Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas review

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is our answer to the best PS2 game of all time. Rockstar's own description sets it in the early 1990s: Carl Johnson left Los Santos five years earlier, comes home after his mother is murdered, finds his family falling apart and is framed for homicide by corrupt police. From there the story moves across the entire state of San Andreas, so the disc gives you city crime, family drama and a wide open map in one package. It is a single-player game, which matters for a 2026 library because nothing relies on shut-down servers. A used disc lists at $21.99 at DKOldies, cheaper than most of the other top picks here. The trade-offs are the M rating, with blood, strong language, sexual content and drug use listed, and the sheer length. If you want one PS2 disc to define the console, start here.

Who it is for

Players who want the biggest single disc on the console and a long story they can play at their own pace.

Price

Used PS2 disc from $21.99 at DKOldies (regular price, before sales).

Price: $21.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Story of Carl Johnson returning to Los Santos after his mother is murdered
• Set in the early 1990s across the entire state of San Andreas
• Gang, family and corrupt-cop storylines that frame CJ for homicide
• Open world that mixes city streets with the wider state
• Re-released by Rockstar on PC through Steam

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: A full open world for $21.99 used
• Strength: Rockstar still sells the game on PC, so the story is easy to revisit
• Strength: Single-player, so nothing depends on online servers
• Weakness: Rated M for blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content and drug use
• Weakness: Large and slow to finish if you only have short sessions
• Weakness: Rockstar's current store page says little about the PS2 edition itself

Key facts

• Publisher: Rockstar Games
• Protagonist: Carl Johnson (CJ)
• Setting: State of San Andreas, early 1990s
• ESRB (PC re-release): Mature
• Modes: Single-player

Where it ranks

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is No. 1 in our Best PS2 Games of All Time verdict.