Explainer
GTA Vice City vs GTA 6: What Has Changed in 24 Years
Grand Theft Auto VI takes the series back to Vice City, 24 years after the game that made the city famous. Here is a side-by-side comparison of what each game is, using documented facts and what Rockstar has said, and leaving out anything that is only rumour.
By GTA VI Radio editors··3 min read
Facts come from the named sources below. Where a claim is only reported, or rests on one person's account, we say so.
The game that made Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City launched on the PlayStation 2 in North America on October 29, 2002, with a PC release on May 13, 2003 and an Xbox release in November 2003. It is set in 1986 in the fictional Vice City, based on Miami, and its protagonist is Tommy Vercetti, voiced by Ray Liotta.
It was a hit at once. Wikipedia records more than 500,000 copies sold in 24 hours and 1.4 million in two days, and says it was the best-selling game of 2002 in the United States. It reached 14.2 million on PS2 and 17.5 million across all platforms by March 2008. On Metacritic it scored 95 on PS2, 94 on PC and 80 on mobile.
The game coming now
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto VI page says the game is coming on November 19, 2026, with pre-load beginning November 10. It is set in Vice City, USA, with a criminal conspiracy stretching across the fictional state of Leonida, and it follows two protagonists, Jason and Lucia, who get caught up after an easy score goes wrong. It is listed for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Side by side
Here is how the two compare on the facts that are documented or confirmed.
| Vice City (2002) | GTA VI (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | Vice City, based on Miami, in 1986 | Vice City, USA, and the state of Leonida |
| Lead characters | Tommy Vercetti (Ray Liotta) | Jason and Lucia |
| Release | October 29, 2002 (PS2, North America) | November 19, 2026 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S) |
| Radio stations | Nine, including two talk or interview stations | Six announced so far, plus on-demand podcasts |
| Music | More than 113 songs and commercials, released on seven albums | An album of 34 original tracks and a 30-track score by Justice |
| Radio on foot | No | Yes, through earbuds connected to the player's phone, per Rockstar |
| Reception | Metacritic 95 on PS2 | Not yet released |
The radio, then and now
Vice City's radio was a big part of its legend. Grand Theft Wiki lists nine stations: Emotion 98.3, Fever 105, Flash FM, KCHAT, Radio Espantoso, V-Rock, VCPR, Wave 103 and Wildstyle. Wikipedia says the game had more than 113 songs and commercials, released on seven albums, and roughly three times as much talk radio as GTA III.
GTA VI's radio is built differently. Rockstar has announced six stations, spanning modern Latin, country, African music, metal, pop and Southern rap, and says podcasts are new, along with the ability to hear radio on foot. One name is shared across both games: Flash FM, which in Vice City was a pop rock and synthpop station hosted by DJ Toni, and in GTA VI is described by Rockstar as the Vice City institution delivering the best in pop music, with hosts Robyn and Alex.
What stayed the same
The shorthand is the same: sun, neon, money and crime, set in a fictionalised Miami. Both games put music at the centre, and both are built around a cast who are in over their heads. Vice City made an 1980s pastiche its identity, and GTA VI is leaning on the same city and the same sense of place, only now with a modern setting.
What has changed
Three differences stand out. The setting has widened from a single city to a state. The lead has doubled from one protagonist to two. And the technology has moved on: podcasts and radio on foot imply a world with smartphones, which Vice City's 1986 could never have had.
We deliberately do not compare map size, because Rockstar has not published one. Anything that claims otherwise is a guess.
What we can't compare yet
We cannot compare reception, sales or longevity, because GTA VI is not out. Vice City's numbers are history, and GTA VI's are yet to be written. After November 19, 2026, we will see how the new game's radio and characters compare with the one that started it all.
Quick answers
- Is GTA 6 set in Vice City?
- Yes. Rockstar describes the setting as Vice City, USA, with the story stretching across the state of Leonida.
- Who plays Tommy Vercetti?
- Ray Liotta voiced Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
- How many radio stations are in Vice City?
- Grand Theft Wiki lists nine.
- Is Flash FM in both games?
- Yes. Flash FM was a station in Vice City and returns in GTA VI, per Rockstar.
Sources
GTA VI Radio is an unofficial fan site and is not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive. Game titles and characters belong to their owners.
