GTA San Andreas - Beating the Game Without Wanted Stars

Introduction

• Challenge: Beat GTA San Andreas with no wanted stars.
• Objective: Avoid committing crimes or gaining any wanted stars.
• Game Version: Original version on PC, not the definitive edition.

Game Limitations

• No checkpoints or auto-saves.
• Limited fast travel options; taxis are not like GTA IV and V.
• High risk of getting wanted when stealing or driving vehicles.

Key Missions and Methods

Beginning Missions

• CJ's Arrival: Returning for mother's funeral, configuring settings for the PC port.
• First Mission: Failed initially; Big Smoke's introduction.
• Ryder's Mission: Haircut and botched pizza robbery (no stars gained).
• Tagging Mission: Gained wanted stars by spraying tags.

Grove Street Missions

• Drive-By Mission: Scripted 2-star wanted level; introduction to Pay & Spray.
• Robbery Missions: Trains and army depot; accidents led to gaining wanted stars.
• Escape Missions: Attempting to save friend Jeffrey (OG Loc) and evading capture; used creative strategies.

Crime-Free Missions

• Jizzy's Missions: Several missions tied to scripted wanted stars. Repeated them to minimize stars gained.
• Woozy's Missions: Had to be stealthy at times. Some missions were glitchy.

Difficult Missions

• Torino Missions: Destroying spy ships; challenging flying lessons; RPG use caused wanted stars.
• Jetpack Theft: Stealth approaches reduced the risk of being wanted.
• Las Venturas: Leone family tasks; requiring creative strategies to avoid gaining stars during combat.

Strategies Employed

• Exploding Car Strategy: Useful to kill enemies without directly causing wanted stars.
• Silenced Weapons: Minimized detection and evading stars.
• Friendly Fire Abuse: Leveraged mission mechanics to avoid detection.
• Safe Housing: Frequent saves to reset missions if wanted stars were gained.

Key Moments

Plot Twists and Characters

• Double Cross: Ryder and Big Smoke revealed as traitors; ambushing missions to retaliate without getting stars.
• Returning to Los Santos: Long mission chains for taking back territories without escalating violence.
• Final Showdown: Confronting Big Smoke and 10 Penny.

Failures and Successes

• Trial and Error: Multiple retries on several missions to refine star-avoidance techniques.
• Unexpected Stars: Some scripted events gave unavoidable stars; strategies developed to mitigate these.
• Key Victories: Successfully completed the game with a total of 22 wanted stars.

Conclusion

• Final Stats: 22 total wanted stars, across 87 missions.
• Learnings: Time-consuming but provided insights into non-traditional gaming approaches.
• Future Challenges: Hints at similar challenges for other GTA titles.

Summary

The challenge showcased unique and creative strategies for minimizing criminal activities and avoiding police attention in a game dedicated to crime, culminating in an impressive, though difficult, final result of only 22 wanted stars across the entire game.