San Andreas
Another GTA era where radio became a defining part of the world.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in 2004, is set in 1992 in the fictional West Coast state of San Andreas. The map spans three cities, Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas, plus a lot of countryside, and the radio dial reflects that range with eleven stations: ten music stations and one talk station.
The music covers West and East Coast hip-hop, classic rock, country, alternative rock, house, funk, new jack swing, reggae and rare groove. Several stations are tied to a place or a scene, such as Radio Los Santos to the Los Santos hip-hop world and SF-UR to San Fierro’s club culture.
San Andreas also changed how the radio works. Where earlier games looped one fixed recording per station, San Andreas assembles its stations from separate tracks, presenter segments and adverts, and the presenters even mention things like the weather. No two drives sound exactly alike.
The stations
Ten music stations and one talk station. This overview describes the radio of the original game; the player shows which stations are currently available.
Radio Los Santos
Contemporary West Coast hip-hop and gangsta rap, hosted by Julio G.
Playback FM
Classic East Coast hip-hop, a deliberate contrast to the West Coast sound.
K-DST
Classic rock hosted by Tommy “The Nightmare” Smith and broadcasting from Los Santos.
K-Rose
Classic country for long drives through the countryside.
Radio X
Alternative rock and grunge, hosted by Sage.
Bounce FM
Funk, disco, soul and R&B, hosted by The Funktipus.
Master Sounds 98.3
Rare groove, classic funk and soul, introduced by Johnny “The Love Giant” Parkinson.
SF-UR
San Fierro Underground Radio: house music for the club scene, hosted by Hans Oberlander.
CSR 103.9
Contemporary R&B and new jack swing, the sound of early-nineties dance floors.
K-Jah West
Reggae and dub from the relaxed side of the dial.
WCTR
West Coast Talk Radio, headquartered in Los Santos, with news and talk programmes.
San Andreas is one of the four games currently in the GTA Radio library. In this project a station is more than a folder of songs: the audio, the artwork and the station information belong together, and the player shows which station you are listening to.
See how the project is built and the technology behind the player.
Where to start
For the strongest sense of place, start with Radio Los Santos and K-DST. For a more relaxed mood, try Bounce FM, Master Sounds 98.3 or K-Jah West. House fans should try SF-UR, and WCTR is the station for news and talk.
Other eras
Earlier: Vice City. Later: GTA IV. See also the overview of all games.
GTA Radio is an independent fan project and is not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive. Station and game names are used for identification and commentary.
A map, a decade and a regional sound
San Andreas moved the series from one city to a whole state, loosely modelled on California and Nevada, and set it in the early nineties. The dial follows the geography: West Coast hip-hop and funk for Los Santos, a club and house scene for San Fierro, and country and classic rock for the countryside. Where you drive changes what suits the soundtrack.
The contrast station pairs
Several stations work as deliberate opposites. West Coast and East Coast hip-hop sit side by side, and so do the slick sound of funk and the rawness of alternative rock. Listening to one and then its counterpart is the fastest way to understand what the game is saying about each scene.
A technical turning point
San Andreas is also where the radio stopped being one fixed recording per station. Assembling a station from separate tracks, presenter segments and adverts meant two drives need not sound alike, which is the idea the online radio on this project tries to continue.
See also Vice City for the earlier approach and GTA IV for the next one.
Station-by-station guide
Genres and hosts below were checked against several independent fan wikis and press coverage. If you spot an error, tell me and I will correct it.
Radio Los Santos
Genre: Contemporary West Coast hip-hop and gangsta rap. Host: Julio G. Broadcasting from Los Santos.
Playback FM
Genre: Classic East Coast hip-hop. Host: Forth Right MC. The East Coast answer to Radio Los Santos.
K-DST
Genre: Classic rock. Host: Tommy “The Nightmare” Smith. Broadcasts from Los Santos; the dial’s classic rock anchor.
K-Rose
Genre: Classic country. Host: Mary-Beth Maybell. Broadcasts from Bone County, suited to open roads.
Radio X
Genre: Alternative rock, grunge and metal. Host: Sage. The nineties alternative sound.
Bounce FM
Genre: Funk, disco, soul and R&B. Host: The Funktipus (voiced by George Clinton). One of two funk and soul stations.
SF-UR (San Fierro Underground Radio)
Genre: House music. Host: Hans Oberlander. A San Fierro club-scene station.
CSR 103.9 (Contemporary Soul Radio)
Genre: New jack swing. Host: Phillip “PM” Michaels. Broadcasts from San Fierro.
K-JAH West
Genre: Reggae, dub and dancehall. Host: Marshall Peters and Johnny Lawton. The relaxed end of the dial.
Master Sounds 98.3
Genre: Rare groove, classic funk and soul. Host: Johnny “The Love Giant” Parkinson. The second funk and soul station.
West Coast Talk Radio (WCTR)
Genre: Talk radio. Host: WCTR News is presented by Lianne Forget and Richard Burns. Programming changes as the game progresses.