GTA San Andreas Map Size Compared to Other GTA Games
When it released in 2004, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas represented a massive leap in scale for the series — three cities instead of one, plus open countryside connecting them. Here’s how it compares to the rest of the series.
San Andreas’ Scale in Context
San Andreas introduced Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas — fictionalized versions of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas — connected by open desert, forest, and countryside. This was a dramatic expansion from Vice City’s single-city focus, community estimates commonly citing San Andreas’ map at roughly 4-5 times the size of Vice City’s.
How It Compares to GTA IV
Interestingly, GTA IV’s Liberty City is generally considered smaller in raw landmass than San Andreas, despite releasing four years later. Rockstar prioritized density and verticality over sheer size for GTA IV, packing more detail into a tighter space rather than expanding outward. See our guide to playing GTA IV today.
How It Compares to GTA V
GTA V’s Los Santos and Blaine County map dramatically surpassed San Andreas in scale, commonly cited as significantly larger than San Andreas’ three-city sprawl combined, thanks to advances in hardware between the PS2 and PS3/Xbox 360 eras. See our GTA 6 vs GTA 5 comparison for how the series continues scaling up.
Why San Andreas Still Feels Massive
Despite being surpassed in raw size by later entries, San Andreas is often remembered as feeling larger than it was, thanks to its three-distinct-cities structure and the sheer variety of activities and side content packed into it — arguably more per square mile than some later, technically larger maps.
Where This Leaves GTA 6
Rockstar has confirmed GTA 6’s Vice City/Leonida setting as the largest map in series history, continuing this decades-long trend of each entry expanding on the last. See our full GTA 6 map guide for details.
Quick Facts Recap
- San Andreas (2004): Three cities plus countryside — a major leap from Vice City
- GTA IV (2008): Smaller in landmass, denser in detail
- GTA V (2013): Significantly larger than San Andreas
- GTA 6 (2026): Confirmed largest map in series history