Building comparison
head to head
A Hat in TimevsGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas asks more than A Hat in Time, and the gap is optimization.
A Hat in Time
Execution · Practiced Mastery
A charming 3D collectathon platformer.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Optimization · Practiced Mastery
A sprawling open-world crime epic with RPG-style character stats across a whole state.
A Hat in Time leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
A Hat in TimeGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 4
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
A Hat in Time
Forgiving 3D platforming
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Flying school and drive-bys need decent hands
Reads1 vs 0
A Hat in Time leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
A Hat in Time
Scripted bosses
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Gang AI is scripted, never adaptive
Variance1 vs 2
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
A Hat in Time
Deterministic levels
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Territory wars and traffic add light randomness
Optimization3 vs 6
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans clearly harder on optimization.
A Hat in Time
Badge loadouts offer light tuning
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Stats, gym, weapon skill, and routes reward systematic play
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.