All 11 GTA San Andreas radio stations: genres, DJs and best-known tracks, from Radio Los Santos with Dr. Dre to K-DST with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Which songs vanished from re-releases over licensing, and how to play your own music.
What makes San Andreas radio special
The GTA San Andreas radio stations are one of the reasons people still talk about the game. Rockstar put together the music you would have heard in California and Nevada in the early '90s: Los Santos gangsta rap, grunge, country, San Fierro house and classic rock. Between songs you get DJs with their own personalities, parody ads and news bulletins that sometimes react to story events.
Each station is its own world. Radio Los Santos, hosted by Julio G, plays exactly the music coming out of the neighborhoods CJ grew up in. K-DST with Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith is classic rock for desert drives. K-Rose is old-school country for the rural counties.
Every GTA San Andreas radio station
Station, artist and song names are in English, as in the game. We checked DJs and playlists against GTA Wiki on Fandom and Grand Theft Wiki; the tracks column only lists songs that were not affected by the 2014 cuts.
| Station | Genre | DJs | Notable tracks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playback FM | classic East Coast hip-hop | Forth Right MC | Public Enemy, "Rebel Without a Pause"; Slick Rick, "Children's Story"; Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, "It Takes Two" |
| K-Rose | classic country | Mary-Beth Maybell | Jerry Reed, "Amos Moses"; Hank Williams, "Hey Good Lookin'"; Willie Nelson, "Crazy" |
| K-DST | classic rock | Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith | Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Free Bird"; Billy Idol, "White Wedding"; Toto, "Hold the Line" |
| Bounce FM | funk, disco, soul | The Funktipus | Ohio Players, "Love Rollercoaster"; Kool & the Gang, "Hollywood Swinging"; Lakeside, "Fantastic Voyage" |
| SF-UR | house | Hans Oberlander | Frankie Knuckles feat. Jamie Principle, "Your Love"; 808 State, "Pacific 202"; Marshall Jefferson, "Move Your Body" |
| Radio Los Santos | West Coast hip-hop, gangsta rap | Julio G | Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang"; Ice Cube, "It Was a Good Day"; Cypress Hill, "How I Could Just Kill a Man" |
| Radio X | alternative rock, grunge, metal | Sage | Guns N' Roses, "Welcome to the Jungle"; Depeche Mode, "Personal Jesus"; Soundgarden, "Rusty Cage" |
| CSR 103.9 | new jack swing, contemporary soul | Phillip "PM" Michaels | Bell Biv DeVoe, "Poison"; Boyz II Men, "Motownphilly"; Bobby Brown, "Don't Be Cruel" |
| K-JAH West | reggae, dub, dancehall | Marshall Peters and Johnny Lawton | Toots & The Maytals, "Pressure Drop"; Buju Banton, "Batty Rider"; Max Romeo & The Upsetters, "Chase The Devil" |
| Master Sounds 98.3 | rare groove, classic funk and soul | Johnny "The Love Giant" Parkinson | Booker T. & the MG's, "Green Onions"; War, "Low Rider"; Gloria Jones, "Tainted Love" |
| WCTR (West Coast Talk Radio) | talk radio | various show hosts | news, talk shows, parody programs and ads |
Which songs were cut and why
Music for games is licensed for a fixed term. In October and November 2014 Rockstar updated the Steam version of San Andreas, and 17 songs disappeared from the radio. PC Gamer, Engadget, Christian Today and other outlets reported it and put it down to expired licenses. The same songs were removed from the tenth-anniversary Xbox 360 re-release and from the mobile versions. Players who had bought the game earlier got the update too.
Songs that were cut include:
| Song | Station |
|---|---|
| Rage Against the Machine, "Killing in the Name" | Radio X |
| N.W.A, "Express Yourself" | Radio Los Santos |
| Tom Petty, "Runnin' Down a Dream" | K-DST |
| Ultramagnetic MCs, "Critical Beatdown" | Playback FM |
The playlists in the 2021 GTA San Andreas – The Definitive Edition are incomplete as well, and Rockstar has not published a full official list of changes. On PC, the only way to hear the cut songs in the game is to add them as your own files through User Track Player.
How to play your own music
On PC and the original Xbox, San Andreas has a User Track Player station. On PC you drop audio files into the User Tracks folder in the game's documents folder, and the station then shows up in cars alongside the regular ones.
Where to buy San Andreas legally today is covered on the GTA Trilogy price page; the mobile version is in GTA San Andreas on mobile; single-player mods are in GTA San Andreas mods. Everything else about the game is in the GTA San Andreas section.
GTA San Andreas radio FAQ
How many radio stations are in GTA San Andreas?
Eleven: ten music stations and the talk station WCTR. PC and Xbox also have User Track Player with the player's own music.
Why is "Killing in the Name" missing from San Andreas?
The Rage Against the Machine song was removed in the 2014 update along with 16 other tracks, because Rockstar's licenses had run out.
Who is the DJ on Radio Los Santos in San Andreas?
Julio G. The station plays West Coast hip-hop: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Cypress Hill.
Who is the DJ on K-DST?
Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith. The station plays classic rock: Lynyrd Skynyrd, Toto, Billy Idol.
How do I add my own music to GTA San Andreas?
On PC, put audio files in the User Tracks folder in the game's documents folder. A User Track Player station will then appear in cars.
Sources
- Official: Rockstar Games, Rockstar Newswire, Rockstar Support, Take-Two Interactive
- Databases and guides: GTABase, GTA Wiki, GTA BOOM, PowerPyx
- Press: GamesRadar, PC Gamer, IGN, VGC, Game Informer
Every fact is checked against official sources or at least two independent ones; player-sourced data is labelled in the text. Images are official Rockstar Games material. GTA Top is not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.