You cannot reach six stars in GTA San Andreas early in the game no matter what you do. The top of the wanted meter unlocks with story progress, becoming available once C.R.A.S.H. opens up Las Venturas after Yay Ka-Boom-Boom, and in practice reachable after Learning to Fly.
Why It Will Not Go Up
The wanted ceiling rises as the game opens up. In the Los Santos portion you are capped below six regardless of how much trouble you cause, which is why players trying to provoke the army early conclude the mechanic is broken.
It is not. The state simply has not opened yet.
Getting There
Once it is available, the route is just sustained escalation. Commit crimes in quick succession, beating pedestrians, destroying vehicles, fighting police, and the meter climbs a star at a time as the spree continues.
The difficulty is not raising it. The difficulty is staying alive long enough for it to finish rising.
What Arrives at Six
The military, and they are a different proposition from the police:
- Barracks OL trucks carrying soldiers.
- Rhino tanks, which are heavily armoured. Ramming one is fatal: your vehicle explodes and you die instantly.
- Soldiers carrying M16s, MP5s and M4s, which kill quickly.
Unless you have prepared carefully, six stars ends with you dead within a minute or two. That is the intended outcome.
Surviving It
If the goal is to hold six stars rather than just touch it:
- Take the Hydra or the jetpack. Air is the only place the ground response cannot reach you effectively. Our guides on how to get the Hydra and how to get a jetpack cover both.
- Maximum health and armour first. Our guide on how to increase health covers the paramedic missions that raise your maximum.
- Know where a Pay ‘n’ Spray is before you start, and remember you cannot use one while being watched.
Stealing a Rhino
The main practical reason to provoke six stars is that it is one way to get a tank, since the military brings Rhinos with them. Our guide on how to get the best cars covers the vehicles worth keeping, and a Rhino is more trophy than transport.
Save before trying. Our guide on how to save your game covers where you can.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can I not reach six stars? The ceiling is gated by story progress. It opens as Las Venturas does.
What comes at six stars? The military, with Barracks trucks, Rhino tanks and soldiers carrying assault rifles.
Can you survive six stars? Briefly on the ground. Air is the realistic answer.
Does ramming a Rhino work? No. Ramming one destroys your vehicle and kills you.