Grand Theft Auto: Vice City came out on October 29, 2002 and is set in 1986. Grand Theft Auto VI comes out on November 19, 2026 and is set now. Both are Rockstar's Miami, both are called Vice City, and that is where the overlap ends: different universe, different decade, different leads, and a city rebuilt from the ground up. Everything marked Confirmed comes from Rockstar; Our guess is us. The long read, section by section, is Six's article Vice City 2002 vs 2026: what GTA 6 kept from Tommy Vercetti's city, and what it rebuilt.
At a glance
| Vice City (2002) | GTA 6 (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | October 29, 2002 (PS2); PC May 2003; Xbox late 2003 | November 19, 2026, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S |
| Set in | 1986 | Present day |
| Universe | 3D Universe (GTA III, San Andreas) | HD Universe (GTA IV, GTA V) |
| The map | Vice City is the whole game: about 4.25 km², two main islands plus smaller ones | Vice City is one city in the state of Leonida, alongside Port Gellhorn, the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers and more. Size not published |
| Leads | Tommy Vercetti (Ray Liotta), fresh out of a 15-year sentence | Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, playable together |
| Where you start | Escobar International, with a deal about to go wrong | Port Gellhorn, outside the city |
| Radio | Nine stations, among them Flash FM, V-Rock, Emotion 98.3, Wave 103, Fever 105 | Six stations previewed so far, Flash FM among them; full list not published |
| Wanted level | Six stars | Six stars |
| Getting around | Cars, motorcycles (new to the series), boats, helicopters (first flyable ones) | Cars, bikes, boats, jet skis, aircraft, all shown in official material |
| Price at launch | 49.99 dollars | 79.99 dollars Standard, 99.99 Ultimate |
Two cities, one name
Confirmed Rockstar keeps its eras apart. The 2002 game lives in the 3D Universe with GTA III and San Andreas; GTA 6 is in the HD Universe with GTA IV and GTA V, which has its own Vice City the way it has its own Liberty City. Nothing that happened to Tommy Vercetti, the Vercetti Estate or the Malibu Club is part of the new game's history. What carries over is the idea: Rockstar's Miami, built from the real one's beaches, art deco strips, causeways and money.
Confirmed Rockstar's own description of GTA 6's Vice City is "the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet", and it describes the new Vice City as its most detailed street-level city yet. It has never called the new city a remake or a return. Vice City 2002: the city GTA 6 returns to covers the original on its own.
1986 vs now
The 2002 game was a period piece before the series had ever done one: neon, pastel suits, a cassette-deck radio, a plot assembled from Scarface, Miami Vice and the cocaine Miami of the real 1980s. GTA 6 is set in the present, so its Vice City comes with phones, social feeds, cruise ships, construction cranes and a nightlife built around clubs rather than the Malibu's one dance floor.
Our guess The tone will be the biggest change. The 2002 game treated the 1980s with affection and a smirk. The HD Universe treats the present with a sharper edge, and the trailers and screenshots lean into it: influencer culture, viral video, the gap between the beach and the people who clean it.
The districts
The 2002 map was two main islands and a handful of smaller ones. GTA 6's Vice City is a single city inside a state, and Rockstar has named only part of it so far. The left column is the 2002 game; the right is what Rockstar has confirmed for 2026.
Vice City, 2002
- Ocean Beach and Washington Beach: the art deco strip, the Ocean View Hotel
- Vice Point: the north beach, the Malibu Club
- Leaf Links: the golf course between the islands
- Starfish Island: the mansions, including the Vercetti Estate
- Prawn Island: the film studio
- Downtown: the towers, the V-Rock building
- Little Havana and Little Haiti: the Cuban and Haitian neighbourhoods
- Viceport and Escobar International: the docks and the airport
Vice City, 2026 (confirmed so far)
- Ocean Beach: pastel art-deco hotels along white sand, the one district name in both games
- Little Cuba: the new game's take on the Cuban neighbourhood
- Tisha-Wocka Flea Market: named in Rockstar's screenshots
- The cruise port and international airport: both shown in official material
- The Vice City sign: the landmark from the trailers
- Downtown, the marina and the rest of the city appear in screenshots but Rockstar has not named every district
Our guess Ocean Beach to Ocean Beach, Little Havana to Little Cuba: the renaming follows how Rockstar handled Liberty City between GTA III and GTA IV, where the structure of the real city stayed and the names moved. Expect the same from the islands, the golf course and the docks. Inside Vice City's neighbourhoods goes district by district, and the Leonida map places everything Rockstar has shown.
The leads
Confirmed Tommy Vercetti arrives in Vice City from Liberty City in 1986 after fifteen years inside, loses his boss's money in the opening deal, and spends the game taking the city over, business by business. Ray Liotta's performance made him the series' first lead with a real voice and a real face.
Confirmed GTA 6 has two leads, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, and you play both. The story begins in Port Gellhorn, outside the city, rather than in Vice City itself. Rockstar's character pages say Lucia was taught to fight by her father and went to Leonida Penitentiary for fighting for her family, and that Jason grew up around crooks, did a stint in the Army and came out wanting an easy life. The wiki has both.
Our guess Tommy's story was a takeover: one man, one city, an empire by the credits. Two leads and a whole state point somewhere else. We expect Vice City to be the prize again, but not the whole map, and not a story that ends with one person owning it.
The radio
Confirmed The 2002 game's radio was nine stations of licensed 1980s music, and for many people it was the game: Flash FM, V-Rock, Emotion 98.3, Wave 103, Fever 105, Wildstyle, Radio Espantoso, VCPR and K-Chat. On October 8, 2026 Rockstar previewed six GTA 6 stations: Flash FM is back, alongside Dirty South Classics, Cocoteo FM, Afro Bank FM, Back Country Radio and The Chamber 106.6. Rockstar has not said how many stations the finished game has. Our radio database tracks every station and track as Rockstar confirms them.
What the 2002 game did first
Vice City gave the 3D games motorcycles and helicopters you could fly, made interiors matter, invented the property empire, and gave the series its first voiced leading man. Those became the series' furniture. GTA 6's trailers and screenshots show all of them, and the Vice City classic page goes through what the original added in order.
Quick answers
Is GTA 6 set in the same Vice City as the 2002 game?
Same name, same Miami inspiration, different version. The 2002 game is set in 1986 in the 3D Universe. GTA 6's Vice City is present day, in the HD Universe, and sits inside the state of Leonida. Places and characters do not carry over.
Is GTA 6's Vice City bigger than the 2002 one?
Rockstar has not published a size. The 2002 map was about 4.25 square kilometres. GTA 6's Vice City is one city within Leonida, which also holds Port Gellhorn, the Leonida Keys and Grassrivers, and Rockstar calls it its most detailed street-level city yet.
Does Flash FM come back?
Yes. Flash FM was among the six stations Rockstar previewed on October 8, 2026. It was one of the 2002 game's nine stations.
Is Tommy Vercetti in GTA 6?
No. The 2002 game and GTA 6 are in different universes that Rockstar keeps separate. GTA 6's leads are Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos.
Can I play the 2002 game now?
Yes, as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – The Definitive Edition on PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC and mobile. The classics page has the details.
- ClassicsGrand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002): the full page
- FeatureVice City 2002: the city GTA 6 returns to
- GuideInside Vice City's neighbourhoods
- WikiVice City (GTA 6)
- MapThe Leonida map
- DatabaseGTA 6 radio stations
Sources: Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto VI official site, trailers and screenshots (2023–2026) · Rockstar Newswire, radio preview, October 8, 2026 · Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) · 2002 screenshots from Rockstar's Steam store page for the game. Grand Theft Auto and all related marks are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive; this is an independent fan site.