For the most part, every Grand Theft Auto game has been set in one of three main locations: Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City. The latter is based on the city of Miami, Florida, and became popular with fans following the release of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. However, the 2002 title isn’t the only game that’s set in Vice City. In fact, it wasn’t even the first.
Every Grand Theft Auto Game (In Chronological Order)
Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto franchise spans more than 10 games and multiple decades. How do the titles rank in chronological order?
Vice City made its debut in the very first Grand Theft Auto game, having been unlockable after completing the two San Andreas chapters. Since then, it’s been the main setting of two other Grand Theft Auto games and will soon find itself firmly back in the spotlight once Grand Theft Auto 6 is finally released in 2025.
Grand Theft Auto
Set in 1997 Vice City
Video games were a lot simpler back in the nineties, with maps only a fraction of the size of their modern-day counterparts. However, Grand Theft Auto still managed to cram an awful lot in, with players able to visit Liberty City, San Andres, and Vice City all in one game. Granted, the locations weren’t all that impressive due to the game’s 2D graphics, but each one still had its own distinct characteristics.
Broken up into Vice Shores and Vice Beach, Vice City could be found in the northeastern part of the map after completing the San Andreas section of the game. Like more modern representations of the city, the two districts aimed to capture the look and feel of the state of Florida, with a particular focus on Miami. Given the graphical limitations, it could be argued that they did so pretty well, but there were definitely bigger and better things to come for the fictional city.
Grand Theft Auto
- Developer
- DMA Design, Tarantula Studios, Visual Sciences
- Publisher
- BMG Interactive, ASC Games, Take-Two Interactive Software
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS1, Game Boy Color
- Released
- February 28, 1998
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Set in 1986 Vice City
GTA 3 may have been the game that brought the Grand Theft Auto franchise to a lot of people’s attention, but it was arguably Grand Theft Auto: Vice City that really made them fall in love with it. The game was set in 1986 and served as an homage of sorts to classic gangster movies like Carlito’s Way and Scarface: the latter of which was also set in Miami. Players were placed into the shoes of the series’ first-ever non-silent protagonist Tommy Vercetti, who was voiced by the late Goodfellas star Ray Liotta.
Cruising through the streets of Vice City remains an absolute joy to this day, thanks in large to the excellent selection of music available through the in-game radio stations. Sadly, not all of these songs returned for the 2021 remaster trilogy, though many of them did, including “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles, “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister, and “Atomic” by Blondie. The game also boasts some of the best cars in the series to date and was the first to allow players to buy their own businesses.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Platform(s)
- PS2, Xbox (Original), PC, iOS, Android, macOS
- Released
- October 29, 2002
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Set in 1984 Vice City
Though it did eventually make its way to the PlayStation 2 in 2007, a lot of people slept on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on account of it launching as a PSP exclusive. That said, it was still the second-best-selling game for Sony’s ill-fated handheld, with more than five million lifetime units shipped. Those who did play it will know that the game is set some two years earlier than Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and sees players controlling Lance Vance as opposed to Tommy, who was still serving time in prison at that time.
This version of Vice City is a little different from the one found in the previous game, with several key locations either not existing or being completely different in 1984. This includes Diaz’s Mansion (later, the Vercetti Estate), which is still being built in Vice City Stories. Despite being seen as more of a spin-off by many, the game packs in just as much as its predecessor, with around 40 hours worth of content available for those looking to complete everything that’s on offer.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, PSP
- Released
- October 31, 2006
Grand Theft Auto VI
Set in Present-Day Vice City?
People were speculating that Grand Theft Auto 6 would see a return to Vice City even before the infamous 2022 leak, which all but confirmed the game’s setting. Any remaining doubt was well and truly extinguished the following year by the release of the first GTA 6 trailer, which makes it very clear that the game will be set in Vice City. It seems destined to be both the largest and the best-looking version of the city to date, with the graphics showcased in the cinematic trailer being incredibly impressive.
Like the previous mainline GTA game, GTA 6 will feature multiple playable protagonists. Rather than being three friends though, Lucia and Jason are lovers, which should lead to a very different dynamic. It’s yet to be confirmed when exactly the game is set, though the trailer shows in-game social media channels, suggesting that it is a lot more recent than all of the other GTA games set in Vice City; even if the song from the GTA 6 trailer is once again an eighties track.
Grand Theft Auto 6
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series X|S
- Released
- 2025-00-00
