Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh title in the Grand Theft Auto series, and the follow-up to the 2002 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It was released in October 2004 for PlayStation 2, and in June 2005 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox. The game, set within an open world environment that players can explore and interact with at their leisure, focuses on the story of former gangster Carl "CJ" Johnson, who is brought back home by the death of his mother, only to become involved in a long journey that sees him exploring the fictional U.S. state of San Andreas, which is heavily based on California and Nevada.[b]

The game features references to many real-life elements of the world, such as its cities, regions, and landmarks, with its plot heavily based on several real-life events in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, including the rivalry between real-life street gangs, the 1980s-early 1990s crack epidemic, the LAPD Rampart scandal, and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Unlike its predecessor, San Andreas brought with it new elements of gameplay that would be later incorporated in future titles, including RPG-style mechanics, customisation options with both clothing and vehicle appearances, a vast array of activities and mini-games, and the inclusion of gambling games.

Considered by many reviewers to be one of the greatest video games ever made, San Andreas received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its music, story and gameplay but criticised for its graphics and some aspects of its controls. It became the best-selling video game of 2004, as well as one of the best-selling video games of all time. It has sold over 27.5 million copies worldwide as of 2011;[3] it remains the best-selling PlayStation 2 game of all time.

The game, like its predecessors, is cited as a landmark in video games for its far-reaching influence within the industry. However, the violence and sexual content of San Andreas has been the source of much public concern and controversy. In particular, a player-made software patch, dubbed the "Hot Coffee mod", unlocked a previously hidden sexual scene. A high-definition remastered version received a physical release for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2015. In June 2018, the game was added to the Xbox One Backward Compatible library. San Andreas has been ported to various other platforms and services, such as OS X,[4][5] Xbox Live, PlayStation Network[6] and mobile devices (iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Fire OS).[7] The next main entry in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV, was released in April 2008