Here’s how to fix the draw distance in GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition. We provided a quick guide to updating the visual quality of Los Santos.
Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy – Definitive Edition is one of the biggest disappointments of this year. The games in the trilogy were troubled by low frame rates and constant stuttering. They are also full of bugs and glitches that damage the gameplay experience. One of the most obvious problems of the game is the level of draw distance. Especially in GTA: San Andreas, the low draw distance makes the map look a lot smaller and feel like the game is not complete.
This simple yet effective visual setting is one of the most crucial factors in immersion. The original GTA: San Andreas makes the player feel like they are in a massive state with three cities. But the definitive edition feels like it is a mini-version of the original game.
Fortunately, there is a simple way of reducing the draw distance of the game. After this method, your view range will be similar to the original games. Here’s how to update the visual quality of GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition.
GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition Draw Distance Fix
It is a bit saddening to manually fix the long-awaited definitive trilogy of the GTA classics. Even though Rockstar Games later focused on resolving the issues, the remaster works of Grove Street Games were quite problematic. That’s why we will have to use our own methods to fix the various errors of the game.
One of the most common problems of GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition is the level of draw distance. Simply follow the steps below to restore that original look of the game.
Head to GTA Inside and find the most suitable draw distance mod for yourself.
- You can search for the best mod by typing in “GTA: SA Definitive Edition fog distance” or “draw distance” to the website’s search box.
- Find the version you want and download it to your computer.
- Head to the installation folder of the game.
- Copy the .pak file that you have downloaded from GTA Inside.
- Head to the game’s installation path.
- C:\Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy Definitive Edition\GTA San Andreas – Definitive Edition\Gameface\Content\Paks\mods
- Paste the .pak into the mods folder.
- Run the game and enjoy the glorious cities of Los Santos, Las Venturas and San Fierro.
High Draw Distance vs. Low Draw Distance in GTA: San Andreas
Here are two images for you to see the difference between the two levels of draw distance. Increasing the render removes the fog and makes everything in the world visible.
Of course, this definitely does not seem realistic at all. In order to preserve the immersion, you might want to reduce the level of draw distance.
What does draw distance mean?
Draw distance determines the number of objects, buildings and characters rendered by the game’s engine. If it is set to maximum, the player will be able to see everything in the game. Though it will also increase the workload of the graphics card. Note that increasing the draw distance can help in detecting important buildings or characters afar. Though it might result in FPS drops as well.
Naturally, reducing the amount rendered by the game’s engine will also reduce your sight. But it might be better for the game’s performance as well. This is why using a balanced setting in this visual option is usually the best idea.
Though we are having a hard time understanding why Grove Street Games completely maxed render distance out. Especially in GTA: San Andreas the removal of fog resulted in a very unrealistic scenery. While it is relatively easy to solve this problem, we can’t stop thinking about how they went with this in the first place.
Conclusion
Here’s everything you need to know about the issue. While we provided a guide for you to solve this problem, there is also a group of players who are happy with the maxed-out draw distance. Have a look at the difference between the two from the images above and choose the one that suits you.