Both Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas feature Grove Street, but GTA 5's version doesn't look quite like how long-time Grand Theft Auto fans remember. This is an understandable but unfortunate change, as GTA: San Andreas fans spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of Grove Street and the surrounding areas, and seeing it both smaller than they recall and also filled with rival gang members is somewhat depressing.
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grove Street was both the home of the Grove Street Families as well as the home of the game's protagonist and player character Carl Johnson. Carl (or CJ, as he's known to his friends) returns to San Andreas after the death of his mother, and the player's very first safehouse is CJ's mother's home. To the left of CJ's mom's house lives Ryder, a member of the GSF, and to the right is Carl's brother Sweet. Grove Street, as a gang, is all about family, and while other members like Ryder and Big Smoke aren't related to CJ and Sweet, they all grew up together and treat each other like brothers.
During the events of GTA: San Andreas players also learn about Grove Street's rivalry with the Ballas, another gang in Los Santos which is battling the GSF for control of the area. Through San Andreas' gang warfare mechanic players can eventually get all of the Ballas out of Grove Street's territory for good, but, if Grand Theft Auto 5's depiction of Grove Street is to be believed, it doesn't look like CJ was able to hold on to that territory over a long time.
How Grove Street Is Different In GTA 5
In Grand Theft Auto 5, Grove Street (and the Grove Street Families) plays a much smaller role in the story. Not only does the player not embody any of the Grove Street family members, but instead of basing the entire first act of the game out of Grove Street Grand Theft Auto 5 only has one story mission in the area. During the mission "Hood Safari" GTA 5 takes Franklin, Trevor, and Lamar to Grove Street in order to conduct a cocaine deal with the Ballas - one which predictably turns into a shootout after Trevor discovers the brick of cocaine they are trying to buy is mostly made up of drywall.
To GTA: San Andreas fans, finding the Ballas all over Grove Street's turf is disheartening, especially after they spent so much time back in the 1990's (in Grand Theft Auto's timeline) cleaning them off the streets. How did the Ballas regain control? Thankfully, during some dialog between Franklin and Lamar in Grand Theft Auto 5, the player can learn a little bit about what ended up happening to the Grove Street Families, and why the Ballas are back dealing drugs after CJ did everything in his power to keep them out of the neighborhood.
"Eh, you know Grove Street used to be Families hood," Franklin says to Lamar at one point. "Grove Street Families, man. Long time ago." When Lamar asks what happened to them, Franklin replies, "I don't know. Could be dead..." Lamar, who has always had a more idealized view of the gangster life than Franklin does in GTA 5, adds "Could be CEOs by now. Probably living in some suburb somewhere, driving SUVs... soccer moms..." Franklin agrees that such a situation is possible, and Lamar optimistically states "That's going to be me and you one day."
Grand Theft Auto 5's vision of Grove Street is slightly smaller, and doesn't contain a backyard full of holes and a shovel behind Ryder's house. Instead it's filled with Ballas, the GSF having all disbanded, been killed, or simply moved on. Perhaps some of them did become CEOs or move out to the suburbs - although, knowing how strongly the members of Grove Street felt about their home in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, it's unlikely they would abandon it completely unless they were forced to.