San Andreas is the best GTA game and this game deserves much more recognition in gaming discussions than it has. Yes, people remember it fondly but seriously this is the most sandbox driven action packed story out of all the 3D GTA games. You can finally swim, there is stealth mechanics now, there is a great expansive map with so many distinct locations, you can fly properly now and parachute and land. This game knocks vice city and GTA 3 out of their own franchise and runs laps around the convoluted and needless boring missions found in GTA 5 (and red dead 2 tbh). So many action packed missions, with the new skill progression everything you do in the game feels purposeful and meaningful. Custamisation is primitive in accessories like clothing, but surprisingly deep in terms of physique and look of CJ.
CJ himself is a pretty likeable and decent protaganist. The game does a good job at making you sympathise with his perspective and juxtaposed his brothers on him being gone from grove street so long. I wish they developed Big Smoke a bit more before the big twist but it works as is. I would say my favourite thing about this game is the gang warfare. My Dream GTA game is one where you spread your reach through gang conflict and trade until you have conquered an entire city or metropolitian area. Kind of like a merging of the idea of Tommy Vercetti becoming the independent criminal King of Miama and CJ’s Grovestreet/Balla gang warfare. You run an empire, completely customisable in insignia, clothing and outcome. You can join another gang and work your way up from there or create your own from **** Andreas is the closest to this dream and made me believe it actually possible. This game is the first out of the OG trilogy to have shooting i would classify as “acceptable” for its time and only its time. One day we will have a good combat in a rockstar game that isn’t max payne, one day.This game also pleases by getting exponentially better as it goes on, the second act is so much better than the first and the last few missions are the best ones. Characters like woozie and the truth have probably become my favourite GTA characters, as well as Big Smoke of course.

This game isn't definitive edition of gta san andreas thats cap, This game is like remaster or modded gta san andreas. I am giving big score cuz its nostalgic for me, anyways this game have visible bugs (rockstar games fix almost all bugs but not graphics bugs)