Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas/Turf Wars

This page is about Turf Wars in general; for information about unlocking hidden territories, see the 178 Territories Glitch.

A turf war is where two rival gangs fight it out for control of an area. However San Andreas' implementation of gang rivalry is different from GTA2; gangs will only attack the Grove Street Families' turf (hereafter abbreviated GSF like in the game itself); they will not attack each other. And the only gangs that attack GSF's territories are the Ballas and Vagos.

Reasons for starting a Turf War
For every territory controlled, more money is generated at The Johnson House on Grove Street. It also increases CJ's overall Respect rating. However just as it is possible to take territory from the Ballas, so too can they take territory back from GSF, resulting in losing money and respect.

Locations that can be fought over
Usually the enemy turf is on the eastern side of Los Santos. Look at the colors on the map (screenshot); if a territory is  green , CJ's gang GSF controls it. If it is colored  purple  (Ballas) or  yellow  (Vagos), CJ can choose to attack it. Territories successfully won will turn green, but if captured back by the enemy they will change color once more.

Starting a Turf War
Simply kill three (or sometimes four) rival gang members to begin a turf war. The gang members do not actually have to be inside the colored territory for the kills to count -- what matters is that CJ is standing in the colored region when the kills occur. This is helpful for starting turf wars in some of the smaller territories; CJ can use a sniper rifle or other long-range weapon to kill gang members a ways off as long as he is standing in the colored territory.

Also, these kills must take place while CJ is on foot -- gang members killed doing drive-bys or running them over will not count towards starting a turf war. Gang members pulled from their cars and then killed DO count (as do kills performed by shooting gang members in the head through their car windscreens); often it's easier to find gang members in cars rather than waiting for them to spawn on foot.

The gang members killed can belong to either rival gang. That is to say, killing three Vagos in Ballas-controlled territory will still start a gang war with the Ballas and vice-versa.

"Our 'hood is under attack!" onscreen message
The enemy gangs can randomly decide to capture back a territory; they usually try to capture back a territory GSF took from them, but not always. It is usually adjacent to one they already control, but not always.

There are a few options at this point.

Do Nothing
If an enemy gang attacks and CJ does nothing, the territory is not completely conquered; instead it is simply a "no-man's land" that neither OGF nor the attacking gang owns.

But, as always, attacking three gang members in this limbo territory will start a turf war. This turf war will still have three stages and be the same as any other.

Penalty for Doing Nothing
If CJ dies in a turf war (regardless of who started it) he will die and lose the territory. In the case of a limbo territory, it will be well and truly owned by the squatting gang, and the map shows their color for it. However it can still be attacked and taken over once more, no territory can be permanently owned by a gang in the sense of it being unable to be attacked, the exception being the core GSF territory with the The Johnson House and Grove Street at the centre.

Respond to the attack
Simply enough, race off to defend the turf and beat back the enemy. The game gives a generous amount of time for the player to arrive there, as San Andreas is quite a large region. Or, if you wish to avoid fighting a turf war but want to retain the hood which is under attack, simply make your way to your nearest safe house and save your game. Doing so will end the struggle and the hood will remain yours.

Even more territories
Some players finish all the turf wars but wish there was more to conquer; those seeking to conquer almost the entirety of San Andreas can activate the 178 Territories Glitch.