How to play SA-MP

SA-MP (San Andreas Multiplayer) is a free mod that lets you play GTA San Andreas online. It came out in 2006 and it's still going. These days most servers run on open.mp, a newer server that SA-MP players connect to the same way. You don't have to know any of that to play: you install one launcher, pick a server and connect.

What you need

• GTA San Andreas for PC.
• The free open.mp launcher. It replaces the old SA-MP client and has a server list built in.

On a phone? Android works too, see SA-MP on Android.

1. Install the launcher

Download the open.mp launcher from open.mp and open it. It asks where your game is: pick the folder that has gta_sa.exe in it.

2. Pick a name

Type your name at the top. On roleplay servers it has to look like a real name, first and last with an underscore: John_Carter. Other kinds of servers don't care.

3. Find a server

The launcher lists every server online right now with its player count. Sort by players to see the busy ones. The main kinds are:

• Roleplay (RP). You play a character and live in the city: jobs, police, gangs, houses. The most popular kind.
• Freeroam and deathmatch (DM). Fight, race and stunt, no rules about who you are.
• Cops and robbers (CnR). Pick a side and go.

If you already know the address of a server, add it to your favourites. Ours is samp.unityrp.net:7777.

4. Connect

Select the server and press Connect. The game starts and drops you on the login screen. Most servers ask you to pick a password the first time.

Roleplay basics

• Stay in character. What your character says in normal chat is what they say out loud.
• Out of character talk goes in its own channel, usually /b.
• /me describes what your character does, like "/me opens the trunk".
• Don't kill people for no reason. That's called deathmatching and gets you punished on RP servers.

Where to start

If you want a roleplay server to try first, Unity Roleplay is ours. It's free, PC and Android players share one server, and /newb in game gets a helper when you're lost.