Inside ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’—and the Real-Life Florida Locations That Inspired It

Vice City

“We’re a long way from the ‘80s, but Vice City is still the sun and fun capital of America,” reads Rockstar’s official guide to GTA VI’s base of operations, Vice City.

As fans are aware, the new game returns to the setting of the 2002 release, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Set in the 1980s, that game borrowed pretty heavily from the story of Brian De Palma’s brace of crime films Scarface and Carlito’s Way, giving players the ability to control one Tommy Vercetti as he rises from the streets to build a narcotics empire. As expected, disco, perms, neon signs and flared trousers were the order of the day.

Updated for 2026, GTA VI’s Vice City is a modern cityscape full of high-rises, trendy rooftop bars, nightclubs. and more. It sounds pretty idyllic, but this being GTA, there’s a shadier side, too. “When the sun fades and the neon glows, everyone has something to gain—and more to lose,” the official longline reads.

The recent Netflix preview of the upcoming game gave us a bit more insight into the locale, including shots of BASE jumping from city bridges, a jewelry store robbery and subsequent high-speed escape, and a shootout through a drug den in a down-on-its-luck neighbourhood. In other words, as the main large city in the game, it looks like there’s plenty to keep Vice City residents occupied—on both sides of the law.

Inspiration: While Rockstar doesn’t explicitly explain that ‘game location X equals real world location Y’, it’s pretty obvious that Vice City is based on South Florida’s party capital, Miami. Despite the criminal element of Vice City, the real-world city has been keen to play on the connection. A New York Times story suggests the city is keen to embrace its fictional twin due to a drastic drop in real-world crime recently. Which is, of course, great news for tourists. For the full GTA experience, you can enjoy Miami’s beaches, bars, and car culture, alongside iconic EDM nightspots like Club Space and E11EVEN Miami.