You ever try to remember exactly when CJ moves from the smog of Los Santos to the rainy hills of San Fierro? It's a blur. Honestly, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is less of a game and more of a 100-hour commitment to a virtual life. If you're looking for gta sa missions in order, you aren't just looking for a list. You’re looking for the structural backbone of one of the most ambitious open-world stories ever told.
It starts with a bike. A BMX, specifically. You're Carl Johnson, back from Liberty City because your mom's dead and your brother is screaming about loyalty. From that first ride into Grove Street to the final, chaotic rooftop chase during a city-wide riot, there are roughly 100 story missions. That’s not even counting the side hustles like trucking, valet parking, or the lowrider challenges that everyone seems to fail at least five times.
The Los Santos Introduction: Grove Street for Life
The game kicks off with a series of "tutorial" missions that don't actually feel like tutorials. You’ve got Big Smoke and Sweet & Kendl, which basically set the stage. You learn how to ride a bike and realize that your old gang is falling apart. It's bleak. But then things pick up.
You start doing favors for Ryder and Big Smoke. Tagging Up Turf is where you learn to spray-paint over Ballas tags, and Cleaning the Hood shows you just how bad the crack epidemic has hit the Grove. It’s gritty. It feels like 1992.
The progression here is mostly linear, but it branches out. You’ve got the OG Loc strand, where you’re helping a guy with zero musical talent steal a rhyme book and a sound system. Then there’s the C.R.A.S.H. missions for Officer Tenpenny—played by the legendary Samuel L. Jackson—who is easily one of the most detestable villains in gaming history. Missions like Burning Desire force you to work for the cops, which creates this constant tension between CJ’s loyalty to the street and his need to stay out of prison.
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The Los Santos arc culminates in The Green Sabre. If you haven't played it yet—spoilers for a twenty-year-old game—it’s the moment everything changes. The betrayal. The rainy highway. The realization that the people you trusted are snakes. It’s the pivot point that kicks you out of your comfort zone and dumps you in the middle of nowhere.
Getting Lost in the Badlands and San Fierro
Suddenly, the gta sa missions in order take a weird turn. You aren't a gangbanger anymore. You’re a handyman for a hippie named The Truth and a mysterious woman named Catalina who is, frankly, terrifying. This middle stretch is where the game’s scale starts to hit you. You’re robbing tankers in Tanker Commander and racing through the mud in Wu Zi Mu.
San Fierro changes the vibe completely. It’s all about the Loco Syndicate. You’re working with the triads, specifically Woozie, who is a fan favorite for a reason. He’s blind, he’s a triad boss, and he’s somehow the most competent person CJ meets. You spend your time here dismantling the drug trade that ruined your home. Ice Cold Killa and 69th Street Diner are highlights. You’re essentially playing a spy movie. You're sneaking into factories, taking photos of secret meetings, and eventually blowing up a massive drug lab in Yay Ka-Boom-Boom.
The pacing here is different. It’s slower. You’re building a business. You’re buying a garage. It feels like CJ is finally moving up in the world, leaving the "hood" mentality behind to become a legitimate (mostly) entrepreneur.
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The Desert, Las Venturas, and the Government Secret
The game shifts gears again. Welcome to the desert. This is where things get genuinely insane. You end up working for Mike Toreno, who turns out to be a government agent. He makes you learn how to fly.
The flight school missions are the "wall" for most players. Learning to Fly is notoriously frustrating, but you have to pass it to unlock the rest of the game. Once you do, you’re jumping out of planes to intercept shipments and stealing a literal jetpack from Area 69 in Black Project. It’s a huge departure from the early days of stealing pizzas and tagging walls.
Then you hit Las Venturas. The neon. The casinos. The heist. The missions involving the Caligula’s Palace heist are some of the most complex in the game. You’re scouting, you’re stealing a police bike, you’re getting a keycard from a girlfriend you might not even like. Breaking the Bank at Caligula's is a masterclass in mission design. It’s the closest GTA came to an Ocean’s Eleven vibe before GTA V made it their entire brand.
The Return to Los Santos and the Big Finale
Eventually, Toreno holds up his end of the bargain. Sweet is out of jail. It’s time to go home. But home isn't the same.
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The final act of the gta sa missions in order is about reclamation. You have to take back the territory you lost at the start of the game. Missions like Home Coming and Cut Throat Business lead up to the climax. The game forces you to engage with the turf war mechanic again, which can be a grind, but it makes the final push feel earned.
Everything leads to End of the Line. It’s a three-part mission. You drive a SWAT tank into a building. You fight through four floors of enemies. You confront Big Smoke. Then you chase Tenpenny through the streets of Los Santos while the city burns during the riots. When that fire truck finally flips over the bridge into Grove Street, it feels like a literal weight is lifted off your shoulders.
Essential Tips for Navigating the Mission Order
If you're actually playing through this right now, don't rush. The game is designed to be lived in.
- Check your map for icons: Sometimes the next story mission won't trigger until you've completed a specific side task or increased your respect level.
- Watch your stats: Some missions in San Fierro require a certain lung capacity. Go for a swim early so you aren't stuck grinding for air when you should be chasing villains.
- The "Wrong Side of the Tracks" Myth: Everyone hates the mission where Big Smoke tells you to "follow the damn train." The trick? Don't get too close to the train. Stay a bit to the right so Smoke has a better angle to shoot the Vagos.
- Manual Saves are Gold: The Definitive Edition has some auto-save features, but if you're playing the original or the modded PC versions, save often. There is nothing worse than losing 40 minutes of progress because you accidentally drove into a lake.
The reality of San Andreas is that it’s a game about growth. CJ starts as a guy running from his past and ends as a man who owns half of the state. Following the missions in order isn't just about checking boxes; it's about watching a character evolve through three distinct cities and a whole lot of chaos.
To get the most out of your run, focus on the "Ammu-Nation" challenges as soon as they unlock. Getting your skill level up to "Hitman" with the 9mm and the Sawed-off Shotgun makes the late-game Los Santos riots much more manageable. Also, don't ignore the gym. Having high stamina is the difference between surviving a police chase and getting wasted because you ran out of breath.
Go grab a Sultan, turn on K-DST, and get back to Grove Street. You've got a lot of ground to cover.