Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Definitive Version launched in November 2021, or so you will have heard. However truly, that was only a decoy, a rouse, a doppelganger, created as a part of a sinister authorities experiment to check how tolerant human eyeballs are to dangerous rain and water results, and the actual definitive version has truly solely simply launched, as a free mod, obtainable to obtain now.
I’m joking after all, however GTA San Andreas HD Optimised Textures – because it’s formally identified – by modder flyaway888 does a significantly better job of upscaling and beautifying Rockstar’s 2004 sandbox basic than the official model by Grove Avenue Video games. The gameplay stays untouched – this can be a mod for the unique San Andreas, not the definitive model, so it performs prefer it at all times did again within the PS2 and Xbox days – however the whole lot else has been cleaned, sharpened, and polished till it shines with element.
The decals on CJ’s shirts and footwear, and the signage on outlets, are literally readable now, and brickwork and paving comes with dents, scratches, and cracks. Vehicles are crisp and clear, the baked-in reflection results on home windows look extra believable, and pedestrians have extra discernible faces and expressions. The sky is clearer and the draw distance appears to have been elevated, too, so in case you’re out wandering in Purple County, you’ll be able to look to the horizon and spot Mount Chiliad.
It’s a far cry from the chunkier, murkier aesthetic of the official Definitive Version, and naturally, it retains climate results and cloud cowl, so the rain nonetheless appears to be like good, and there isn’t that bug the place you’ll be able to see infinitely throughout your entire world. Primarily, this can be a stable method of creating the sport look trendy, with out sacrificing any of its authentic content material or attraction, an ideal addition if you wish to improve San Andreas with out outright altering it.
You possibly can obtain San Andreas Optimised Textures at Mod DB. Its distant cousin Purple Useless Redemption 2 has additionally been getting some mod love, within the type of dynamic seasons and climate.
