GTA San Andreas Beginner's Guide: First-Hours Tips, CJ's Stats and Cheat Codes That Work

With GTA 6 arriving on November 19, 2026, lots of players are going back to the classics, and San Andreas is the one most people remember. It's also one of the deepest GTA games, with RPG-style stats that the game barely explains. This guide covers where to play it today, how CJ's stats work, tips for your first hours and cheat codes that really work. Story spoilers stay light.

Where to play it in 2026

• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – The Definitive Edition is the remastered version. It came out on November 11, 2021, as part of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC.
• On PC, the Definitive Edition is sold on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
• The original PC version was removed from sale on Steam in 2021.
• On mobile, GTA: San Andreas – Definitive was part of Netflix Games, but it left Netflix in December 2025. It's now sold as a paid app.
• Update 1.112 (November 2024) improved the Definitive Edition and added a Classic Lighting option for players who prefer the original look (Settings → Graphics).

The story setup

It's 1992. Carl "CJ" Johnson comes home to Los Santos after five years in Liberty City, after his brother Sweet calls with terrible news about their mother. Almost as soon as he lands, he's stopped by corrupt cops led by Officer Frank Tenpenny. Back on Grove Street, CJ reconnects with Sweet, Big Smoke and Ryder of the Grove Street Families, whose rivals are the Ballas (purple) and the Los Santos Vagos (yellow).

How CJ's stats work

San Andreas tracks a lot more than health and money:

• Fat and muscle: eating adds fat, and working out at the gym builds muscle. More muscle means stronger punches.
• Don't forget to eat. If CJ goes too long without food, the game warns you he's hungry, and he starts losing his body stats (eventually even health).
• Don't overeat either, or CJ can be sick.
• Stamina and lung capacity improve as you run, cycle and swim.
• Driving, flying, bike and cycling skills improve the more you use them, and there's a school for every vehicle type except bicycles.
• Weapon skills go from Poor to Gangster to Hitman. At Hitman level you can dual-wield some guns, like the 9mm Pistol and Sawn-off Shotgun. Practice at the Ammu-Nation shooting range to level up faster.
• Respect comes from missions and taking territory, and it decides how many gang members CJ can recruit.

Tips for your first hours

1. Save at safehouses. Look for the floppy-disk save icons. Your first one is CJ's house on Grove Street. Safehouses are also where you change clothes.
2. Only Los Santos is open at first. San Fierro opens after the mission "The Green Sabre", and Las Venturas after "Yay Ka-Boom-Boom". Sneaking into a locked area early brings heavy police attention.
3. Visit the gym. The Ganton gym opens after the mission "Drive-Thru". Each city's gym teaches a different fighting style when you beat its trainer.
4. Pay 'n' Spray clears your wanted level for $100 (your first one, during the mission "Drive-By", is free).
5. Gang wars start after the mission "Doberman", where CJ takes Glen Park from the Ballas. Taking territory earns respect.
6. Early missions pay mostly in respect, not cash. For repeatable money, try the burglary missions (using a Boxville van at night).
7. Stay away from the casinos when you're short on cash. They can wipe you out fast.
8. Only two girlfriends are required by the story: Denise and Millie. Others are optional but come with perks. Dating Katie Zhan, a nurse, means you keep your weapons when you get wasted.

What happens when you die or get arrested

• Wasted: you wake up at the hospital, pay $100 and lose all your weapons.
• Busted: you also lose your weapons and pay a fine.

So don't take big risks while carrying a full arsenal.

Cheat codes that work

Important: in the Definitive Edition, using cheats disables achievements and trophies for that save. Make a separate save before you try them.

PC (type during gameplay)

• HESOYAM: full health, full armor, $250,000 and repairs your car.
• BAGUVIX: infinite health.
• ASNAEB: clear your wanted level.
• OSRBLHH: raise your wanted level by 2 stars.
• LXGIWYL: weapon set 1.
• UZUMYMW: weapon set 3.
• ROCKETMAN: jetpack.
• IWPRTON: spawn a Rhino tank.

In the PC Definitive Edition, you can also type new phrase versions of some cheats, like INEEDSOMEHELP for the HESOYAM effect.

Consoles: health, armor and $250,000 (Definitive Edition)

Enter these button combos during gameplay. A message on screen confirms the cheat worked.

• Xbox: RB, RT, LB, A, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up
• Nintendo Switch: R, ZR, L, B, Left, Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up

Note: a few cheats from the original game were removed in the Definitive Edition.

Beginner mistakes to avoid

• Dying with all your guns. You lose every weapon and $100.
• Forgetting to eat, or eating way too much.
• Gambling your early cash at the casinos.
• Expecting big money from early missions. They mostly pay respect.
• Using cheats on your main save in the Definitive Edition, which kills your achievements.

My take

San Andreas is still the most fun sandbox in the series for a lot of people: the gym, the gang wars, the planes, the jetpack. Playing it before GTA 6 arrives is a great way to see how far the series has come. Getting ready for GTA 6? Check how much space it needs in our GTA 6 storage guide. What's your favorite San Andreas mission?