Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City arrived on PC in 2003 and transported players to the sunny Vice City, a caricature of 1980s Miami full of neon lights, palm trees, convertibles, and synthesizer music that saturates the entire city with its atmosphere. Main character Tommy Vercetti, after being released from prison and a drug deal gone wrong, tries to rebuild his own criminal empire and gradually finds himself in conflict with local gangs, cartels, biker gangs, and corrupt politicians and police officers alike. Compared to the third installment, the game significantly expanded the world, added the ability to buy properties and businesses that generate income, and offered a more elaborate story with distinctive, well-written characters.

The gameplay builds on its predecessor but refines the shooting, driving model, and vehicle variety, including motorcycles, boats, and helicopters, opening up even more ways to move around the city. The 1980s stylization is also reflected in the soundtrack, where dozens of licensed songs playing on fictional radio stations, combined with neon graphics and bold colors, create an unmistakable atmosphere of the disco, new wave, and rock era. The PC version benefited from higher graphical quality and also became a very popular platform for modifications that extended the story, vehicle roster, and technical capabilities of the engine far beyond the game's original intended limits.

Vice City was met with enthusiastic acclaim from critics and players alike upon release and remained one of the most successful and best-selling games of its generation for years, even though it too faced criticism for its depiction of violence and stereotypical portrayal of certain communities. Its emphasis on atmosphere, music, and the personality of its protagonist influenced the direction of the entire series as well as competing open-world games for years to come. Today it is regarded as one of the high points of the early era of three-dimensional GTA games, one that players return to both for nostalgia and for gameplay that remains functional and fun.

Why play it: For its unmistakable atmosphere, eighties soundtrack, and charismatic protagonist, which make Vice City fun and functional even today, not just a nostalgic memory.