Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 action-adventure game created by Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North, and released by Rockstar Games. It is the tenth game in the Grand Theft Auto series. The game was first released for the PlayStation Portable in October 2006. A version for the PlayStation 2 was released in March 2007. Set in the fictional city of Vice City (inspired by Miami) in 1984, the game is a story that happens before 2002’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (set in 1986). It follows the story of Victor "Vic" Vance, a former soldier who was a minor character in the earlier game. The story focuses on Vic’s efforts to build a criminal organization with his brother Lance. Vic’s goal is to earn money for his sick brother Pete’s medical treatment, but he faces challenges from rival gangs, drug lords, and other enemies.

The game includes traditional gameplay and side missions from the series, as well as a unique system where players build a criminal organization by taking over businesses from other groups and completing missions to increase income and unlock rewards. Like its earlier game, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005), the PlayStation Portable version includes a multiplayer mode through a wireless ad hoc network, allowing up to six players to compete in different game modes.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories received mostly positive reviews from critics and has sold over 7 million copies as of 2026. It is one of the best-selling PlayStation Portable games. The next game in the series was Grand Theft Auto IV, released in April 2008.

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is an action-adventure game with an open world environment, played from a third-person perspective. It is similar to other games in the Grand Theft Auto series. The main gameplay combines elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, allowing players to explore a large, open world. On foot, the player can walk, run, swim, jump, use weapons, and perform basic hand-to-hand combat. Players can also drive many types of vehicles, including cars, boats, planes, helicopters, jet-skis, and motorcycles.

The game’s open, non-linear world lets players explore and choose how to play. While storyline missions are needed to progress and unlock new areas, they can be completed at any time. When not doing missions, players can freely move around the world. Players can also complete optional side missions. These missions are similar to those in earlier games but have been improved. A new feature is "Beach Patrol," where the player controls Victor, who must stop bikers on the beach by ramming or shooting them, rescue swimmers with life preservers, or help injured people on the beach.

The combat system in Vice City Stories was changed. The targeting system now focuses on enemies who attack the player rather than other people. Hand-to-hand combat was also updated, allowing players to grapple, throw enemies, and stand on top of fallen opponents. If the player is killed or arrested, they can bribe police or hospital staff to lower their wanted level and keep weapons.

A key feature of the game is "empire building," which is new to the Grand Theft Auto series. It combines ideas from earlier games like "properties" in Vice City and "gang wars" in San Andreas. To earn money, players take over businesses from enemy gangs, such as protection rackets, brothels, or smuggling compounds. Once a gang is removed from a business, players can buy it. Businesses come in different sizes and can be upgraded. Completing missions for each business gives rewards and increases income. Players must defend their businesses from attacks until all are owned, after which attacks stop.

The hidden package system from earlier games returns as 99 red balloons scattered throughout the city. This is a reference to the 1984 song "99 Luftballons" by Nena, which was in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Graphics improvements include new animations, faster loading, longer draw distances, fewer crowded pedestrians and vehicles, more detailed explosions, and more objects, vehicles, and characters.

The PSP version of the game includes a multiplayer mode for up to 6 players using WiFi. There are 10 multiplayer game modes that use cars, planes, and boats. Characters from the single-player game can be used as players. These multiplayer modes are not available in the PS2 version.

Synopsis

Vice City Stories is a video game set in 1984 in a fictional city called Vice City. It is part of the official story of the Grand Theft Auto series. The game takes place two years before the events of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Some areas in the game look different from the 1986 version of Vice City. For example, a car showroom that was completed in 1986 is still under construction in 1984, and the business is in a smaller building nearby.

In 1984, Corporal Victor "Vic" Vance works at an army base called Fort Baxter in Vice City. To pay for his brother Pete’s medicine, Vic agrees to help his corrupt supervisor, Sergeant Jerry Martinez, find drugs. After a deal goes wrong, Martinez accuses Vic of hiding drugs and bringing a prostitute to the base. This leads to Vic being charged with a serious crime and forced out of the army.

Without a job, Vic meets Phil Cassidy, a gunrunner who offers him a place to stay. Martinez later asks Vic and Phil to do more jobs, but then tries to kill them. Vic and Phil break ties with Martinez after escaping. Meanwhile, Vic works for Marty Jay Williams, the leader of a gang called the Trailer Park Mafia. Marty abuses his wife, Louise. When Vic grows close to Louise, Marty tries to kidnap her. Vic kills Marty to save Louise.

After Marty’s death, Vic takes over his gang and renames it the Vance Crime Family. With help from his brother Lance, Vic takes control of businesses from rival gangs. He earns respect from a Cuban gang called Los Cabrones and deals with a corrupt DEA agent named Bryan Forbes.

Vic and Lance steal a large drug shipment, but are kidnapped by the Mendez brothers, who own the shipment. Lance lies to the Mendezes, saying Martinez is an undercover DEA agent. After being freed, Vic and Lance work with the Mendez brothers, who introduce Vic to a film director named Reni Wassulmaier. Vic also helps protect Phil from Mafia hitmen during a concert.

Reni introduces Vic to Ricardo Diaz, a drug boss who wants to take over the Mendez brothers’ business. Diaz hires Vic and Lance for jobs, but the Mendezes grow suspicious and try to kill them. Vic and Lance escape and team up with Diaz to ruin the Mendezes. The Mendez brothers kidnap Louise and Lance, leading Vic to attack their home and kill one of them. Louise dies from injuries she suffered during her capture.

Determined to seek revenge, Vic works with Diaz and Phil to steal an army helicopter from Fort Baxter. Using the helicopter, Vic attacks Martinez and the Mendez brothers, killing both. When Lance arrives too late, he tries to convince Vic to join another drug deal, but Vic refuses. He and Lance leave Vice City to give Pete money for his medicine.

Development

Take-Two Interactive first said the game would be released in North America on 17 October 2006 and in Europe on 20 October 2006. However, in early September 2006, it was announced that the North American release would be delayed until 31 October 2006. The game was later scheduled for release in Australia on 10 November 2006. In Europe, excluding the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, the release was delayed again from 3 November 2006 to 10 November 2006, matching the Australian release date.

On 7 February 2007, Rockstar Games announced plans to release a PlayStation 2 version of the game, which came out on 6 March 2007. Rockstar Games confirmed that the PlayStation 2 version would be nearly the same as the original game. Improvements included better graphics, such as bloom effects (controlled by a "trails" option), increased draw distance, and improved performance. The PlayStation 2 version also added new in-game activities not found in the PSP release, such as five new odd jobs, six unique jumps, five additional rampages, and a new Easter egg.

Unlike other Grand Theft Auto ports, which sometimes added extra features like replays or custom soundtracks, this was the first Grand Theft Auto game port to include new in-game content.

The PlayStation 2 version of Vice City Stories was later released as a digital title for the PlayStation 3 in 2012, part of the PlayStation 2 Classics collection. It became available on the PlayStation Network in April 2013 but was removed on 24 July 2017.

Reception

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to a website called Metacritic that collects reviews. The game sold 4.5 million copies by March 2008 and more than 7 million copies by 2025.

The PlayStation 2 version of the game was criticized for using the same code as the PlayStation Portable (PSP) version and for fixing few problems or removing some features. However, it was praised for having better lighting. A writer named Eliot Fish from Hyper magazine said the game used "the look of the 1980s" well and that the story was connected to the game's missions.

The PlayStation Portable version of the game received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA). This award means the game sold at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

• Won IGN's award for the best licensed soundtrack on PlayStation Portable in 2006.
• Received the "Best Handheld Game" award at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2007.
• Many publications have later listed the game among the best PlayStation Portable games.