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Vice City through GTA history

GTA 6's Vice City is the fourth version of the city. Here's how the series got here, and how the games connect.

Updated September 28, 2026. Sources: Rockstar's official site, trailers and press previews.

Confirmed said or shown by RockstarPreview report seen by press, not officially statedUnconfirmed fan-spotted or reported

Four visits to Vice City

  1. Grand Theft Auto

    The very first GTA had a top-down Vice City as one of its three cities, alongside Liberty City and San Andreas.

  2. GTA Vice City

    The classic. Set in 1986, it followed Tommy Vercetti, voiced by Ray Liotta, as he built a criminal empire in a city drawn from Miami Vice and Scarface.

  3. GTA Vice City Stories

    A prequel set in 1984, starring Victor Vance, the brother of Lance Vance from the 2002 game.

  4. Grand Theft Auto VI

    A present-day Vice City, rebuilt from scratch, inside the wider state of Leonida. Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos take the lead.

A modern Vice City skyline. Original illustration.

The 2002 city

The Vice City most fans remember was built around two large islands separated by water. The beach side held Ocean Beach, Washington Beach and Vice Point; the mainland held Downtown, Little Havana, Little Haiti, the docks and the airport. Its look came straight from 1980s pop culture: pastel suits, neon, synth-pop radio and Miami Vice's color palette. Miami Vice actor Philip Michael Thomas even voiced Lance Vance.

Is GTA 6 connected to the old games?

Probably not directly. Fans divide GTA into separate continuities, often called the 2D, 3D and HD universes:

  • 2D universe: the top-down games of the late 1990s.
  • 3D universe: GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas and their spin-offs, where Tommy Vercetti and Victor Vance live.
  • HD universe: GTA IV, GTA V and GTA Online.

GTA 6 is widely expected to belong to the HD universe, with a new Vice City that shares a name, not a history, with the 2002 game. Unconfirmed Rockstar hasn't spelled this out, but it's how the series has worked since GTA IV rebuilt Liberty City. Lucia's family ties to Liberty City fit this picture without proving it, since Liberty City exists in every universe.

Will old characters return?

Rockstar hasn't announced any returning characters. Small nods and easter eggs are far more likely than cameos, given the separate continuity.

For a district-by-district comparison of the 2002 map with the new city, see Vice City 2002 vs GTA 6 on LeonidaMap.us.

Questions

How many times has Vice City appeared in GTA?

Four: Grand Theft Auto (1997), GTA Vice City (2002), GTA Vice City Stories (2006) and GTA 6 (2026).

Is Tommy Vercetti in GTA 6?

Rockstar hasn't announced him. GTA 6 is expected to sit in a separate continuity from the 2002 game.

What year is GTA 6 set in?

The present day. The 2002 game was set in 1986, and Vice City Stories in 1984.