The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The open world design lets the player freely roam San Andreas, consisting of three major metropolitan cities: Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas, based on Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, respectively. Rockstar conducted on-site research in each city and consulted Los Angeles natives DJ Pooh, Estevan Oriol, and Mister Cartoon for help imitating the city's culture. The narrative is based on multiple real-life events in Los Angeles, including the Bloods and Crips street gang rivalry, the 1990s crack epidemic, the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and the Rampart scandal. The 50-person development team spent nearly two years creating the game. San Andreas was released in October 2004 for the PlayStation 2.
The game received critical acclaim for its characters, narrative, open world design, and visual fidelity, but mixed responses towards its mission design, technical issues, and portrayal of race. It generated controversy when the hidden "Hot Coffee" sex minigame was discovered, briefly requiring the game to be re-rated Adults Only. San Andreas received year-end accolades from several gaming publications, and it is considered one of the sixth generation of console gaming's most significant titles and among the best video games ever made. It was released for Windows and the Xbox in 2005, followed by enhanced versions and mobile ports in the 2010s, and a remastered version in 2021. San Andreas is the best-selling PlayStation 2 game with over 17.3 million copies sold, and one of the best-selling games of all time with 27.5 million copies sold overall. Its successor, Grand Theft Auto IV, was released in April 2008.
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