Grand Theft Auto 6 is returning players back to Vice City, the fictional city where the series began so long ago. However, as the franchise has evolved, the games have gone to different areas in fictional cities modeled after real-life locations. As a result, Vice City has only been used sparingly, but the games that have featured it have often been some of the best in the minds of players.
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Many features and gameplay systems from throughout the series’ history are coming back to GTA 6, which seems to be the most ambitious title in the franchise yet. After the extremely large sandbox offered in GTA 5, this is a big goal that has placed tons of expectations on developer Rockstar Games. Hopefully, fans of GTA: San Andreas, GTA 4, or GTA 5 will see some of their favorite aspects of past games return, balanced equally to satisfy everyone.
4. Grand Theft Auto (1997)
The first Grand Theft Auto was released in 1997 for Windows and MS-DOS initially, but eventually came to the original PlayStation and Game Boy Color the same year it came out. Vice City was one of three different areas players could visit, including Liberty City and San Andreas, which would later be the focus of their own games later. Liberty City was meant to mimic New York City, while San Andreas was meant to reference San Francisco. Meanwhile, Vice City itself is directly inspired by Miami, with hot summer beaches and a more tropical setting than the other two locations.
The original inclusion of these places was almost completely aesthetic, with gameplay being the same in each area. From a top-down perspective, players simply had to earn points to reach a certain target, meaning the “open world” was pretty bare bones. That being said, there were still plenty of jobs and challenges that made Vice City feel distinct. No matter what protagonist players select out of eight choices, the storyline of Grand Theft Auto has a special relationship with Vice City that makes it feel special.
When players start their adventure, they begin in Liberty City to get a hang of GTA‘s systems and start making a name for whichever character they chose. The midpoint of the game takes them to San Andreas, but the finale of this title is in Vice City. This makes Vice City not only the area with the hardest jobs in the main game, but also the area that feels like a culmination of your gameplay up until that point. For that reason, it still holds a revered status in the hearts of players who remember where the series started.
3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Often in conversations as the best game in the series, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is the fourth game in the franchise, coming out after GTA 3 made drastic changes. This game follows the third-person 3D gameplay GTA 3 established, refining it and using its systems to tell a stronger story without having to innovate everything from the ground up. The narrative of GTA: Vice City is almost directly inspired by iconic films like Scarface or Miami Vice, telling the tale of gangster Tommy Vercetti and their rise to power within the titular metropolis.
This title made significant changes to GTA‘s prior formula, partially establishing the patterns of the series that remain even to this day. The Vice City sandbox is a big portion of that, featuring an entirely open map for players to explore at their leisure. This depiction of a 1980’s style Miami was dotted with many real-world inspirations, including the crack epidemic and the presence of drug lords or criminal groups that were influential in that era. Simple cultural additions like glam metal and 80s fashion style also helped sell Vice City’s authenticity, making it a fascinating world in gaming history.
This game also allowed players to buy different businesses in Vice City, attributing to the story of Tommy gaining a foothold in the area. Recruiting vigilantes, controlling a taxi service, or buying out hideouts throughout Vice City made the location feel even more dynamic, creating memorable locations players are hoping to see again in GTA 6. The party nature of Vice City is apparent wherever you go, with entertainment clubs and beach side resorts hiding the brutal underbelly of the city. In many ways, this game established Vice City’s identity in other games to follow.
2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)
GTA: Vice City Stories is almost an expansion to GTA: Vice City, even if it came out four years after that title’s release. At the point of its launch, this spin-off was part of the “Stories” games that Rockstar released on various systems following the success of GTA: San Andreas back in 2004. This game was a PSP exclusive for some time, until a PlayStation 2 port in 2007 made it far more accessible. The return to Vice City in this title was through the eyes of side characters from GTA: Vice City, particularly Victor “Vic” Vance
As a former soldier who played a small role in Tommy Vercetti’s story, Vic attempts to build a criminal empire as well, using many of the same systems from the prior game. The gameplay here is pretty much the same as GTA: Vice City, but with a greater focus on the business building and rival gang conflicts that were part of that title’s mechanics. What makes this version of Vice City special is that it expanded the scope of those systems, giving players a slightly more diverse sandbox open world to explore for expanding their empire.
The PSP even included multiplayer systems that allowed friends to link up and explore Vice City together, acting as a revolutionary approach the series wouldn’t see again until GTA 4. An overhauled combat system and small additions to money making helped this game feel like an updated version of GTA: Vice City at times, with graphical improvements also giving it extra polish. For the longest time, this was the best looking version of Vice City out there, until Rockstar decided to return to the location in 2026.
1. Grand Theft Auto 6 (2026)
The glorious return to Vice City in GTA 6 is truly night and day compared to the past, with Rockstar’s modern approach to visuals making the world already feel alive without any gameplay (so far). Following the massive praise of both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 6 is slated to be the most anticipated game of 2026 by far, with other titles pushing their releases to September or October to avoid the November window of GTA 6‘s launch. Even though only story trailers have been shown, Vice City looks better than ever.
Specifically, GTA 6 takes place in the modern-day fictional state of Leonida, referencing the real-world state of Florida in the United States in the same way Vice City references Miami in the same area. In fact, Vice City is only one of several regions players can travel to in GTA 6, acting as the heart of the new sandbox open world with neon lights and modern architecture fleshing out a truly dense location with a lot to do. At the same time, players can go to the following areas too:
- Grassrivers – Meant to evoke the Everglades with swamps and wetlands.
- Leonida Keys – Almost like the “Florida Keys,” an archipelago with cool waters for coastal and water-based gameplay.
- Ambrosia/Port Gellhorn – Smaller suburban and industrial hubs outside Vice City.
The changes to Vice City from its 80s inspired roots to match 2020s flair and vibes will undoubtedly be drastic, giving players an experience like never before. However, this means the criminal element of the region has drastically changed too, with the teaser trailers already implying a harrowing story of crime and power between two protagonists. With fans incredibly eager to see how Vice City has evolved in Grand Theft Auto 6, it’ll be great to see what parts of the city have remained over time, and what new parts are waiting to be explored.
What is your favorite version of Vice City seen in the GTA series? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
