Released in 2004, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas became a cultural phenomenon, selling over 27 million copies and solidifying the franchise's popularity. Yet, more than 20 years later, a single quote from the game's opening sequence has achieved unexpected longevity as an internet meme. The line, "Ah shit, here we go again," spoken by protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson upon his return to Los Santos, has resonated with players and internet users alike.
The opening of San Andreas finds CJ returning to his hometown after a five-year absence, only to be immediately confronted by corrupt police officers. This situation prompts CJ's now-famous exclamation before the game's narrative truly begins.
The Rise of a Meme
The quote remained a memorable line for players until 2015, when a three-second video clip featuring the quote was uploaded to YouTube by user ZMOONCHILD. This upload rapidly gained attention, amassing tens of thousands of likes and thousands of comments. Internet users began to adapt the clip, creating jokes and relatable scenarios such as "me every Monday at school" or "When Luigi enters the mansion for the 3rd time."
![A quote from the opening sequence of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, "Ah shit, here we go again," would go on to become an internet meme more than a decade after the game's release.]( "A quote from the opening sequence of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, "Ah shit, here we go again," would go on to become an internet meme more than a decade after the game's release.")
Later that year, a screenshot of the quote was posted to the GTA Forums by user Sentinel Driver, marking its first recorded use as a reaction image. The image subsequently proliferated across platforms like Reddit and Instagram, often accompanied by user-generated captions. The phrase "Ah shit, here we go again" became a popular expression for conveying weariness or frustration with recurring or familiar predicaments, whether in real life or within video games.
Viral Potential Unleashed
The meme's potential was fully realized in 2019. On April 3 of that year, X user @ChaoticGeekCG shared a green-screen edit of the San Andreas opening sequence, allowing users to creatively superimpose CJ's quote and action onto various other visual media. This post achieved significant engagement, with over 1,700 retweets and 5,200 likes within a week, according to Know Your Meme. Similar green-screen templates have seen widespread use on TikTok, with one template being incorporated into over 10,000 videos.
The meme's popularity also permeated the Grand Theft Auto community itself, where it became a common way for Reddit users to voice their frustrations regarding the delays of Grand Theft Auto 6. The meme even gained attention from political circles in March 2026, when White House officials controversially used the quote in a video accompanying a post titled "OPERATION EPIC FURY," which spliced game footage with imagery from the war in Iran, drawing considerable criticism.