This section covers all the graphics mods used in my setup, going through each one individually so you can pick and choose what works for you. The goal here is not to make the game look like GTA V — it’s to make it look like the best version of itself.

Rendering & Color

SkyGFX

SkyGFX is one of the mods that will most visibly transform how your game looks. It brings accurate PS2 graphics back to the PC version of San Andreas — restoring things like PS2-style car reflections, rain droplets, color filters, and a series of pipeline-level changes that affect how lighting, shadows, and transparency are rendered throughout the whole game. Like MixSets, it’s fully configurable through an .ini file.

Install it into your ModLoader folder. Then, depending on your setup:

After installing SkyGFX alongside MixSets, your game should already look noticeably different.

24hrs Fixed Timecyc

By default, San Andreas only has 8 hour definitions per weather type, meaning the game interpolates sky and lighting colors between a handful of keyframes. The 24h TimeCycle plugin expands that to a full 24-hour cycle, and the Fixed version on top of that corrects the heavy cyan tint in the original colors — keeping the San Andreas feel, just cleaner.

Graphics Tweaker

Think of this as a companion to everything else installed so far. Its main purpose is to make final adjustments to the timecyc — it changes the game’s color values to your liking through a simple .ini file, without adding any new graphical effects. It also lets you tweak brightness, disable the game’s buggy gamma, and adjust fog and draw distance values.

Install it into ModLoader and replace the default .ini with my preset:

Proper Shaders (Paid — Optional)

Proper Shaders is the most impactful mod in this list, and the only paid one. It brings modern rendering techniques like dynamic per-pixel shadows (NVIDIA’s PCSS), ambient occlusion, and HDR directly on top of the original game’s pipeline — built around stability and compatibility, designed to be playable for actual gameplay, not just screenshots.

You can still achieve great graphics without it using the alternative presets provided for SkyGFX, 24hrs Timecyc, and Graphics Tweaker. Install it according to the included instructions and apply my preset from the California Waves folder.

Draw Distance & Lighting

Project2DFX

Project2DFX adds LOD corona effects across the map and significantly increases object draw distance — the city looks far more alive, especially at night with all those lights rendering deep into the distance. It comes bundled with the Open Limit Adjuster, so you need both installed for everything to work correctly.

Textures

Proper Fixes + RoSA Project Evolved

When it comes to textures, there’s only one right answer: Proper Fixes paired with RoSA Project Evolved.

Proper Fixes is the largest bug-fix pack ever created for GTA: San Andreas, covering thousands of corrections across 3D models and textures while preserving the original feel of the game. Think of it as the foundation — fixing everything Rockstar left broken before you start layering anything on top.

RoSA Project Evolved then remasters the game’s textures in HD at 2K/4K resolution, covering the entire game — world, vehicles, characters, interiors, and cutscenes. What makes it stand out is faithfulness: the team tracked down many of the original high-resolution source textures that Rockstar used to create the game, so instead of just upscaling, a lot of it is the real deal in HD.

Original HQ Palms

Replaces the game’s palm trees with high-quality versions that also support SkyGFX Extended’s wind shader, so they actually sway in the breeze. It makes a bigger difference than you’d expect, especially around Los Santos.

Formal 2K Grass

Replaces all grass textures with new ones at 2K resolution, keeping the overall style of the game intact.

Starry Skies

Makes the night sky look like the real night sky, with much more stars than the vanilla game.

At this point, your game should look significantly different from a vanilla installation, while still feeling unmistakably like San Andreas. This is just the graphics foundation — effects mods and further improvements will be covered in the next sections.