‘GTA V’ San Andreas Side by Side Comparison: 2013 v. 2004

In a reddit post by user ameromatt, we can see the two versions of Rockstar Games’ maps for their outrageously successful Grand Theft Auto series. San Andreas, the fictional state that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and GTA V take place in, has undergone some changes since the 2004 incarnation of the game, and thanks to this picture we see how much has changed.

As you can see, the two states are surrounded by water and look drastically different than the other. Los Santos, the fictional version of Los Angeles, is a sprawling metropolis taking up most of the lower part of the map in GTA V. Missing from the latest entry in the series is also Las Venturas (based on Las Vegas) and San Fierro (based on San Francisco), though the 2004 version of Grand Theft Auto is missing the small town home to GTA V’s Trevor.

While no exact square mileage has been given on GTA V’s map size, we do know that the latest incarnation of San Andreas is larger than the maps in Grand Theft Auto IV, GTA: San Andreas, and Red Dead Redemption combined. That would mean that this is simply the largest game world Rockstar has created and quite possibly one of the most ambitious game worlds to date.

GTA V has been released on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 4, and Playstaion 3, with the next-gen consoles seeing significant upgrades to traffic and population density as well as higher visual fidelity among other improvements. The PC version has been delayed until March, as reported previously by the Inquisitr. With the PC release, gamers should see even higher graphical fidelity thanks to 4K support, a movie editor, and other PC exclusive options.

Los Santos is a great place to romp with friends, but Rockstar’s massive world has been plagued with online issues since the game initially launched on the last-gen hardware. Recently it was reported that while PC players will be able to use their existing console characters in GTA Online, recent reports of players not being able to sync with their friends online has caused Rockstar to suggest a work around. However, the long-awaited heists are coming to the Xbox and Playstation games before GTA V releases in March.

Are you looking forward to exploring Grand Theft Auto V’s massive world when the game launches soon on PC? Let us know your favorite GTA V stories in the comments below!

[Images via reddit, Rockstar Games]