There’s something bittersweet about GTA 6. It’s the ultimate proof that we’ll never see another game like San Andreas again. As much as I’m excited for the next Grand Theft Auto, nostalgia sometimes gets the better of me.

The countdown to GTA 6’s release is also a countdown to what could be one of the most advanced video games ever made. Rockstar’s track record and the two trailers released so far promise not just stunning graphics but also a deeper narrative than GTA V. Those are reasons to celebrate — yet there’s an undeniable sadness here. I’ve realized that, paradoxically, progress means we’ll never get another San Andreas.

Why a New San Andreas Is Impossible Today

It doesn’t take an expert to see that GTA IV was the turning point. Rockstar shifted from the playful Los Santos of San Andreas to a bleak Liberty City, and from tongue-in-cheek storytelling to the grim life of Niko Bellic, a war veteran trapped in violence. It was a drastic change that split the fanbase. Even developers weren’t fully convinced. Former technical director Obbe Vermeij admitted: “I wish GTA IV was a bit more like Saints Row 2.”

Vermeij later elaborated that while GTA IV was brilliant, it was “too serious for his taste.” In striving for a truly next-gen experience, Rockstar abandoned San Andreas’ sandbox richness: stats, multiple cities, stealth, diving, jetpacks, tanks, bikes, monster trucks, tuning, and planes. Missions now served the story rather than the other way around.

Graphics were a big reason. Greater visual fidelity skyrocketed development costs. Back in San Andreas, Rockstar could toss in a full Area 51 parody just to justify a jetpack mission. Today, ultra-detailed visuals make such indulgences hard to afford. As game developer Christopher Gile put it:
“When graphics are unrealistic, players accept abstract gameplay. Realistic visuals, however, create expectations of realism in gameplay too — and that limits design.”

A Chain Reaction That Changed GTA Forever

San Andreas could get away with absurd mechanics because its world never felt bound by realism. You could don latex, raid trains with jetpacks, and still stay immersed. But as GTA pursued realism, that freedom shrank. GTA IV went full grimdark, GTA V reintroduced humor but kept its action rooted in heist-movie logic. The wildest experiments were relegated to GTA Online and Easter eggs.

This isn’t necessarily a flaw. Saints Row refused to adapt and collapsed. Rockstar, by contrast, evolved — and both Red Dead and GTA have shown remarkable resilience. Yet it still feels sad that the industry has left behind what San Andreas represented. Not because it was “better,” but because it brought a kind of wild, refreshing chaos that’s hard to find today.

Source: 3djuegos