Revisiting Rockstar’s 2002 hit GTA Vice City ahead of the much anticipated GTA VI

🎮 On November 19, Rockstar Games will be ending an awfully long wait that mns of gamers around the world have had to endure when GTA VI finally drops. When players kick off their questline, they’ll find themselves back in familiar territory: Vice City, first explored by Rockstar Games in 2002 in one of the most-beloved (second only to San Andreas) iterations of the franchise. We decided to take a trip down memory lane and see how well the OG Vice City holds up in the big year of 2026.

A look back: Set in a fictionalized Miami circa 1986, it was the second fully 3D entry in the GTA series and built on the commercial and critical momentum of GTA III. It sold over 17.5 mn copies on PS2 alone, making it one of the best-selling games of its generation, and its synthesis of 80s aesthetics, a radio soundtrack spanning new wave, metal, and hip-hop, and a more narrative-driven structure than its predecessor made it a cultural touchstone that outlasted the console cycle it was born on.

A 10th anniversary mobile port was released in December 2012 for iOS and Android — the one we played for this review — bringing the game to a new generation with updated visuals and controls. In 2021, Rockstar released GTA: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition, a remastered collection that included Vice City alongside GTA III and San Andreas, featuring rebuilt lighting, updated models, and modernized controls — though the release was somewhat criticized for the visual changes that many fans felt were inconsistent with the originals.

The plot: The player controls Tommy Vercetti, a mobster released after serving 15 years in prison for the Forelli crime family, who is sent to Vice City by his boss Sonny Forelli to oversee a drug trade. The trade goes haywire, leaving Tommy without the money or the drugs and owing a significant debt to Sonny. What follows is Tommy’s climb through Vice City’s criminal underbelly — working with lawyers, arms dealers, producers, and gang leaders — as he recovers the money, identifies who set him up, and establishes himself as a power in the city.

What still hits the same: The game’s storytelling still surpasses that of many modern games over two decades later; dialogue discourages cut-scene skips, world-building is on point for its era, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the game interesting without falling into “shoot and run” territory. There is severe nostalgia baked into the very fabric of the game, and one that made the entire playing experience all the more enjoyable. There are plenty of side quests, fun easter eggs, and lots of ways to cause chaos — a much needed catharsis after a busy week in the office.

Where the game shows its cracks: Off the bat, the graphics — but we knew that going in. Vice City’s shoddy graphics, however, add to its charm in our opinion. The limited map — compared to San Andreas, IV, and V — can get a little restricting at times, but not so much for the casual player.

The verdict: Vice City may be old and its graphics outdated, but it remains — 22 years later — an enjoyable gaming experience that still holds its own against the giants. We’ve waited too long for GTA VI, and now that we’re less than 90 days away from release, Vice City gave us much to distract ourselves with, especially as we look forward to a colossal, high-res version of the map that shaped much of our gaming upbringing.

💯 Rating: 95/100 on Metacritic; 9.2/10 on IMDB.

⌛ Hours of gameplay: 20 hours to beat the main storyline. Unlimited open-world gameplay.

🔁 Replay value: 8/10.

👾 Platforms: PS, PC, Mobile (available on the app store).

💵 Price: EGP 249.99 for mobile; USD 59.99 as part of the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition set on the Playstation store.