How to play GTA: San Andreas on Linux

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the 7th entry in the GTA series. It was developed by Rockstar Games and released in 2004 to many different gaming platforms. The game focuses on Carl Johnson, and the Grove Street gang in the fictional state San Andreas (a parody of California).

GTA: San Andreas is one of the highest-rated games in the Grand Theft Auto series, and many gamers claim it is their favorite in the series. As a result of this popularity, Rockstar has ported the game to many different platforms, going as far as to put it on iOS and Android.

Sadly, even though the game has been ported to nearly every gaming platform available, San Andreas was nevert ported to Linux. As a result, if you’re a Linux gamer, you’ll need to follow along with this guide to get the game working.

Want to play GTA 4 or GTA 5 on Linux, check out the linked guides.

Getting GTA: San Andreas working

Like many of the Grand Theft Auto games, the best way to get San Andreas working on Linux is through the Steam Play feature. With Steam Play, GTA: San Andreas can be easily configured to run within Wine, Proton and other tools automatically, rather than having to deal with it manually.

To start the installation of San Andreas, you must install the Linux Steam client. Open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, follow the command-line installation instructions outlined below that correspond with the Linux OS you currently use.

Ubuntu

sudo apt install steam

Debian

wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steam.deb

sudo dpkg -i steam.deb

sudo apt-get install -f

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S steam

Fedora

Fedora Linux does not make the Steam client available in their software sources. As a result, if you’re a Fedora user, the best way to get Steam working is by following the Flatpak instructions.

OpenSUSE

Those on OpenSUSE should follow the Steam Flatpak instructions.

Flatpak

Fans of Flatpak will be happy to know that Steam can be installed from the Flathub store. To get the app working, ensure you have the Flatpak runtime enabled. Then, enter the commands below.

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

flatpak install flathub com.valvesoftware.Steam

Install Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Once the Steam client is installed on your Linux PC, the installation of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas can begin. Follow along with the step-by-step instructions below to get GTA: San Andreas working.

Step 1: Launch the Steam app on your Linux PC by looking for it in the app menu. Then, log into your Steam account with your username and password.

Step 2: After logging into Steam, find the “Steam” menu at the top of the app and click it with the mouse to reveal its options. Then, click the “Settings” option to access Steam settings.

In the settings area for Steam, find the “Steam Play” option, and click on it with the mouse. Then, enable the Steam Play feature. Be sure also to check the box next to “Enable for all titles” so that San Andreas can run with the Steam Play technology.

Step 3: Find the “Store” button in Steam, and click on it with the mouse to go to the Steam store. Then, once on the Steam store, locate the “Search” box, click on it, and search for “GTA San Andreas.”

Step 4: Select San Andreas in the search results to go to the GTA: San Andreas store page. Then, purchase the game with your preferred payment method to add the game to your Steam library.

Step 5: Find the “Library” button in Steam, and click on it with the mouse. By clicking on “Library,” you will be taken to your collection of Steam video games.

In this “Library” area, there is a search box. Locate the search box. Then, click on it with the mouse. Type out “San Andreas” in the search box, and Steam will filter out your games to show San Andreas.

Step 6: Select “San Andreas” in the search results to access the Steam game page for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Step 7: Once on the Steam game page for San Andreas, you will see a brief description of the game. You will also see a blue “INSTALL” button. With the mouse, select the blue “INSTALL” button.

By selecting the blue “INSTALL” button, Steam will begin downloading and installing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on your Linux PC. Sit back and be patient, as the game is at least 4 gigabytes.

Step 8: When GTA: San Andreas is done downloading, the blue “INSTALL” button will turn into a green “PLAY” button. Select it to start up the game.

As you start up San Andreas, Steam will inform you that it is setting up everything with the Steam Play compatibility tool. Be patient, and allow it to configure everything.

When the configuration is complete, San Andreas will be ready to play!

Troubleshooting

Thanks to Steam Play, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas should run relatively well on most Linux PCs. That said, if you run into problems getting the game working, be sure to check out its page on ProtonDB for troubleshooting purposes!

Read Full Bio

AddictiveTips Team

Latest from Author

Deploy SeaFile in Docker on Ubuntu Server How to install TeamSpeak5 on Chromebook