Crossovers between Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and previous Grand Theft Auto games
Many characters, locations and fictional elements of previous games in the Grand Theft Auto series made a reappearance in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, sometimes with minor modifications to account for changes that would have occurred in the years that separate the games' fictional worlds. Interestingly, some real-world promotional material Rockstar created for Vice City can also be found in this game. Since characters from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City appear and the events of the games are hinted at having really happened, this might indicate that Tommy Vercetti's adventures in Vice City gained considerable notoriety in the following years.
Real-world promotional material * Action figures of Tommy Vercetti and Lance Vance can be found on the shelves of Zero's shop in San Fierro, as well as the figurines of James Earl Cash, the main character from the game Manhunt. * Posters featuring the game's box cover art can be seen on some walls, most notably in Denise Robinson's room (the Hot Coffee mod is required to get there). * On some windows in the game, you can see the logos for Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. * Maps of Vice City can be found in the trash cans outside the Clucking Bell of Angel Pine. *A reference is made to San Andreas in Vice City. While BJ Smith (a talented football player in the GTA universe) is a guest on KCHAT. A caller tells BJ that he is his hero and he was so inspired by BJ when BJ defeated the San Andreas football team despite having two broken legs, which was possible because BJ used to do so much steroids.
References to other media * In Dillimore, at the gas station, there is a pane of glass saying Max Pane, in reference to video game Max Payne. * On a billboard by the train tracks in Los Santos is the text "True Grime, Street Cleaners", the font and graphics alluding to Activision's 2003 True Crime: Streets of LA. * In San Fierro there's a building of a "Zombotech Corporation", a parody of Umbrella Corporation from the Resident Evil franchise. The sign on the inside says "Zombotech: Sinister Zombie Research Corporation, Welcomes Visitors!"
Recurring characters * Ken Rosenberg still works for the Mafia. He became a big shot after the events in Vice City, then lost it all because of his cocaine addiction and went into rehab. When he got out, he was picked as a neutral party to manage a mob casino shared by three families. * Kent Paul is still a music group manager, though no longer for Love Fist. He now handles the Gurning Chimps. * Jethro and Dwaine owned the boat yard in Vice City, until Tommy bought it from them. They now hold small-time mechanic jobs in San Fierro. * Catalina (who was the main antagonist in GTA III) is Cesar Vialpando's cousin and CJ's girlfriend (for a brief time). She is generally hostile towards all men, except to CJ (although she really doesn't show it much). She's a profit-driven lady, who hooks up with Claude just to spite CJ. * Claude (who was the protagonist of GTA III) shows up as Catalina's new boyfriend, after she "dumps" CJ. CJ beats him in a cross-country race and receives his San Fierro garage as his winnings. When CJ sees how run-down the garage is, he calls Claude a "mute asshole" and a "fucking snake without a tongue", an allusion to Claude's lack of dialogue in GTA III. * Salvatore Leone, the big boss of the Liberty City Mafia (until Claude kills him in GTA III) makes an appearance as the Mafia-head of the Caligula's Palace Casino. He provides Carl with a few jobs, until Carl and his crew rob Caligula's vault, which enrages Leone. Also, during one cutscene, Carl mentions to Salvatore that while in Liberty City, Carl did some work for Salvatore's son, Joey Leone. * Maria, Salvatore Leone's wife in GTA III also makes an appearance as a waitress in Caligula's, who Leone takes a shine to.
Radio personalities * Fernando, the host of the Vice City radio station Emotion 98.3, hijacks the Lonely Hearts Show from its host (and former lover, though their relationship seems to have ended very badly) on WCTR. He also had an interview with Lazlow on the Chatterbox radio station in GTA III. * Lazlow, the host of in Vice City, started hosting a show called Entertaining America on WCTR after the former host was shot. In between this and V-Rock, it is hinted that Lazlow spent years living on the streets, slept with his best friend's wife, signed up for the army, and slept with his own mother (claiming he did something to her that is illegal in most states, this is hinted to in the commercial for Inversion Therapy with Darius Fontaine, heard on most radio stations in San Andreas). Lazlow no longer enjoys the rock music he played in the 80s. He also says "I wish I could take phone-in calls", a hint at the fact that he will eventually become the DJ for the radio phone-in show "Chatterbox" in GTA III and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. He had also said that he used to be a former rock and roll studio DJ on "Chatterbox" (GTA III). * Timmy, one of the characters of the popular sitcom Just the Five of us back in the 80s, can be heard in a radio interview on WCTR News. He's attending a child-actor conference at the Four Dragons Casino in Las Venturas. In his sitcom ad in Vice City, he played a bad-tempered child who claimed to be a 42 year-old investment banker with a rare disease that made him look 12. This is a reference to actors in the '80s such as Gary Coleman and Emmanuel Lewis who suffer from a similar disease. In the interview on WCTR, we learn that he still looks like a child, although he claims to be 52 years old now, and that he still has the nasty temper his character had on the show. Whether this is real or Timmy can't break character after so many years is unknown. Timmy's show was canceled and replaced by a new sitcom called My Five Uncles, about five implicitly gay men who adopt an orphaned girl. This is a parody of the late eighties sitcom My Two Dads, about two friends raising one friend's teenage daughter. * During the WCTR show "Gardening with Maurice", someone calls in and asks why so many radio personalities are named Maurice, a reference to Maurice Chavez, a significantly different radio personality hosting the "Pressing Issues" show on VCPR. The show also references GTA III, where a caller to the "Chatterbox" radio station was told by Lazlow "this isn't Gardening With Maurice, that's on later!", to which the caller replied "No, they took him off the air!". Besides, the caller, with whom Lazlow talked to on Chatterbox 2001, calls in the "Gardening with Maurice Show". * At one point in the WCTR show "Area 53", Wave 103 DJ Adam First calls in reporting a strange incident involving a Domestobot he saw while hang-gliding over the San Andreas desert. In Vice City we can hear him mention on Wave 103 that hang-gliding is one of his favorite pastimes. The voice of First is uncredited. * Jack Howitzer who appeared only as a movie trailer in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the Rambo/Vietnam war movie parody Exploder as Tim, also appears in WCTR promoting his film Special Needs Cop, a parody of Kindergarten Cop. He re-appears in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories in a trailer for Evacuator, the prequel to Exploder as hinted at in the original Vice City. * Reed Tucker, the hippie/martial artist who appeared as an interview guest on "Chatterbox" in GTA III, calls "Area 53" to explain that an end to violence can be achieved by masticating, which the host Marvin Trill confuses as masturbating due to Reed's lisp.
Other *In Ballas turf, there is a store that reads Tiki. The green Tiki is the same as the hidden packages in Vice City. * At the beginning of the game, main character Carl Johnson is seen boarding a plane at Francis International Airport in Liberty City. In a later mission, the player is required to return to Liberty City in order to carry out a hit, although only a small section of the city is explorable. * The popular fictional drink Sprunk, a parody of the carbonated lemon-lime drink Sprite found all around Vice City, is still being sold in San Andreas. Sprunk cans resemble grenades, owing to the marketing tagline given for the beverage, which says it has an "explosive, bursting" flavor. Another billboard in the game suggests that Sprunk also refers to spunk, which can be a synonym for semen. To further evidence this is when in a mission, CJ and his friends jump a car through a billboard, knocking out the words "things to" from the middle of the slogan leaving "Sprunk, A Taste of ... Come".
* The donut shop Rusty Brown's Ring Donuts, mentioned in a radio ad on Flash FM, still exists. Some pedestrians mention Rusty Brown in their chatter. Also, an unused restaurant that shares its name has been found in the game's code. The donut shop was originally supposed to be a restaurant that CJ could go in but is now floating around as a glich from the gym in Las Venturas. * The record store Vinyl Countdown featured in the mall in Vice City is also in Los Santos, behind the subway in Market Station, it is interesting to note that vinyl records were no longer popular by 1992, though the store may not necessarily still be selling records, as the store cannot be entered like it was in the previous game. * The game console Degenatron, mentioned in commercials and interviews on Vice City radio stations, is still around but has lost much of the popularity it had in the mid 80's, most likely due to its new successor, the Exsorbeo. On the show Area 53, Marvin Trill accuses the console of implanting subliminal messages in the brains of people in the 80s, this is almost certainly a reference to the Polybius urban legend of the 1980s. It is worth noting a game system which may or may not be the Degenatron can be found in (and stolen from) most houses. * The Domestobots sold in radio ads in Vice City, still exist. It seems they rebelled and escaped human oppression in the six years between stories, and now live hidden in a remote camp. One of them calls in on the Area 53 show. * A franchise of the Vice City radio station V-Rock is still around, and still uses the old V-Rock triangular logo and the vulture mascot. However, it's not a radio station anymore. It is now the V-Rock Hotel in Las Venturas. * Love Fist, the fictional hard-rock band, seems to have split and disappeared from the public eye. They are still remembered though. On the radio station K-DST, the host Tommy wonders "Whatever happened to Love Fist?", and CJ hides the specs of the Caligula Casino behind a Love Fist poster. Jezz Torrent can be heard in a radio ad for the Epsilon Tract sect, crediting the group for aiding him in giving up drugs. Love Fist is a reference to the sexual practice of fisting. Similarly, Jezz Torrent is a corruption of Jizz Torrent. This reflects the humor of the popular UK adult comic Viz, which provides the basis for many of the puns and colloquialisms used to humorous effect in the game. In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, though, the band is portrayed in a billboard promoting a show on Liberty City. * Specifically, Viz comic's section describes the full meaning of phrases such as The Camel's Toe, and words such as "Jizz" which are referred to in the game. * Similarly, British slang is used as the inspiration for further puns in the GTA series. Notably, certain vans in Vice City which are signed "R S and L Bows" are referring to the crude UK phrase "to know one's arse from one's elbow", or to have a basic level of common sense. "Juank Air" and "Wang Cars" are also a straightforward pun on a common UK insult. * Candy Suxxx, the porn-star, is still making movies. Two of her movies can be found in the Las Venturas sex store. A picture of her can be seen on the box of "Return of the Anaconda", and she is mentioned by name on the box of "That Can't Be Legal!: 80's Pornstar's Finest Yo!". Also, pictures of her are found on the walls of some of CJ's safehouses, and some other peoples (such as the Vietnam war veteran's home). She is also placed as a neon sign on the Old Venturas Strip located in Las Venturas. There is also a billboard in Los Santos promoting her new movie "Vinewood Callgirls". * Vice City characters featured as playing cards in the poker machines of Las Venturas include Lance Vance (Jack of Spades), Candy Suxxx (Queen of Hearts), Ricardo Diaz (King of Hearts) and Tommy Vercetti (King of Spades). * The tag line of the movie "Exploder", a popular movie that was advertised on radio stations and billboards across Vice City, is still popular. Lazlow says I'll cry when I'm done killing during an interview on WCTR. * At the beginning of his first show on WCTR, Lazlow also says Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years. It's the first line of LL Cool J's song Mama Said Knock You Out. * The packages that symbolized the packages found in GTA III make an appearance as packages in a later mission. * The clothing store "ZIP" (a mockery of GAP) from GTA III seen on signs and shopping bags reappears in San Andreas, and the player can now purchase clothes from ZIP after gaining safe entry to San Fierro. * 69 is also a recurring number in the game. It is found on the side of the aircraft carrier in San Fierro, on airway runways is 69, the military base is named Area 69 and the San Andreas football team is called the 69ers. This is a reference to the sexual position known as the 69 position. The similar number 96 can be found on the top of the Hotring Racer. * Eris, the shoe producer known since GTA III, has a commercial for their new Pump-Up-Shoes. Some of their clothing can be purchased at different clothing shops in San Andreas and there are billboards of it and a sponsor sticker can be found on a Hotring Racer. * In every wardrobe in CJs hideouts are surfboards with Vice Citys Ocean Beach. * On a wall in Willowfield, there's a picture that shows Maria with Jesus in her hands. Beneath it reads "Jesus Saves", in reference to a sign in GTA2 that read the same. * In the freezer cabinets of 24/7 (the food store) you can find ice-cream packages of Cherry Popper, the ice factory which Tommy Vercetti can buy during the GTA: Vice City storyline. * The airline from Vice City is called "Vice City Air". You can find its name on a travel agency called "UNI-TEL - Agencia Deviajes" in Los Santos, near the Mulholland Intersection. * At the Mulholland 24/7 store you can find cans of "Bitch'n'Dog Food", with the description on it: "Pussy flavored horse eyelids". Marty Chonks was the owner of the dog food factory in Liberty City in 2001. * In the mission "The Meat Business", CJ goes to kill members of the Sindacco family in a meat-packing facility. While inside with Ken Rosenberg, Ken exclaims "Wow, it's just like old times, huh Tommy ", to which CJ replies "Who the fuck is Tommy?" * In the mission "Architectural Espionage" in the Heist strand of missions, the player has to take a picture of the architectural plans for Caligula's Casino, but if the player looks into other rooms on the same floor, they can see the plans for a building called the Starkweather Estate, which is the last level in the Rockstar Games' Manhunt, where the director Starkweather lives. * In San Fierro and Las Venturas, there are stores called Gay Gordo's Hair Boutique, where CJ can get hair cuts. In GTA: Vice City, there is a Gay Gordo's in Ocean Beach, one street North of Rafael's Fine Suits, however the player can not get hair cuts from the store. * Ryder and Lance Vance (from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City) have some similarities. Their names are both Lance (Ryder's real name is Lance Wilson), they're African-Americans they betray the player character near the end of story-line, and they show that they're in denial of the player killing them. In the "Keep Your Friends Close" mission in GTA: Vice City, Lance Vance betrays Tommy for Sonny Forelli's gang. In GTA: San Andreas, Ryder betrays CJ for Vagos, Ballas, and C.R.A.S.H. Tommy shouts to Lance: "You're going down, you backstabbing prick!", to which Lance replies: "Oh! You think so?!" CJ shouts to Ryder: "Yo Ryder! Pompous asshole! Where do you think you're going?!" to which Ryder replies: "Can't stop me!" (which is Ryder's often-used catch-phrase.