Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — a light title that runs on modest PCs: specs & FPS

2004 · Action · Rockstar North · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 93

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas cover art

Official system requirements

Publisher-published Minimum / Recommended values via RAWG, retrieved 2026-08-21. Real-world performance varies with drivers, resolution and your full build.

SpecMinimumRecommended
OSMinimum:Recommended:
ProcessorOS: Microsoft® Windows® 2000/XPProcessor: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon XP Processor
MemoryProcessor: 1Ghz Pentium III or AMD Athlon ProcessorMemory: 384MB of RAM (the more the better!)
GraphicsMemory: 256MB of RAMGraphics: 128MB (or greater) Video Card (Geforce 6 Series Recommended)
StorageGraphics: 64MB Video Card (Geforce 3 or better)Hard Drive: 4.7GB of free hard disk space (full install)
DirectXHard Drive: 3.6GB of free hard disk space (minimal install)Sound Card: DirectX 9 compatible Sound Card (Sound Blaster Auidgy 2 Recommended)
Item 7Other Requirements: Software installations required including DirectX and Sony DADC SecuROM—
Item 8Partner Requirements: Please check the terms of service of this site before purchasing this software.—

Multi-GPU FPS estimate

Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas's demand tier (tier 2, Light (entry discrete GPU)) and published TechPowerUp-style relative-performance indices (RTX 4090 = 100), retrieved 2026-08-29. Planning estimates, not benchmarks.

GPU1080p1440p4K
RTX 4090392259149
RTX 4080 Super351232134
RTX 4080338223128
RX 7900 XTX375248143
RX 7900 XT351232134
RTX 4070 Ti Super300198114
RX 7800 XT300198114
RTX 4070 Super282186107
RTX 4070264175101
RX 7700 XT272179103
RTX 307024716394
RX 6800 XT296196113
RTX 4060 Ti21714383
RX 6700 XT264175101
RTX 306019913176
RX 6600 XT22514885
RTX 206018011968
GTX 1660 Super1499857
RX 58017211465
GTX 1060 6GB1419353
GTX 16501127443
Intel Arc A77022815187
UHD 770 (integrated)463017

Method: a game's demand tier maps to a “GPU index needed for ~60 FPS at 1080p”; each GPU's relative index produces an estimate via a diminishing-returns curve, then scaled for resolution. Source: TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), 2026-08-29.

For the full hardware spec sheet and a deeper performance breakdown, see Full specs & performance data on GameFigs.

Age rating & regional compliance

GameRulePro pairs each title with its ESRB age rating and, where documented, real regulatory notes on loot boxes, skin gambling and randomized monetization. Every line is source-linked and labeled with its retrieval date. This is an educational reference, not legal advice — verify the specifics that apply to your jurisdiction.

FieldValueSource
Age ratingESRB MatureESRB rating via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
Verify locally. No GameRulePro-curated regulatory note is indexed for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas yet. Jurisdiction-specific rules on randomized monetization, loot boxes and simulated gambling vary — confirm against the ESRB rating above and your regional authority before allowing purchases or play by minors.

Similar games you may tune or rule next

Best graphics settings for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Pick your PC and get a starting preset — resolution, upscaler, shadows, ray tracing and an FPS cap — tuned to how demanding Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is on hardware. Print it and tune from there. Everything runs in your browser.

Best graphics settings for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas hardware-demand tier: 2/9. Pick your PC above to get a starting preset, then tune up if you have FPS headroom or down if you're under your target.

Estimated starting point — real FPS depends on drivers, thermals and background load.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas — Best settings (Mid-range (GTX 1660 – RTX 3060))

Resolution1920×1080
Upscaler (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)DLSS / FSR Balanced
ShadowsMedium
ReflectionsMedium
Ambient occlusionLow
TexturesMedium
Volumetric / effectsMedium
Ray tracingOff
Anisotropic filtering8x
FPS cap60–120 FPS
V-SyncOff (G-Sync / FreeSync if available)

Generated at GameRulePro · 2026-09-25

Release, patch & rule-change notes

Official release date: 2004-10-26. Ongoing patches and version history are published by the developer — for the latest patch notes, see the official store or support page. GameRulePro summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates. When a developer ships a rule-affecting update (balance pass, mode change, or ranked-reset), re-run the generator above to keep your house rules in sync.

SingleplayerMultiplayerAtmosphericGreat Soundtrack

About Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas is the seventh entry in the series in the GTA franchise, but only second big title after GTA - Vice City. Setting up in fictional state San Andreas, you follow the story of CJ, a member of one of the multiple gangs in the city. CJ's family is being attacked in drive shooting which resulted in the death of CJ's mother, so he returns to home from Liberty City. Meeting the rest of the family at his mom's funeral, he decides to rebuild the gang and gain control of the state. The game makes a brilliant connection with missions and open world actions that you are able to do around the cities. You can steal cars, buy guns, hunt for collectables and do some side quests, while different characters give you specific missions in order to push the plot forward. Streets are filled with people as well as plenty of vehicles to steal. Fictional brands of cars, tanks, bikes are available to be stolen from any place around the city. Armoury contains pistols, rifles, hand-machine guns or a rocket launcher as well as melee weapons giving player freedom in anything he's doing in GTA.

Performance reality & how to tune Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

GameRulePro editorial — these notes are based on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas's published specifications and genre profile, not a single benchmark run. Use them to set expectations before you open the settings menu.

As a 2004 action title, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sits at demand tier 2 (Light (entry discrete GPU)) — light on PC. It is light enough for older hardware and even integrated graphics at lower settings.

What to tune first on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

  • Start from the Best graphics settings generator on this page for a hardware-matched preset.
  • Shadows and post-processing effects are usually the cheapest FPS wins.
  • If you crash or stutter, jump to the crash-fix and optimization guides linked below.

The FPS table above is a model estimate from the demand-tier + GPU-index method. Real frame rates vary with drivers, background apps, thermals and resolution. Treat it as a buying or upgrade planning aid, then verify in-game. For step-by-step fixes, see the crash-fix and optimization guides linked on this page.

● Data updated 2026-09-09

Sources & attribution

  • Game data (release year, genres, platforms, system requirements, description, cover art) via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
  • GPU relative-performance indices via TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), retrieved 2026-08-29.
  • FPS estimates on this page are GameRulePro planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
  • House rules and tournament formats are community-style templates for casual play, not official rulebooks.
  • Pre-launch intelligence (release windows, settings, editions, pricing, beta dates) is compiled from each title's official publisher / studio announcements and is source-linked per item with its retrieval date (2026-09-09). Where a detail is from reporting rather than a primary source, the item's source line states so. This is preview material, not an official specification.
  • Per-game age-rating & regional compliance reference (ESRB rating via RAWG; curated regulatory notes) from the GameRulePro game-rules dataset, retrieved 2026-08-29.
How the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas FPS estimate and rules generator are computed

Each game is scored on a 0–9 demand tier from its published PC requirements (and a year/genre fallback when requirements are absent). The FPS estimate compares your selected GPU's relative-performance index against the tier's required index using a diminishing-returns curve, then scales for resolution. The rules and tournament builder is a community-style template engine: it formats your group size, match format and tiebreaks into a printable sheet. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game and agree house rules with your group before play.

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