To play GTA Connected online, your game needs a specific version of the executable. This page will walk you through replacing it safely.
⚠️ Before you start: make a backup of your original executable. Rename it from e.g.
gta_sa.exetogta_sa.exe.bakbefore replacing it.
| Game | Download |
|---|---|
| GTA III | Download gta3.exe |
| GTA Vice City | Download gta-vc.exe |
| GTA San Andreas | Download gta_sa.exe |
| GTA IV | GTA IV is different — follow this separate guide instead. |
.bak (e.g. gta_sa.exe → gta_sa.exe.bak).This confirms the file you downloaded is not corrupted or tampered with.
Windows (PowerShell):
Get-FileHash .\gta_sa.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Linux:
sha256sum gta_sa.exe
Compare the output to these hashes:
| Game | Expected SHA256 |
|---|---|
| GTA III | 17e036ff18cdd805951fec9107746492f582ae1eb46ca028544e37e517e8fc1f |
| GTA Vice City | 04e4db72629eaa786fdd182ac224f4fd6d68806f5f4fe5c1fb5f756dc4da11d7 |
| GTA San Andreas | 590b4be1bb005f4e07edf6b32df4a95b7ba403fb85472d68aa4275875b345b6f |
If the hash does not match exactly, delete the file and download it again.
Game updates often break multiplayer compatibility. Downgrading replaces your executable with an older version that GTA Connected supports.
No. Replacing the executable does not affect your save files.
Yes. As long as you keep the .bak file, you can restore it at any time.