Shamal, Skimmer, Rustler, Nevada, Beagle, Copduster, Stuntplane, Hydra, AT-400, Andromada
Helicopters: Cargobob, Raindance, Hunter, Leviathan, Sparrow, Sea Sparrow

How do I obtain (air vehicle)?

Most can be found at one of the three major airports in San Andreas. The standard helicopters are usually parked atop the tallest building in Los Santos. The amphibious plane and helicopter are available at the dam in Las Venturas after you complete "Dam and Blast". You can get the Hunter after completing the flying school with all golds. You will unlock the Hydra after the mission "Vertical Bird".

Is Fido (AKA Claude, the GTA 3 Guy) in the game?

Yes. You meet him briefly in the countryside and then race him. He's Catalina's new boyfriend.

Can I smoke or drink beer?

Nope, you can't drink or do any drugs. CJ is 100% drug-free besides one mission for The Truth (Are You Going To San Fierro) where CJ starts to get stoned from burning weed.

How do I get a girlfriend?

After beating "Burning Desire", Denise (Available 16:00-06:00) will become your first girlfriend automatically. You'll have the opportunity to meet Michelle Cannes (00:01-12:00 & 14:00-02:00) at driving school in San Fierro, Helena Wankstein (08:00-12:00 & 14:00-02:00) in Blueberry on the Ammu-Nation range balcony, Barbara Schternvart (16:00-06:00) in the police parking lot in El Quebrados, and Katie Zhan (12:00-00:00) in Avispa Country Club in San Fierro. Millie Perkins (02:00-10:00 & 14:00-8:00) will automatically become your girlfriend after you complete "Key to Her Heart". The more girlfriends you have, the greater the likeliness one of them will catch you on a date with another girlfriend cheating on them.

What do I need to do to beat the reach 100% completion?

See the 100% Completion Checklist on this site.

Why can't I enter Ammu-Nation?

Ammu-Nation opens for business when you beat "Doberman" for Sweet.

Where's Lazlow?

He hosts a show on WCTR after the old host gets killed by Jack Howitzer. This happens when you reach San Fierro.

I don't have any more missions left. Did I beat the game?

Unless the credits rolled, you didn't beat it yet.

How do I dual-wield weapons?

Get your weapon skill upgraded to Hitman by  and you'll automatically dual wield the single handed weapons. CJ can only dual-wield certain weapons which are the Colt. 45, Tec-9, Micro Uzi and Sawn Off Shotgun. Other weapons will have increased stats for reaching Hitman, such as longer lock on distance and quicker reloads.

What/where is the Personal transport device?

It's a jetpack, also known as the Black Project. Once you beat "Green Goo", it will spawn at your airstrip right outside the control tower.

Where's driving school?

From you garage in San Fierro, turn right and head straight for two blocks, it's on the corner. It's also marked by a red S on your radar.

How do I mod my car at the Arch Angels mod garage?

Complete "Zeroing In". Despite the name, this mission has nothing to do with Zero. You can start it by walking into the pink marker back at your garage in San Fierro. The only vehicles you can mod at the Arch Angels garage are the vehicles found inside Wang Cars after completion of the asset.

Where/What is the ghost car?

The ghost car is nothing special at all, however many people actually somehow think it's a hidden secret put into the game by R*. All that happens is that the game spawns a car on the top of a hill and it's not stable enough to stop there, so it rolls down a hill with no driver. You can find it in the countryside. Look on your map for two horseshoe shaped pieces of dirt and you'll find it around that area.

What are the photo opportunities?

Assuming you're not talking about the mission "Photo Opportunity", This simply means you can take pictures of various things in San Andreas and save them with your game. Some things are much more rare and are therefore much harder to photograph. Alongside this are Snapshots which are a required collectable objective found in San Fierro where you must take photos of 50 hidden snapshot icons.

Where are the rampages located?

Pershing Square, Los Santos - Right in the middle of the actual square you'll find two floating skulls next to the pool of water.
Montgomery, Countryside - To the South West side of the town you'll find more floating skulls alongside a long building.
Chinatown, San Fierro - Look on your radar for a green and white rectangle right next to each other on your radar a few blocks North of the building site. You'll find the skulls in front of a building on the white side of the road.
Las Payasadas, Desert - Just West of the airstrip is a small town called Las Payasadas. To the South of this town you'll find the rampage icon behind a building.
Come-A-Lot, Las Venturas - Under a small walkway you'll find the skulls. From the South side of the big pyramid head East and take the second left. You should see it on the corner.

Are Bigfoot and the UFO in the game?

No. Despite what you've heard from your friends they are not in the game as secrets. Maybe we'll be proven wrong in time, however we have a lot of good hackers who have ripped the game to shreds and not found a trace of anything like that. There is however a UFO spinning around in front of the bar near Area 69.

What are assets in the game, and how do I complete them?

Assets are businesses you acquire throughout the course of the game that will eventually earn you money. Wang cars in San Fierro is yours after "Farewell, My Love" and earns money after you complete all the garage missions, the flight school is in the Desert and it must be bought, it earns money after you complete The Truth's missions. The hotel is acquired and earns money after completing the valet missions. The Quarry earns money after successfully completing all 7 Quarry missions and the Trucking company will earn you money after finishing all 8 of it's missions. Additionally Roboi's Food Mart, Hippy Shopper and Burger Shot can all be acquired as assets by finishing the Courier missions in each city.

I'm on (Mission Name) in Los Santos, how many missions do I have left until I reach San Fierro?

Chances are, a lot. The last two missions in Los Santos are "Reuiniting The Families" and "The Green Sabre". Then you move on to the countryside, there are about 15 missions there.

I keep getting killed on (Mission name)!

A good rule of thumb is to start the mission, attempt it, and if you don't succeed the first time, hang around and scout the territory before attempting it again. If you need to, set up your escape beforehand, or at the very least know exactly where you're going to go and where to seek cover, supplies, etc. Ensure you start the mission with full health and armor too.

I can't beat "Wrong Side Of The Tracks"!

A lot of people have trouble with this mission, but the trick is to stay about 2-3 yards ahead of whoever you want Big Smoke to shoot. If you follow this strategy, you should beat the mission before you even reach the tunnel. "ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS FOLLOW THE DAMN TRAIN!".

I can't beat "Robbing Uncle Sam", Ryder keeps dying!

Follow the Story Missions guide on this site for additional help, however here is some advice: After Ryder parks the truck and gets out, gun down all the soldiers who are close by and get in the SUV-type vehicle parked near the outside boxes and drive it right up to Ryder (So that it's facing the truck). Now Ryder will be fully covered and should lose no more than 1/3 of his health meter through the whole mission. Get in the forklift and do the outside boxes first, finish off the ones inside the warehouse and jump on the truck. Floor it.

"Just Business" is hard!

Crouch during the on-foot portion. Practice doing drive-bys on a motorcycle to increase your aim for the chase part.

I can't beat the Countryside racing missions!

Start the race, let the other drivers get a good lead and slowly explore the track till you reach the end. Some good things to remember: Don't turn left on the bridge (even though the arrow tells you to, you'll fall off), Take the right side through the farm, avoiding the barn jump, and cut as many corners as you can. There are about 15 checkpoints here, so it might also help to keep count and memorize which are which.

I can't start "Amphibious Assault", how do I get better at swimming?

Practice, practice, practice. Jump into the water and dive. Swim around until your oxygen is low then resurface and repeat. After a couple minutes you should have some swimming skill.

I can't beat mission 3 in flight school!

This is a bit of dumb mission because it misleads you. If you find yourself stalling whenever you try to take off, make sure to retract your landing gear with R3. Also, the mission tells you to bank, DON'T. Always use the analog stick to turn, you retain a lot more control. If you manage to reach the 3rd corona, the rest of the mission should be cake.

I can't beat "Black Project", the SAM sites keep shooting me down!

You need to disable the SAM sites before going to look for the Black project. Pay attention to the cinematic, it shows you the control room for the SAMs.

What are the Heist missions and how do I do them?

Heist missions can be found at the right-side door inside the casino, they aren't necessary to complete the storyline, but are necessary for 100% completion and are quite a bit of fun.

What is the Triathlon Event? Where can I find it and what do I win?

The Triathlon Event is called "Beat The Cock!" and can be found next to the lighthouse on Santa Maria Beach or on the beach at Fishers Lagoon ONLY on a Saturday or Sunday. You'll need a LOT of stamina to be able to do the mission though, and keeping low muscle and fat will enable you to sprint for longer. You'll need to mash the X button for about 15 minutes while you race across the whole state in order to win $10,000.