Criminal Ratings in GTA San Andreas

The Criminal Rating is a rating level in all games in the GTA III Era based on the criminal activities of the player. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the criminal rating can be viewed in the Stats section in the pause menu. A new game starts the criminal rating at 0. GTA San Andreas did not feature the Media Attention statistic like Vice City did.

Scoring

 * For each increment of $5000 = 1 (If you spend money, points will go down with it.)
 * Getting Busted/Wasted = -3
 * For every 0.1% of game completed = 1 (100% completion counts, alone, as 1000 points.)
 * Using a cheat = -10
 * Killing pedestrians = Linked to the statistics "People killed since last checkpoint" and "Total legitimate kills" (in Stats > Crimes) instead of increasing immediately the rating, going to what the game defines to be a "checkpoint" (Finishing a mission, going to a Pay 'n' Spray, or saving the game) is required to trigger the criminality point increase (and thus your total legitimate kills), with the amount of points obtained depends on the amount of kills this stat gives (for an example, 5 kills on the said statistic will increase by 5 points the rating after going to the Pay'n'spray). Once the point increase has been applied, the game counts this action as a "checkpoint", resetting the stat "Number of people killed since last checkpoint", increasing the "Total legitimate kills" stat by the value obtained before attaining the checkpoint.
 * Running over pedestrians, i.e. ramming down someone with a car, will not be counted as a "legitimate kill", although increasing by 1 your "People you've wasted" stat, which is your true total kill count throughout the game.
 * Being killed, arrested will reset your "People killed since last checkpoint" stat to 0, thus all kills you've made before dying will not be registered as "legitimate kills".


 * Going to a TransFenders is not a checkpoint.


 * Destroying ground vehicles = +0 (Empty vehicles don't reward you anything. Destroying ground vehicles with a driver and/or passengers in it grants you points only because you killed the peds inside. Privileged targets are cop cars with 2 cops in it, SWAT trucks and FBI Ranchers with 4 agents each in them. Randomly on the road, you will also find some 4-doors with multiple passengers in them. Shoot them on sight if you want!)
 * Destroying aircrafts = +30

Tips to increase the score

 * The storyline missions can do you a great favor as finishing them earn 5 points each, but consider that in almost all of them, you will kill people, earn money (between end-mission money and money you might earn off your victims), destroy lots of vehicles and sometimes aircraft.
 * After completing the storyline missions, you should be left with a nice bank account and a solid 8,000 points at the very least. Of course, doing every side-missions will help you climb higher in the criminality ranks.
 * Sadly, though, completing everything, even with keeping all the money, won't make you go to the million points. You must know that maxed money alone is worth 199,999 points only in the score, you'll need obviously more to attain the million.

If you wish to increase your criminal rating using other ways, your only solution is to get into a fight with the system and start making a killing spree. Here are a few tips if you want to "start a one-man war".

Methods
This method is pretty simple. It consists in choosing a secluded place with narrow access, such as a backstreet, or anywhere far away enough from roads, so you can take out easily any intruder coming in, leaving you with clear shots to aircraft incoming. Weapons recommended: Minigun, M4, Any shotgun except the sawn-off (in case the intruders come close to you), satchel charges, or molotov cocktails especially if you are fireproof (if the shotgun is ineffective). Escape methods: If you need to get out, I would suggest keeping a fast vehicle (preferably a fast motorbike to get out of your hiding place and rush to the Pay'n'Spray. Advantages: Natural defense, and possibility to take out intruders quickly Drawbacks: It happens often, helicopters blasted down can block your way out, if they don't come blasting right next to you.
 * Homelands Method

Similar to the Homelands Method, except your main advantage is not in narrow access, but in height itself. Take advantage of your opponents by shooting them from a height. Weapons recommended: Minigun, M4, grenades or satchel charges to drop on your enemies, sniper rifle (Optional only, but it's a fun and challenging weapon, especially in high wanted level situations) Escape methods: If you need to get out from a high place, the solution is simple: use a helicopter, the Hydra, a Jetpack, anything that allowed you or helped you to come to your shooting area.
 * My Castle is High

Advantages: Natural defense, possibility to snipe on your intruders quickly as well.

Drawbacks: If you choose an area that's too low, your enemies will have a clear shot at you. On the other hand, if your shooting area is too high, you will have to rely on dropping explosives, or shooting their vehicles.

This method requires you to never stop moving, and to kill all targets from a ground vehicle, using the drive-by method. Weapons recommended: MP5 packed with lots of ammo. Vehicles recommended: Any fast bike, the obvious best being the NRG-500.
 * Deadly Wind

Advantages: Mobility is a plus when you have to escape, plus this method allows you to escape whenever needed. Not to mention it allows for music!

Drawbacks: Single weapon without the ability to really aim, not to mention that higher levels will mean law enforcement swarming on the roads, and thus much higher chances to fall off your bike, be it because a cop busted you, or because of an obstacle, leaving your opponents with very clear shot at you.

Similar to Deadly Wind, only that the danger for cops come from the air! Vehicles recommended: Hunter or Hydra, of course. Using a Sea Sparrow is way too dangerous, due to this helicopter's fragility.
 * Deadly Storm

Advantages: You have an extremely deadly machine gun at your disposition, not to mention rocket launchers, all with unlimited ammo. Plus, as you're in the air, escaping becomes much easier. Not to mention that if you die, you will be granted with at least 27 points (30 of an aircraft taken down, minus 3 on player's death), although it won't make up for the much higher scores you can attain when you get away.

Drawbacks: At higher wanted levels, enemy Hydras will spawn, and they will shoot rockets to take you down. (There is a way to counter incoming missiles that can only be done while in a Hydra which is by using counter measure to attract heat seeking missiles while you fly away.) Plus, if you get too low, there's chances that enemy will open fire on you from the ground, and repeated fire WILL take you down as well. Not to mention there is no way to get a helicopter or Hydra in a Pay'n'spray, so you'll have to land and run to a save point to cash in your points.

The title about sums it up. Go to the Area 69 military base. Don't get shot down coming in - it's easiest to enter through the fence on the east side. Right behind said fence are the hangars. They hold three Hydras (!), but you don't need that - in the mission Vertical Bird, you get your own for keeps. In the last hangar is a "Rhino" tank. Get in, it's not locked (the military probably ain't afraid of thieves). You'll instantly get 5 stars wanted level, but hey, who cares? You've got a mother fucking tank!
 * I've got a mother fucking tank!

The tank's not indestructible, but it is incredibly tough. The main cannon has unlimited ammo, is fully turnable, and by shooting it behind you can boost the otherwise sluggish tank to up to 100 MPH speeds. Shooting it in driving direction will slow you down, though. You don't, however, need to shoot at oncoming cop cars. Just drive into them - they explode on contact. The tank can take at least 20 such collisions. You can shoot the gun at helis too, if they fly low enough. The tank can be significantly damaged by very little short of another tank. Try not to get 6 stars, as then that's exactly what will chase you (and not just one, pretty much a whole artillery division). Drive the tank into the airport hangar and save game to shake the cops and start the carnage with no wanted level if you want to. If you know when to stop, you can drive the tank back there after you've done some damage, save, and go again. Once you have unlocked the Hunter helicoptor and the rest of the air vehicles that spawn at the Verdant Airstrip, hop in the Hunter and fly by with the machine gun to destory all of the parked aircraft, fly to the end of the runway and return to the hangers and repeat the process. Make sure you stick to the machine gun only, otherwise you will attract alot of police attention. You will be rewarded 30 points for each of the aircraft that spawn there.
 * Airstrip Points

Tips

 * Wearing Body Armor is essential, but it is strongly advised to complete the Paramedic and Vigilante R3 missions to max out your health and armor levels. The point is, of course, to survive in order to get to a checkpoint.
 * Obviously, load yourself up with powerful weaponry. The Minigun will be your best tool as it can be used for multiple purposes, from killing clumps of running pedestrians to destroying aircraft swiftly and easily, if you go for an on-foot method using the unlimited ammo cheat is a slight smart option here though costing you an intial 10 points for using a cheat having unlimited minigun or rocket launcher ammo can be very handy during your rampages.
 * Take down aircraft in priority! Each of those will grant you instantly 30 points each without having to "cash them" using the checkpoint method. In case you die during your killing spree, you will have at least the aircraft takedown points. The heli sniping trick might get useful if you're really accurate and don't want to waste Minigun ammo, in case you go for an on-foot method.
 * Choose your paths wisely. Plan how you're gonna do the killing spree, make an escape plan, make sure you can respond to any threat or retreat if needed. Whatever you do, try to survive. Don't waste time on health recovery, as spending time in front of a Sprunk dispenser will make you lose than what you'll recover, and most importantly: do NOT go in a fast-food, unless you're fast, because upon exiting, a lot of cops will be waiting for you, guns ready of course.
 * A good place to start a killing spree would be in south San Fierro. Lots of people spawn on the streets of Doherty, especially those one block north from the Wang Cars and is an excellent place to do massive kills. It is also the perfect retreat place, as if you are too low on health, all you have to do is to run to the garage, pick a car upstairs and race the few feet separating you from the Pay'n'spray that will make you cash in your points. Even better, there is a Sprunk dispenser near the Cranberry Station to quickly restore your health before starting a new killing spree.
 * Optimize your chances of surviving by planning an escape route. Be sure there's always next to you a way for you to escape, be it a fast vehicle, an aircraft, back-alleys, spawn points of body armor or weapons or even bribes, just so you get the few extra protection needed to run your way to a checkpoint, provided you're close to one. Learn the streets, and don't plan a city-scale rampage. Instead, stay around your favorite places, those you know the best. Remember, a checkpoint can be any safehouse, and any Pay'n'Spray.
 * Avoid getting surrounded. In the case this happens, and you need at any costs to get out of the place you've been trapped in (such as a back-alley, a rooftop, or anywhere in the likes), try sniping your way out. A good shot in the head or in the gas tanks can gift you an escape route, especially in higher wanted level situations.
 * There is no limit to how long a killing spree can go. It can be interesting to make a long one and do a big jump up to your stats, but (unless you use mods or have a stats editor) don't forget that dying can happen at any instant. Don't bite off more than you can chew, set yourself thresholds or time limits. Better to take down a few and get away with it, than to do lots of casualties and die doing more.