Vice City in GTA 6: what Rockstar says
Rockstar’s slogan for the city is “Everything in Excess”. The official description: “We’re a long way from the ’80s, but Vice City is still the sun and fun capital of America. The glamour, hustle, and greed of America captured in a single city.” When it moved the release date, Rockstar spoke of “a return to modern day Vice City”. So this is not a retro trip: GTA 6 Vice City is a city of today, and the ’80s are the past it is measured against.
Rockstar describes the whole state of Leonida as “home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond”. Vice City is the center; everything else is the “beyond”.
The official neighborhoods
Rockstar says that “each neighborhood has something to offer” and names four places:
- Ocean Beach, with “pastel art deco hotels and bright white sands”.
- Little Cuba, with its “bustling panaderías”, the Spanish word for bakeries.
- The Tisha-Wocka flea market, known for “bootleg brands”.
- VC Port, “the cruise ship capital of the world”.
These are the only districts and landmarks Rockstar has named so far. We do not list any others.
What the trailers show of Vice City
The official trailers name the city several times (timestamps in the scene list):
- In Trailer 1 a giant “VICE” lettering glows at sunset, and a Weazel News report headlined “Dirt-bike dirt-bags” is about “thugs on motorbikes terrorizing Vice City”. The news ticker below mentions a “Vice City marathon”.
- In Trailer 2 a drive on the highway leads toward the skyline. The overhead signs point to “VCI Airport”, “Ambrosia” and “Port VC” and “Downtown”. A passenger jet comes in low over the signs.
- Also in Trailer 2, a man films a selfie video with Jason behind him and shouts “Say Vice City, baby!”, answered with “Vice City, baby!”
Our reading of the highway signs: Vice City has its own airport (VCI), a port district called Port VC, which fits the official VC Port, and a downtown. The signs also show that Ambrosia is reached via the same highway, so Vice City is connected to the inland regions by road.
Who is at home in Vice City
Three official characters are tied to the city’s nightlife and music scene. Boobie Ike is “a local Vice City legend: and acts like it”, with real estate, a strip club and a recording studio. His partner Dre’Quan Priest has signed the rap duo Real Dimez to their label Only Raw Records and “sets his sights on the Vice City scene”. Our reading: Vice City is where the music industry storyline lives.
Jason and Lucia are not officially said to live in Vice City. Jason lives in the Keys; where Lucia goes after prison is not stated. The official story summary only says that they end up “on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America”.
Is GTA 6 set in Miami?
No. GTA 6 is set in Vice City in the fictional state of Leonida. Rockstar does not mention Miami anywhere. The comparison is still obvious, and here is our own analysis, clearly not an official statement:
- Vice City has long been the series’ stand-in for Miami.
- Ocean Beach with pastel art deco hotels mirrors the art deco district of Miami Beach.
- Little Cuba mirrors Little Havana, the center of Cuban life in Miami.
- “The cruise ship capital of the world” is the nickname of the real Port of Miami.
- The Weazel News report runs on “ET”, Eastern Time, which is Miami’s time zone.
So, to answer the search question “is GTA 6 in Miami”: it is in a fictional city that is clearly modeled on Miami, but it is not Miami.
Vice City then and now
“We’re a long way from the ’80s” is a nod to the series’ history: Vice City has been visited in earlier Grand Theft Auto games, most famously in a 1980s setting. Rockstar’s wording makes clear that GTA 6 does not return to that era, but to the city as it is today. The pre-order bonus with retro items is not part of this page; you will find it on our editions page.
Sound of the city
Rockstar says the original score by Justice is “dynamically tuned to the different ways players engage with the world of Vice City and Leonida throughout Jason and Lucia’s story”. The game also has in-game radio stations; which ones play in which part of the city is not known.
What is not confirmed
- Size of Vice City: no official figure, and no official comparison with Los Santos.
- Other districts: only the four places above are named. Downtown, VCI Airport and Port VC appear only on road signs in Trailer 2.
- Where Jason and Lucia live: not officially placed in Vice City.
- Vice City map: Rockstar has not published a map of the city. See our GTA 6 map page for the state as a whole.
For launch preparation see the launch day checklist and beginner tips.