We're a long way from the '80s, but Vice City is still the sun and fun capital of America.
The glamour, hustle, and greed of America captured in a single city. Each neighborhood has something to offer, from the pastel art deco hotels and bright white sands of Ocean Beach, to the bustling panaderías of Little Cuba and the bootleg brands of the Tisha-Wocka flea market, out to the VC Port, the cruise ship capital of the world.
Vice City is a major coastal city in the state of Leonida in Grand Theft Auto VI. The metropolis is known for its beaches, hot climate, entertainment industry, and an atmosphere inspired by the 1980s. It is one of the largest cities in the region and an important economic center.
The city is located on the shores of a bay and occupies several natural and artificial barrier islands. On the largest of these lies the resort district of Vice Beach. The skyline is shaped by numerous skyscrapers, residential complexes, and a mix of modern architecture with the style of past decades.
Despite regular hurricanes, Vice City continues to attract people from all over the world. Its port is one of the largest in the region, supporting commercial, tourist, and shadow economies.
Vice City is also a hub for organized crime. Drug trafficking and money laundering are widespread here, and historically the city has been linked to cocaine smuggling. All of this has cemented its reputation as a dangerous and decadent place.
Vice City is frequently mentioned in other games in the series and remains one of the most recognizable cities in the GTA world. Its real-world counterpart is consistently Miami.
Crime
A brief overview of the dark side of Vice City.
Since the 1980s, organized crime in the city has been primarily linked to illegal drug trafficking, especially cocaine.
The most crime-ridden areas are poor neighborhoods and those with a high proportion of immigrants, such as La Perle and Little Cuba.
Speedboats and drug submarines are often used to smuggle drugs into and out of Leonida.
In the late 2000s, drug traffickers delivered cocaine to the Russian mafia in Liberty City, including the now-defunct Rascalov Mafiya.
One of Dimitri Rascalov's men, Andriy Maximov, was arrested after being caught with a shipment of cocaine from Vice City.
Gangsters from Liberty City operated in Vice City and its surroundings. Among them was Sammy Bottino, a high-ranking member of the Gambetti family, wanted for murder around 2007.
Around 2008, methamphetamine spread in Vice City, "destroyed the lives and businesses of cocaine dealers" in the city.
By 2019, a marijuana-based drug called "Zombie" appeared on the streets, rumored to cause a tendency toward cannibalism in users.
By the mid-2020s, "neighborhood enhancement teams" operate in Vice City, working to increase safety and beautify disadvantaged areas. One of their offices is located in the Rockridge Community Resource Center.
City Selection
Vice City has remained one of the most beloved locations among fans of the GTA series for many years, and Rockstar Games has repeatedly hinted at the possibility of returning to this city. Former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies spoke about the prospects of returning to Vice City in an interview.
In an interview with journalist Adam Rosenberg from Digital Trends, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of GTA Vice City, Benzies said that Vice City exists within the HD universe, and the developers would be happy to return to this city someday. At the same time, he noted that a significant part of the city's popularity is associated with its unique atmosphere of the 1980s.
In particular, Benzies stated:
It is always a possibility. There are a few references to the city in our current-gen GTAs so it is part of that HD universe, and it is certainly somewhere we would love to revisit. However Vice City, perhaps more than any other GTA game, was as much about the era as the setting. Miami in the 1980’s is so iconic it would feel strange to revisit the city in a different time period.
Of course at some point we would like to have one big world containing all our cities and let the player fly between them and revisit their favorite areas, and in that context reimagining Vice City would be very interesting.
Vice City advertisements can be seen on many billboards of the company FlyUS in Liberty City.
When the bum Jerry Kapowitz found the diamonds that were being hunted by Niko Bellic, Patrick McReary, Ray Bulgarin, Ray Boccino and the Jewish Mob, he planned to open a gun shop and a liquor store in Vice City, which was reported on the radio.
In the "Vehicles" section of the GTA 4 stats, one of the possible ratings for the "miles driven" stat is shown as "from Liberty City to Vice City".
Lazlow Jones, a radio host on Integrity 2.0, often recalls his life in Vice City in the 1980s, when he was a DJ on V-Rock.
In the mission Catch the Wave, the Russian mob delivered drugs from Vice City to the shipyard.
Roman Bellic writes to Niko that if they make a deal with Dimitri Rascalov, they can afford a flight to Vice City on a private plane.
When Niko and Roman's friendship level is high, Niko can call Roman's taxi. Roman then tells Niko that all his taxis go to the airport and pick up old people from Vice City.
Sammy Bottino is wanted in Vice City on suspicion of murder.
For the female multiplayer model at rank 0, a hat with the text "I ♥ VC" is available.
Iggy Pop, the DJ of Liberty Rock Radio, talks about moving to Vice City and how clean it is compared to Liberty City.
The spin-off of the TV series The Science Of Crime is called The Science of Crime: Vice City. This is likely a reference to the series "CSI: Miami".
Hossan Ramzy sends Niko an email saying he escaped from the ship in Leonida.
Near Playboy X's penthouse in Northwood, on one of the building walls it says VICE.
In Liberty City, various graffiti with the inscription Vice Squad can be found. This is an elite special unit of the Vice City Police Department.
According to Weazel News, Andriy Maximov was intercepted by the Liberty City Police at the mouth of the Humboldt River, while transporting cocaine by boat from Vice City for the Russian mafia.
A six-month-old baby Joshua Hampton, who allegedly killed his father Abraham Hampton, stated that he plans to marry his mother in Vice City because they are tolerant of strange behavior there.
On the website Blogsnobs.org there is a blog of a 47-year-old feminist from Vice City.
Users of the site Liesdamnlies.net under the nicknames Bermuda Triangle, Taos Hum, Majestic12 and The Ripper Lives are from Vice City.
Drug enforcement agent Albert Thomas stated on the website Liberty Tree that "Meth has destroyed the lives and businesses of cocaine dealers in Vice City".
Journalist John Chesapeake from Weazel News expressed a similar opinion: "Meth has destroyed the lives and businesses of cocaine dealers in Vice City, and we see the same happening here".
Another Liberty Tree article states that a drunk pilot nearly killed 200 passengers on Air Sol flight bound for Francis International Airport from Vice City.
Washington Beach is mentioned on the website hornyhighschoolreunions.com as the location of one of the high schools.
The website of the motorcycle club Angels of Death states that they operate in the South. They have their own theme park and sell branded merchandise such as bedding, books, party kits, diapers, and even dildos.
The name of the city Vice City is engraved on the wall of US cities Rotterdam Tower along with San Fierro, Los Santos, Las Venturas and Liberty City.
Yusuf Amir complained to Luis Lopez that he had to fly on a private jet to Vice City and use the services of prostitutes for two weeks to recover from the test drive of sexy cars.
The exclusive radio station Vice City FM broadcasts 1980s music. Its host is Fernando Martinez, who previously worked on radio in games of the 3D universe.
According to the actor Al Di Napoli in the mission Club Management - Al Di Napoli, he lives in Vice City.
Al Di Napoli, during a conversation with Luis Lopez, suggests that he and Tony Prince expand their business to Vice City. Luis replies that Vice City is now a retirement home.
If you fail the mission Ladies' Night by getting too close to Patrick McReary, a conversation between Luis and Tony is triggered, in which they mention that they need to flee to Vice City or Los Santos.
In the TV show The Men's Room with Bas and Jeremy, a person named Paula called in. According to him, he is calling from Vice City.
Pedestrians may say something like "I should've gone to Vice" if you push them.
When Luis drives Tony home at the end of the mission Practice Swing, he will say: "Listen, Tone. Maybe you should take a holiday. Get down to Vice City. The Caribbean maybe".
GTA Chinatown Wars
Some drug dealers may tell Huang Lee that if he sells them enough drugs of a certain type, he will earn so much money that he can one day "retire in sleepy Vice City".
GTA 5
On Blaine County Radio in the show Bless Your Heart the host Bobby June advertises a tanning spray named after Vice City.
On the microblogging site Bleeter the band Sorry Commode apologizes to the residents of Vice City for a canceled concert due to fantastic local drugs.
On the poster of rapper OG Loc in Franklin Clinton's house his performance venues are listed in Los Santos, Liberty City, Vice City, and Las Venturas.
On the website Chains of Intimacy a quote from a book review published in the Vice City Sentinel newspaper is given.
On a billboard in Hawick a woman resembling Toni, which sponsors Vinewood Sports LS.
After the car is stolen, its owner may wish to move to Vice City. A similar phrase is sometimes uttered by an ambulance worker if the victim could not be saved.
In the film Rum Runner by Richards Majestic Productions, the protagonist Eddie Olson moves to Vice City after a rival liquor smuggler shoots his crippled lover. There he becomes an insurance agent with a weakness for girls in wheelchairs.
In the cartoon Moorehead Rides Again on CNT, the protagonist Gordon and his assistant Molly move from Vice Beach to Vinewood.
In the TV show Impotent Rage, it is said that the protagonist's parents were immigrants from Vice City.
On Vespucci Beach, you can find a towel with the print «I ♥ VC». The same towels hang on the railings of The Pink Cage Motel.
In the game files, there is a Vice City license plate with a unique design, but it is not used anywhere.
On the "Welcome to Chumash" sign on Great Ocean Highway, it is indicated that Chumash received an award for outstanding achievement from Vice City Hikers.
According to a report by Senora Beacon, FIB arrested the Lombank branch in Vice City for money laundering from drug sales.
GTA Online
An advertisement for chewing tobacco Yukon depicts a skunk ape, known as the Florida version of Bigfoot.
On iFruit Radio, host Danny Brown mentions that the weed Zombie is popular in Vice City.
