Carl's journey takes him across the fictional U.S. The story follows former gangster Carl 'CJ' Johnson, who returns home following his mother's murder and is drawn back into his former gang and a life of crime while clashing with corrupt authorities and powerful criminals.

The game is set within an open world environment that players can explore and interact with at their leisure. It was released in October 2004 for the PlayStation 2, in June 2005 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox, and in November 2010 for Mac OS X. It is the fifth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002), and the seventh installment overall. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games.