You're standing on the top of Mount Chiliad, looking down at the sprawling, low-poly haze of San Andreas. You've beaten the main story. Big Smoke is gone. The credits rolled. But you look at that stats screen and see it: 68.4%. Honestly, it feels like a slap in the face. Most people think finishing the missions means they’ve "beaten" the game, but the GTA San Andreas 100 checklist is the real beast. It's a grueling, bizarre, and occasionally infuriating journey through every corner of Rockstar's 2004 masterpiece.
Getting to 100% isn't just about bragging rights. You get a Hydra and a Rhino tank delivered to CJ’s house in Grove Street. You get infinite ammo. Your health and armor bars stretch halfway across the screen. But man, the road there is paved with frustrating driving school medals and searching for tiny oysters in the murky depths of the San Fierro bay.
What Actually Counts Toward the GTA San Andreas 100 Checklist?
A lot of players waste hours on things that don't even matter. You can spend all day gambling in Las Venturas or changing your hairstyle every five minutes, but that won't move the needle. The game is very specific about what it wants.
First, you have to nail all the story missions. That’s the easy part. Then come the assets. You need to buy every single safehouse—all 29 of them. Yes, even the ones in the middle of nowhere that you’ll never visit again. You also have to complete the asset missions for businesses like the RS Haul trucking firm, the Valet Parking in San Fierro, and Zero’s RC Shop (which, let’s be real, is still the most stressful part of the game).
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The collectibles are where most people quit. There are 100 Tags to spray in Los Santos, 50 Snapshots in San Fierro, 50 Horseshoes in Las Venturas, and 50 Oysters scattered in the water across the entire map. It’s a lot. If you aren't using a map, you're basically guessing. Missing one single horseshoe and having to backtrack through 49 locations is a special kind of hell.
The Side Hustles and Odd Jobs
You’ve got to play the citizen. To tick off the GTA San Andreas 100 checklist, you need to hit level 12 in the Paramedic, Firefighter, and Vigilante missions. The Taxi Driver mission requires 50 fares total, but thankfully they don't have to be in a row. Don't forget the Pimping missions—level 10 is the goal there.
Then there are the "Challenges." Have you done the BMX challenge at Glen Park? What about the Chiliad Challenge mountain bike races? You need those. You also need to finish all three gym moves (one in each city) and win at least one race in every street racing tournament.
The Driving School Nightmare
Ask any veteran player about the Driving School in San Fierro. They will probably have a visible flinch. You don't need all gold medals for the 100%—thankfully—but you do need at least a bronze in every single test for the Driving, Boat, Bike, and Pilot schools.
The "90-degree" turn or the "Alley Oop" in the driving school can take dozens of tries. It’s about precision. If you’re playing the Definitive Edition, the physics can be a little wonky compared to the original PS2 or PC versions, making these even more of a headache. Just get the bronze and move on. Life is too short to go for gold on the "City Slicking" mission unless you're a total completionist.
Common Myths: What You Don't Need
There is a lot of misinformation floating around about what counts. You do not need to max out your relationship with all the girlfriends. You only need to date Millie enough to get the keycard for the heist, but for the 100% total, the "Girlfriend" mechanic is mostly optional. You also don't need to win at the betting shop or reach the highest gambling rank.
You don't need to finish the "Burglar" side mission either. While the infinite sprint reward for stealing $2,000 worth of items is incredible, it’s not a requirement for the official stat. Same goes for the unique stunt jumps. Surprisingly, while they were required in Vice City, they aren't part of the GTA San Andreas 100 checklist. You can ignore those ramps unless you just love seeing CJ fly through the air in slow motion.
Why San Fierro Snapshots are the Worst
In Los Santos, you just need a spray can. In San Fierro, you need a camera. But here's the kicker: the snapshots only appear at certain times or are only visible through the lens. You'll see a tiny glowing orb in the sky. If you don't have a camera on you, you're out of luck. Always keep a camera in your inventory when you're in the foggy city.
The Strategy for San Andreas Success
If you're starting a fresh save, do the Paramedic missions immediately in Angel Pine. It’s a tiny town. The hospital is right there. It makes reaching level 12 infinitely easier than trying to navigate the crowded streets of Los Santos where the AI drivers go out of their way to ram your ambulance. Completing this early gives you a massive health boost that helps during the difficult late-game shootouts.
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For the Vigilante missions, wait until you have access to the Brown Streak or, better yet, the Rhino tank or the Hunter attack chopper. Doing Vigilante missions in a standard police car is a recipe for a blown-up engine and a "Wasted" screen.
The Hidden Stats
The game tracks "Progress Made." Every time you finish a requirement, you’ll see that number tick up. It’s usually by 0.53% or some other weird decimal.
- All 100 Tags (Los Santos)
- All 50 Snapshots (San Fierro)
- All 50 Horseshoes (Las Venturas)
- All 50 Oysters (Waterways)
- All Safehouses purchased
- All 4 Gym styles learned
- Ammu-Nation Shooting Range (complete all 4 weapon challenges)
- All Racing Tournaments (4 locations)
- Freight Train missions (Level 2)
Handling the "Glitch" Fear
San Andreas is an old game. Even the remasters have bugs. One of the most common fears is the "missing collectible" glitch. To avoid this, try to do your collectibles in one sitting per city. Don't save halfway through spraying tags and come back a week later. You will forget which one you missed. Use a digital map where you can physically check them off as you go.
Another tip: don't use cheats. While some cheats in the original game didn't explicitly "break" the 100% stat, many of them did. Especially the ones that change pedestrian behavior or the "Riot" cheat. If you’ve triggered a riot, you can’t turn it off, and it can make certain missions impossible to complete. Keep a clean save.
The Payoff
When that notification finally pops up—100%—head back to the Johnson House. Seeing the Hydra on the roof and the Rhino under the bridge feels like a true victory. The infinite ammo means you can finally cause the kind of chaos the game was built for without worrying about a trip to Ammu-Nation.
More than the rewards, it’s about the tour. By the time you finish the GTA San Andreas 100 checklist, you know the map like your own neighborhood. You know the back alleys of Blueberry, the shortcuts through the Panopticon, and exactly where the best Sultan spawns in Prickle Pine. It’s a love letter to one of the greatest open worlds ever designed.
Actionable Next Steps
To actually get this done without burning out, follow this order:
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- Immediate Start: Finish Paramedic Level 12 in Angel Pine for the max health bar.
- The Collection Phase: Dedicate one play session per city just for collectibles (Tags, then Snapshots, then Horseshoes).
- The Grind: Do the 50 Taxi fares while listening to K-DST to keep your sanity.
- The Cleanup: Buy the remaining safehouses last, once you've finished the heist missions and have millions in the bank.
Don't rush it. San Andreas is huge. If you get frustrated with a flight school mission, go drive a train for a bit. The 100% is a marathon, not a sprint.