There are six possible girlfriends for CJ to date during San Andreas, although none of them are required to get 100%, with one small exception. Two of the girlfriends are encounted during missions, while the rest are completely optional. Denise Robinson is encountered during the "Burning Desire" mission for Tenpenny, while Millie Perkins first appears during the "Key to Your Heart" mission in Las Venturas. Michelle Cannes, Barbara Schternvart, Helena Wankstein and Katie Zhan are the rest of the girlfriends, although they are encountered at specific locations around San Andreas and aren't tied to any missions.
It isn't as simple as just confronting them and going out, as each of the girlfriends usually have a certain taste when it comes to how CJ looks; some like him fat, while others might like him with muscles, so it's important to know what to look like before going after one of the girls. Denise and Millie are the only two girlfriends who don't care what CJ looks like. Note that if you get all of the Oysters, then you won't need to worry about appearances.
It is possible to have one of three activities when going out with a girlfriend, although some of them have a special date unique to them. You can go out to a restaurant or bar, although the girls have their favorites. You can also go out on a dancing date, which involves doing the mini-game you did during the "Life's a Beach" mission. The third activity is a driving date, where all you have to do is drive around with your girlfriend in the car, although some may like you to drive fast or slow.
The problem with girlfriends in San Andreas is maintaining them and increasing their relationship gauge. To do this, you must take them out on dates regularly, and you can also give them Gifts. If you ignore them, then their gauge will decrease unless you are outside of their location (i.e. being in Las Venturas will not bother Denise, since she's in Los Santos). Also, if your girlfriend is killed, then they cannot be revived, so make sure not to save if any of them are killed.
Dating a girl has its benefits, as you get some bonuses for just dating them. Also, once you get a girlfriend to 50%, then you get access to their vehicle and once their gauge reaches 100%, then you will gain access to a special outfit. Once their relationship status reaches a certain threshold, they may invite you into their residence for "coffee," which is an offer you should always take.
As far as the stats are concerned, here are some helpful tips. You can easily gain muscle at the gym, by lifting weights. You can easily gain fat by eating 11 meals in a 6 hour period; eat anymore and you throw up, which will get you no fat. You can easily lose muscle by having no fat whatsoever and starving yourself. You can easily lose fat by going to the gym and using the exercise bike. Clothes, tattoos, haircuts and the last car you have driven all affect your Sex Appeal, so go all out when going out with these girlfriends.
| Good Date | +5% |
| Bad Date | -5% |
| Giving a Gift | +1% |
| 2-Player Good Date | +5% |
| 2-Player Bad Date | -5% |
| Successful Kiss | -1% |
| Failed Kiss | -1% |
| "Coffee" | +5% |
| Loss Over Time | -2% |
Here are a few pointers as far as the girlfriends are concerned:
- You kill your girlfriend and you cannot get her back at all. That means if you save after killing one, then she is lost forever.
- Do not wait outside a girlfriend's house until the time outlined below. The game needs to spawn the girlfriend, so wait a good bit away from the pick-up location before picking her up.
- Do not listen to the girlfriends on the driving dates, but pay attention to the bottom of the screen for the information you need.
- High Sex Appeal is a must for all girlfriends, so make sure you're driving a car like a Banshee or the like when picking one up
- GIRLFRIENDS ARE NOT REQUIRED FOR 100% COMPLETION (other than getting the keycard off of Millie)
- Make sure to keep the same body type throughout dating a particular girlfriend, since she may not go out on a date if you go under the stats requirement
- You can only date the same girl once a day in-game. Each new in-game day begins at 0:00.
- You seem to lose 1% no matter if it is a successful kiss or not, so DON'T KISS
- You do gain fat from the dinner dates with your girlfriends
