What makes GTA San Andreas feel so “alive” compared to many modern games?

GDevelop general
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Hey everyone,

I’ve been revisiting GTA San Andreas recently, and something that really stood out to me is how alive the world feels — even though it’s a pretty old game by today’s standards.

From the NPC behavior to the random events, the music, and even small details like gang territories or how different areas have their own vibe… it somehow feels more immersive than a lot of newer games with better graphics.

So I was wondering (especially from a game dev perspective):

  • What specific design choices do you think contributed to that sense of immersion?
  • Was it more about systems (AI, world simulation), or clever use of limitations?
  • How would you recreate that kind of “living world” feeling in an engine like GDevelop?
  • Do you think it’s something modern games overlook, or just harder to achieve now?

Would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you’ve tried building similar open-world mechanics yourself or analyzed older games like this for inspiration.

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In my opinion older games in general are doing a better job at capturing the essence of what makes something fun to play without the noise of trying to be realistic and without overloading you with content. Some by design and some due to hardware limitations of the time and some due to both like GTA:SA. Best GTA ever in my opinion.

Modern games with virtually no hardware limit doesn’t give any room for imagination and focus ing too much on realism and cinematic story telling so much so, gameplay is not even important anymore. Most people can’t wait to play GTA 6 not because of the story, the gameplay but simply because how realistic and detailed the game world is in the trailers and how NPC going to look at you and follow you with their eyes as you walk and go to store to buy beers and drink it on the street. This is what modern AAA games are all about.

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GTA by Rockstar? I don’t know how many employees they have, but there’s no way you could make something like that in GDevelop… at least not with that level of quality. And if we’re talking about 3D, just forget it entirely.

If you want to make a GTA‑style game, you don’t use GDevelop. The choice of game and the choice of engine need to match.What I’m making is a metroidvania,it’s not an open world, but it gets close,and even for that I need to take the engine’s limitations into account.

Games that are genuinely entertaining have become rare.
Honestly, I was bored for quite a while until FromSoftware blew up again.

Personally, given my age, I’ve played a good number of solid games… hmm… if I had to make my personal ranking, it would be:

Parasite Eve 1  (PSX)

FF8  (PSX)

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Resident Evil 2 (PSX)

Soul Reaver (PSX)

Xenogears  (PSX)

Gran Turismo 2 (PSX)

Demon’s Souls (PS3)

Natural Doctrine (PS3)

Hatsune Miku DX (PS4)

Bloodborne (PS4)

Elden Ring (PC)

Skyrim (PC)

Primal Rage (Arcade)

Mortal Kombat 2 (Arcade)

…i’m not including handeld to not clutter the list…

Today there’s simply a lack of creativity, and we’re still talking about games made by studios…with lots of moneys.

When you’re developing solo, you not only have to consider the limitations of the engine, but also the limitations of working alone…or with a studio …but studios would hardly use gdevelop to make something.

Absolutely agreed with what ddabrahim said here.

If you want to make a GTA-style game in GDevelop, make it top‑down and make it fun… for everyone. I don’t think anything else really matters.

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You make a really strong point about limitations shaping better design. I think a big part of why Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas feels so alive is exactly that balance—developers had to prioritize systems that interact, not just visuals.

Instead of overwhelming players with content, the game creates depth through:

  • NPC routines and reactions
  • Territory systems that actually affect gameplay
  • Radio, ambient sounds, and cultural identity per area

So even simple mechanics combine to create emergent moments.

I also agree that modern AAA games often lean heavily into realism and cinematic presentation. But sometimes that comes at the cost of player-driven chaos and unpredictability—which is what made older games feel “alive.”

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Yeah, I’m totally with you on scope vs engine choice. Trying to recreate something like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas at full scale in GDevelop would be unrealistic—especially in 3D. GTA San Andreas achieved its “alive world” feeling through clever systemic design rather than sheer graphics or engine complexity: dynamic NPC routines, gang territories, random events, area-specific music, and small but interactive environmental details. Those interactions made the world feel responsive and emergent, and that’s why it still stands out compared to many modern games.

Even in GDevelop, you can try to capture that feeling on a smaller scale:

  • Make a 2D or top-down city with distinct neighborhoods or zones.
  • Implement simple NPC behaviors like walking patterns, reactions, and schedules.
  • Add small systemic interactions—factions, reputation, or random events—that change gameplay dynamically.

If you’re curious about mods or ways to experiment with GTA San Andreas mechanics yourself, gtasanmod is a great place to explore how different scripts and mods expand the world and interactivity.

Also, your point about older games having stronger creativity really resonates. Modern open-world games can be huge and visually stunning, but the player-driven chaos and emergent moments that made GTA San Andreas feel alive are often harder to replicate. For solo or small devs, keeping scope manageable and focusing on interconnected systems is key—you’ll get a more engaging world without trying to match AAA scale.