You might be playing GTA San Andreas for the first time or the nth time with a new run. Either way, getting started in Los Santos can be quite tough, especially if you are planning not to use any cheat codes for the run. Lucky for you, we have a player in our team that has been playing San Andreas since its release in 2004. He’ll tell you all the essential tricks to get started and get rich in the game, even without the cheats.
Do Side Missions First or Main Missions
The very first job you will need to do in GTA San Andreas is to finish the main missions until at least Ryder asks you to get a haircut or if you meet Cesar for the first time. Either way, this is the best time to start on your side missions, generating enough income to buy weapons.
We recommend going for the vehicle missions: specifically taxi, ambulance, and firetruck. The taxi and ambulance missions are quite easy to do and will stack up on dollars the more you advance through them. Moreover, they’re quite fun to play, although it slowly becomes monotonous as the missions go by. However, firefighter missions are just really fun from beginning to end.
We didn’t mention the vigilante missions because you will need a decent sub-machine guy for drive-bys. Sure, you can start a vigilante mission with a cop car, but that would mean crashing your car on the suspect several times. Take note, you will need that car until it wears out in the end.
Once you get to the first burglary mission, you can repeat this side quest. Burglary missions also generate quite a good amount of money too. Plus, it’s a fairly fun game, especially if you want something stealthier than the usual GTA action.
However, if you do want to make the most money, you better keep on progressing with the main missions. Eventually, you will get to play with more side missions as you progress through the main storyline, especially in the County and San Fierro.
Kill Just Enough NPCs to Get By
NPCs will randomly drop money when you kill them. Although not everyone will drop money, the hookers and gangsters happen to have most of them.
Know the Spawn Areas of Weapons
There are certain places on the map where weapons will spawn naturally. If you think Ammu-nation is selling guns at a high price, then prepare yourself to find guns the hard way. Refer to the map below if you want to know more about the weapon locations.
Hit the Gym
And we don’t mean because you need to get healthier. The gym has multiple benefits for CJ: increase damage resistance, higher stamina, and a chance to learn a new fighting style. The first one — the boxer — is quite powerful to use in melee combat. Also, if you spent too much on food, CJ would become fat, and he won’t be able to run for a long time. He may also die from a heart attack too. Talk about immersion.
Stop Spending Too Much on Clothes & Car Mods
There are so many clothes to choose from in GTA San Andreas. But you know what? You don’t need all of them. In fact, they can burn your money faster than weapons if you don’t know what attire to pick for CJ. The only time you would want to buy more clothes is if CJ is finally growing and has multiple businesses.
You may also spend too much money on car mods. However, it’s not that necessary because you’d either just keep it forever in your house or let it die somewhere in Los Santos.
Do Races & Lowrider Challenges
Racing in GTA San Andreas is fun, especially since there are bets in the game. Just grab yourself a fast car or modify one in the mod shop. They can also earn you fast money, especially if you know what you are doing.
Always Play Safe in Missions
Remember, you’re playing without cheat codes here. Main missions can get very brutal at times, to the point where it seems impossible not to advance without having cheat codes. Fortunately, there are many moments when you can survive missions. First of all, crouch all the time. Most shooting missions will have covers anyway. And second, always buy armor. Your health may deteriorate faster before you could even catch Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on the radio.
Sell Cars
Once you unlock the mod shop, you can now steal cars, modify them, and then sell them for a good price. Remember that not every car can be modified nor can be sold. The best choices for these are sedans, SUVs, and compact cars. Take note, just make sure to mod them before selling them for the best possible price.
And that’s about it for the major tips that you need to remember to play GTA San Andreas without cheats. Be sure to follow these tips so you can win easily in the game.
