How to play SA-MP on PC

Multiplayer needs the classic 2005 PC version of the game, version 1.0. Newer re-releases changed the game files, so the mods cannot load into them.

• Works: Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy (2005) from the Rockstar Store. It is the only compatible version still sold.
• Works: an old disc copy, or a Steam or Rockstar Launcher copy you already own, after downgrading it to version 1.0 (see below).
• Does not work: The Definitive Edition (2021). It is a different game and no multiplayer mod supports it.
• Does not work: the Microsoft Store or Xbox PC version.

Steam and Rockstar Launcher copies are a later version. Community downgrade tools turn them back into 1.0; search for a "GTA San Andreas downgrader" and only use one from a well-known modding site.

The open.mp launcher is the easiest way in: it has a live server list, saves your favourites and starts the game for you. The first time, point it at the folder you installed GTA San Andreas in.

Prefer the classic way? The original SA-MP client (0.3.7, plus 0.3.DL for servers with custom models) still works and is kept available by the SA-MP community.

The 2005 game shows its age on modern PCs. Two well-known community fixes help a lot:

• SilentPatch fixes hundreds of bugs and crashes, and its 2026 update fixes a crash when starting SA-MP and the stuck mouse cursor in server menus.
• Widescreen Fix stops the picture being stretched on 16:9 screens and fixes the HUD.

Find a server on samp.directory, copy its address (for example 51.79.37.124:7777) and add it in your launcher. On a computer, the Connect button on a server page opens it straight away.

Your name is the one you set in the launcher. Most roleplay servers want it as Firstname_Lastname.

• The game opens in single player instead of joining: your game is not version 1.0. Downgrade it or use a compatible copy.
• "gta_sa.exe not found": the launcher is pointing at the wrong folder, or at a Steam copy, whose game file is named differently and needs downgrading first.
• Crash when starting: remove other mods, then add them back one at a time. Update SilentPatch.
• Stretched picture or tiny HUD: install the Widescreen Fix.
• Mouse stuck in a server menu: update SilentPatch to the 2026 version.
• Antivirus warning: game mods are often flagged by mistake. Only download from the official pages linked here, never from random reuploads.