Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Lore & Story Guide
Dive into the lore, story events, and characters of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
What is the story of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City?
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open-world action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. Set in 1986 in Vice City, a fictional city based on Miami, it follows Tommy Vercetti as he builds a criminal empire after a drug deal goes wrong.
Story and timeline
- The Three Universes (Meta - The Multiverse) — The distinct timelines that separate the generations of Grand Theft Auto games.
- Phil Cassidy: Arms Dealer Across the 3D Universe (1984-2001 - Vice City to Liberty City) — A gun-loving redneck who appears in three games - losing an arm along the way.
- The Botched Drug Deal (1986 - Vice City) — The ambushed cocaine deal at the docks that sets the entire Vice City storyline in motion.
- Colonel Cortez: Arms, Diplomacy & Escape (1986 - Vice City) — A retired military officer becomes Tommy's first major ally, providing intel and firepower before fleeing the city.
- Tommy Vercetti's Rise to Power (1986 - Vice City) — From prison to kingpin - Tommy Vercetti builds the most powerful criminal empire Vice City has ever seen.
- The Vice City Business Empire (1986 - Vice City) — Tommy acquires businesses across Vice City, building a legitimate front for his criminal operations.
- The Haitian-Cuban Gang War (1986 - Vice City) — Two rival gangs wage a bloody turf war in Little Haiti and Little Havana, with Tommy caught in the middle.
- Love Fist: Rock, Drugs & Mayhem (1986 - Vice City) — A Scottish glam metal band on tour in Vice City gets Tommy tangled up in stalkers, bombs, and debauchery.
- Ken Rosenberg: The Nervous Lawyer (1986 - Vice City) — A coke-addled, anxious lawyer becomes Tommy's unlikely right-hand man and one of the series' most memorable characters.
- Avery Carrington: Property & Destruction (1986 - Vice City) — A ruthless real estate developer uses Tommy to demolish, intimidate, and manipulate the Vice City property market.
- Lance Vance's Betrayal & The Final Battle (1986 - Vice City) — Tommy's closest ally turns traitor, siding with Sonny Forelli in the climactic battle at the Vercetti Estate.
- Vice City: Neon & Excess (1986 - Vice City) — The cultural setting of Vice City - a love letter to 1980s Miami, cocaine cowboys, and MTV excess.
- Phil Cassidy: The One-Armed Army (1986 - Vice City) — A gun-running redneck who loses his arm to a homemade bomb becomes one of the most recurring characters in 3D-era GTA.
- 100% Completion Guide (1986 - Guide) — Everything needed for 100% in Vice City - story missions, properties, hidden packages, and more.
- Missable Items & Tips (1986 - Guide) — Key tips and potential pitfalls for your Vice City 100% completion run.
- Ken Rosenberg: From Vice City to Vegas (1986-1992 - Vice City to Las Venturas) — The nervous lawyer's journey from Tommy Vercetti's right-hand man to a coked-up casino manager in Las Venturas.
- Lazlow: From Radio King to Reality TV Wreck (2001-2013 - Across America) — The only character to span all five mainline GTA games - and his embarrassing descent through each one.
Characters
- Tommy Vercetti — Protagonist
- Lance Vance — Major Character / Betrayer
- Ricardo Diaz — Antagonist / Employer
- Sonny Forelli — Primary Antagonist
- Ken Rosenberg — Major Character
- Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez — Ally / Mission Giver
- Kent Paul — Informant / Comedy
- Umberto Robina — Mission Giver
- Phil Cassidy — Ally / Mission Giver
- Avery Carrington — Mission Giver
- Gonzalez — Minor Antagonist
- Auntie Poulet — Mission Giver
- Victor Vance — Minor Character