Why San Andreas (SAMP) Still Has 30K+ Concurrent Players

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Something about that nostalgia...

Story Highlights
  • Nostalgia is among the top factors that give a sense of familiarity and bring people together in this two-decade-old game.
  • The low PC requirement of GTA San Andreas is the main reason why people still stick to its multiplayer client, GTA SAMP.
  • Modders have revamped the game, replacing the HUD, skins, textures, filters, and effects – giving this old game a modern feel.  

GTA San Andreas Multiplayer is an add-on mod released in 2006, which provided multiplayer experience and allowed people to connect with others. But why are so many people still playing this old game?  Let’s read more to find out. 


Power Of Nostalgia

For a game over a decade old, it is no surprise that the element of nostalgia brings people back to this game. For most people, GTA San Andreas served as one of their core memories since they grew up playing it for the most part along with GTA Vice City.

YouTube video

For these players, the map is very familiar and places like Grove Street seem like their own neighborhood. This sense of familiarity draws players towards the game even if the game is nearly two decades old.

Various Game Modes

GTA San Andreas Multiplayer (SAMP) provides players with servers that are based on various game modes. These modes range from deathmatch events (shooting), free-roam, Roleplay, Races, Derby, Gun Game and much more.

Therefore, people tend to spend more time on SAMP, exploring its various game modes. The thing is that even today, these game modes garner the most amount of players from all around the world. But why would someone still choose to play such an old game?

Low System Requirements

The game doesn’t require a high-end PC and can run on even the slowest computers. This makes GTA SAMP an accessible option for most players worldwide. This lower PC requirement paid various game modes make this game a go-to for most users.

Mobile Accessibility

Now, the SAMP add-on is also available for mobile users, which further increases the player base. Since mobile gaming isn’t as immersive as it once used to be, players adhere to this classic game for their multiplayer game cravings.

Roleplay Servers

The roleplay genre still remains the most played type of server (Russian) on the SAMP client. This is similar to that of GTA V where players assume a role of their character and stick to it in the virtual open world. However, GTA SAMP has a text-only feature for roleplaying.    

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas RP Servers
RP Servers (Tech4Gamers)

Here, players can live as a gangster a cop even a bartender, or an old grandpa. This assumption of role allows players to dive into the psyche of another person, which creates a creative dynamic that most users enjoy.

Even on phones, players tend to enjoy the roleplay servers even though the keyboard occupies most part of their screen as they type. 

Appearance & Texture Mods

Playing a two-decade-old isn’t much fun given the way it looks. The appearance of original game contained low-poly textures, choppy character movements, and low-quality skins, and overall, the game appeared dull except for the PS2 version (which had a sunset vibe).

YouTube video

Therefore, the modding community decided to take matters into its own hands. They decided to provide for each member of the community so they introduced color mods, ENBs, and various other appearance enhancers for low, medium, and high-end PCs.

YouTube video

Similarly, modders also launched several high-quality textures that replaced the bland, low-poly ones from the original game. This included HD vegetation, realistic ocean and lighting, bright lens flares, stars at night, road reflections while raining, and much more.

They went to such an extent that they made a few effects that allowed the game played on multiplayer servers to look very similar to Grand Theft Auto Five. 

Skins, Weapons & Crosshairs

With the enhanced appearance, the only things left were the skins, weapons, HUD, crosshair, and the map present in the game. Well, the modders replaced all of them with new and interesting ones and gave users to choose from a wide variety of them.

YouTube video

Additionally, realistic weapon packs were introduced along with a detailed HD map. The vehicle skins were replaced with real-life HD cars, giving the game a much more realistic look.

YouTube video

This allowed for the entire game to be revamped into a modern game that held the same nostalgic feeling while appearing much better. Even the mobile players didn’t miss out on the chance of modding and they also remastered their game to play with other people.


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