Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Developer(s)	Rockstar North
Publisher(s)	Rockstar Games
Distributor(s)	Take-Two Interactive
Producer(s)	Leslie Benzies
Programmer(s)	Alexander Roger
Artist(s)	Aaron Garbut
Writer(s)	Dan Houser James Worrall
Composer(s)	Lex Horton
Series	Grand Theft Auto
Engine	RenderWare
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2 Microsoft Windows Xbox OS X iOS Android Fire OS
Release	27 October 2002 PlayStation 2 NA: 27 October 2002 PAL: 8 November 2002 Microsoft Windows NA: 12 May 2003 EU: 15 May 2003 AU: 21 May 2003 Xbox NA: 31 October 2003 PAL: 2 January 2004 OS X WW: 12 November 2010 iOS WW: 6 December 2012 Android WW: 12 December 2012 Fire OS
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player

Aggregate score
Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	95/100
Review scores
Publication	Score
AllGame
Edge	8/10
Eurogamer	10/10
Game Informer	10/10
Game Revolution	A
GameSpot	9.6/10
GameSpy	95/100
IGN	9.7/10

Aggregate score
Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	80/100
Review scores
Publication	Score
Destructoid	7.5/10
IGN	7.7/10
Digital Spy
NowGamer	7/10
Pocket Gamer	8/10
The Telegraph
Touch Arcade

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an open world action-adventure third-person shooter video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 27 October 2002 for the PlayStation 2, on 12 May 2003 for Microsoft Windows, and on 31 October 2003 for the Xbox. A remastered version was released for mobile platforms in 2012, for the game's tenth anniversary. It is the sixth title in the Grand Theft Auto series and the first main entry since 2001's Grand Theft Auto III. Set within the fictional Vice City, based on Miami, the game follows Tommy Vercetti following his release from prison. After he is caught up in an ambushed drug deal, he seeks out those responsible while building a criminal empire and seizing power from other criminal organisations in the city.

The game is played from a third-person perspective, and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The open world design lets the player freely roam Vice City, consisting of two main islands. The game's plot is based on multiple real-world people and events in Miami such as Cuban, Haitian, and Biker gangs, the 1980s crack epidemic, the Mafioso drug lords of Miami, and the dominance of glam metal. The game was also influenced by the film and television of the era, including Scarface and Miami Vice. Much of the development work constituted creating the game world to fit the inspiration and time period; the development team conducted extensive field research in Miami while creating the world.

Upon release, the game received critical acclaim, with praise particularly directed at its music, gameplay and open world design. However, the game also generated controversy, with criticism directed at the depiction of violence and racial groups. The game sparked lawsuits and protests while being labelled as violent and explicit. Vice City became the best-selling video game of 2002 and has sold over 20 million copies. Considered one of the most significant titles of the sixth generation of video games, it won numerous year-end accolades including Game of the Year awards from several gaming publications. Since its release, the game has received numerous ports to many gaming platforms. Its successor, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was released in October 2004, and a prequel, Vice City Stories, was released in 2006.