At the time, following the release of GTA: Liberty City Stories and GTA: Vice City Stories, fans anticipated the next portable game to be a prequel to GTA: San Andreas. The developers did share a backstory, but only in the form of a video clip. GTA: San Andreas Stories was never made, and it seems it was never planned. Therefore, this project has become popular among mod creators, who eagerly took on their versions. Currently, there are at least three notable ones.
The first, by Quadroboxer and Kishinev Group, is divided into several episodes. Each one will feature a new protagonist and a different city as the setting. The first episode, already released, puts us in control of Brian Johnson, CJ’s younger brother, in 1987 (5 years before GTA: SA), shortly before his death. Surprisingly, the choice of protagonist is peculiar, since he would have been only 10 years old. Mod creators surprisingly showcase a disregard for the lore and determination to center their works around Brian. Here is another attempt, from the summer of 2017. But back to the first SAS episode, which was released on October 29 last year. Available now are:
- 25 missions,
- 25 hidden packages,
- 4 additional tasks,
- updated radio,
- certain vehicle and NPC models that fit the 1980s.
Download GTA: San Andreas Stories — Episode 1: Los Santos Stories
A second version has been in development roughly since November 2023, but it’s still unknown when it will be freely available (you can check the progress here, and more videos here). However, the creators have long-term plans — they intend to release a DLC titled Aztecas Stories. As for the story, they plan to introduce a young Ryder who gets involved in the gang conflicts in Los Santos around the same 1987 timeframe. It’s worth noting that these “San Andreas Stories” resemble a PSP game — taking elements like targeting and HUD from portable GTA games.
The third version is expected to come out this spring, if the SASquad team is to be believed. It also closely mimics an authentic PlayStation Portable game. The story will revolve around Jose, a good friend of Cesar Vialpando, and his adventures in 1989.
It is hoped that each of these projects will see a full release. Unfortunately, there are two (first, second) instances of mods also named GTA: San Andreas Stories that never came to light.
Source: gta.com.ua