“Should I play GTA Vice City before…” is one of those questions that shows up constantly in forums and comment sections.
Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy
Release Date: 19 January, 2023
Genres: Role-playing (RPG)
My answer’s simple: yes, absolutely. Before you jump into the newer, sprawling entries, it’s worth understanding why Vice City still gets brought up as a classic. There are a handful of solid reasons for that, and most of them still hold up today.
Grand Theft Auto VI
Release Date: November 19, 2026
Genres: Adventure, Shooter, Racing
TL;DR
- Vice City fills an important gap in GTA’s 3D Universe timeline.
- The game introduced major gameplay improvements over GTA III.
- Tommy Vercetti became the series’ first fully voiced protagonist.
- The 1980s atmosphere and soundtrack remain some of the game’s biggest strengths.
- Players can choose between the original release and The Definitive Edition.
Table of Contents
Understanding the “3D Universe”
Most people instinctively look at release dates, which makes perfect sense from a market history perspective.
However, if you want to better understand the world created by the developers, it’s worth paying attention to the game’s internal chronology. The developers at Rockstar Games divided their productions into distinct eras, and the series we’re discussing here is the “3D Universe”.
The narrative chronology in the games doesn’t always align with their market release order.
The events of GTA III, released in 2001, take place in a gloomy Liberty City, strongly resembling New York. The plot of San Andreas transports players to the West Coast in 1992.
Meanwhile, Vice City is all about the 1980s (specifically 1986) in a city drawing heavily from the look of Miami.
Skipping this title simply means leaving a gap in the universe’s history. By playing the games in their in-game chronological order (possibly starting with the prequel, Vice City Stories, set in 1984), you can naturally track the passage of time and changing realities.
Gameplay Evolution – Witness the Mechanical Leap
Mechanics in older games can age quite unevenly. Starting with newer installments that offer comfortable targeting systems and smooth controls can make returning to older titles frustrating for many players.
This is especially noticeable with the indoor camera work or character movement during combat. However, by playing Vice City in the right order, you can clearly see the series’ step-by-step evolution.
Compared to the mechanically older GTA III, the 2002 game introduced many significant innovations. This installment finally added the ability to ride two-wheelers, including scooters (Faggio), choppers (Freeway), and sports bikes (PCJ 600). For the first time, players were also allowed to regularly pilot helicopters (like the Maverick or Sea Sparrow) and small airplanes.
The arsenal was also vastly expanded and divided into appropriate equipment categories. Alongside standard firearms, a large collection of melee weapons appeared: you could use golf clubs, katanas, machetes, meat cleavers, and even a chainsaw or a screwdriver.
Additionally, the game offered an extensive property purchasing system. Instead of just driving around the map aimlessly, players could invest their earned money in private estates, hotels, an ice cream company (serving as a front for illegal business), or a movie studio.
These investments expanded the gameplay, unlocked new missions, and provided new save points.
A Protagonist with a Voice
Before the series started giving us layered, complicated leads, protagonists tended to be quiet and passive by design. Claude from GTA III is the obvious example, a silent character who never says a single word.
GTA: Vice City marked the moment when a fully voiced, flesh-and-blood hero was introduced to the screen. Tommy Vercetti, who arrives in the city after serving a fifteen-year prison sentence, shows his tough character from the very first scenes.
He gets involved in a deal that ends with stolen money and drugs, then sets out to settle the score and ultimately build his own criminal empire.
He was voiced by Hollywood actor Ray Liotta, known for the Goodfellas movie. Thanks to this, Tommy gained his own identity, which made him stand out from previous games.
The Vibe and Music of the 80s
Honestly, the atmosphere might be the biggest reason this game still pulls people in. Trade the gray East Coast streets for a sunny, pastel-colored city dripping in neon at night, and the Miami Vice and Scarface influences become obvious almost immediately.
The radio deserves its own mention here too. Over 100 licensed tracks spread across themed stations. Vrock covers the rock side with Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Judas Priest, and Slayer.
Flash FM and Wave 103 handle pop and new wave with Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” Toto’s “Africa,” Blondie, and INXS. There’s old-school hip-hop and Latin stations mixed in too. The whole soundtrack does more to sell the setting than almost anything else in the game.
The Bridge to the Modern HD Universe
It is also worth considering what follows the classic 3D era. Moving on to later installments, the series shifts to the so-called “HD Universe”.
Released in 2008, GTA IV takes us back to a much darker Liberty City, modeled after New York. Playing as Niko Bellic, we experience not only a more serious story with the Russian mafia in the background, but also a completely new approach to details and everyday life.
It is in the fourth installment that social interactions were expanded on an unprecedented scale and a fully functional, interactive mobile phone is introduced. This is a giant leap compared to the classics.
After all, in GTA III, missions were still received through street payphones and pagers, and the portable “brick” we received in Vice City served exclusively for receiving one-way calls from bosses.
In GTA IV, the phone becomes an authentic hub of virtual life. We can use it to call friends, arrange dates, or go out on the town to play bowling, darts, pool, and simply spend our free time.
In turn, GTA V from 2013 completely revolutionizes this formula, throwing three different protagonists who are robbers into the massive world of Los Santos, drawing heavily from Los Angeles and San Diego.
Original or Remastered Version?
People wanting to experience classic installments sometimes worry about outdated visuals. For players who care about a more modern look and contemporary conveniences, Rockstar created a refreshed version within the paid Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition package.
This version improves lighting and shadows and adds smoothed textures.
From today’s player’s perspective, the most important addition in this edition is the implementation of an auto-save system and the ability to instantly retry a failed mission. These two features effectively eliminate the need for a tedious drive back from the starting point after every failure.
In addition, there is a thriving PC community creating custom graphical enhancements using RTX technology.
The Secrets Are the Point… So Is Vice City Itself
So, is it worth it? Definitely. Deciding to return to Vice City before playing the later installments is a smart choice.
It’s not just a trip to the 80s, but also a useful point of reference in the history of open-world game development. Playing this production allows you to understand where the mechanics we know today came from and to witness the origins of strong, fully-voiced characters in the gaming world.
The virtual Vice City itself remains one of the most iconic and colorful locations in the industry’s history. A city bathed in sunlight, offering the scent of the sea breeze, long beaches, and distinctive neon avenues is a visual masterpiece.
Thanks to brilliant inspirations from mafia cinema and a flawless soundtrack, this title still holds up effectively today.