Vice City

Overview

Vice City is a fictional city from the Grand Theft Auto universe that represents and parodies Miami, FL. Across each of the three games featuring the location, the city depicts the beaches, downtown, neighborhoods, and ethnic communities that comprise the urban environment.

Appearance and Layout

Vice City has, to date, appeared in three games in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Its initial appearance was in the original Grand Theft Auto as one of three playable cities alongside Liberty City (New York City) and San Andreas (San Francisco). Developers revisited Vice City in 2002's titular Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and again in 2006's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. There are a number of differences between the different iterations of Vice City, be it in the translation from 2D top-down to 3D, or the chronological progression from GTA: Vice City Stories into GTA: Vice City.

Grand Theft Auto

In the original Grand Theft Auto, Vice City was one of three cities available to the player. In contrast to the Vice City most players are familiar with, the original incarnation of Vice City was not set in the 80s, but in modern times (the late 90s, based on the release date of the original game).

A number of Florida locations are encapsulated in the city. Vice Beach represents coastal Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and other oceanfront towns. Brickell and Downtown Miami—the northern beaches and major urban financial districts,—are dubbed Felicity. Eastern Vice City represents Broward and Dade counties and is composed of Miramire, Coral City, Greek Heights, Little Dominica, Little Bogota and Richman Heights.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, developers Rockstar North returned to the environment they established five years earlier. In contrast to the original Grand Theft Auto, this incarnation of the city is set in the 1980s (1986, to be specific) and focuses on 80s architecture, trends, and culture.

Based on Miami, Vice City consists of two main islands. The west island is comprised of Downtown, Little Haiti, Little Havana, Viceport, the military base, and Escobar International Airport. This part of Vice City houses landmarks such as Hyman Memorial Stadium, the downtown skyline, Sunshine Autos, and Big Mitch Baker's Greasy Chopper biker bar.

The east island is made up of Ocean Beach, Washington Beach, and Vice Point. It boasts the Pole Position Strip Club, the Malibu Club, two malls, art deco hotels, and plenty of residential high-rises.

The two main islands are connected by one freestanding bridge and a series of other bridges that cross over three smaller islands:

• Prawn Island - The northern island that houses Interglobal Studios, home of Vice City's finest adult filmwork. A handful of mansions can also be found here.

• Leaf Links - Although it may appear as part of the east island of the Vice City mainland, the Leaf Links Golf Club is technically an island of it's own. Golf clubs, caddies, an outfit, and several old people call Leaf Links their home.
• Starfish Island - The central island; a rich area of the city, where the wealthiest and most successful inhabitants of Vice City dwell. The biggest landmark on the island is the massive mansion that formerly belonged to Ricardo Diaz before Tommy Vercetti claimed it for himself. The mansion features several floors, a wide garage, a backyard maze, and a helipad for Tommy Vercetti's personal Maverick.