It’s easy to forget that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories almost didn't happen. By 2006, the industry was looking toward the "next-gen" power of the PS3 and Xbox 360. Rockstar, however, was still obsessed with squeezing every last drop of performance out of the PlayStation Portable. They succeeded. They created a game that, in many ways, outperformed the original 2002 Vice City.
People talk about Tommy Vercetti constantly. They love the neon. They love the 1986 soundtrack. But Victor Vance? He’s the tragic hero we skipped over. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories isn't just a portable cash-grab; it's a technical marvel that introduced features the main series wouldn't adopt for years.
The Vic Vance Problem: A Different Kind of Protagonist
Victor Vance is weird for a GTA lead. He’s not a psychopath like Trevor or a rising climber like CJ. He’s a soldier. He's actually a decent guy who gets kicked out of the Army because his superior, Jerry Martinez, is a total scumbag. This sets a different tone. You aren't building an empire because you want to rule the world; you’re doing it because your family is a mess and you need the money for your brother’s asthma medication.
It's heavy.
The narrative in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories takes place in 1984. That’s two years before Tommy Vercetti steps off that plane. Because of this, the map feels familiar but subtly "wrong" in a cool way. The Trailer Park is still a major hub. The Mendez brothers are the kings of the hill. You get to see the literal construction of the city we grew to love in the original game.
Most players remember Vic as the guy who gets gunned down in the opening cutscene of the original Vice City. That’s the tragedy. You spend forty hours building this man into a kingpin, knowing exactly how his story ends on a sunny dock in 1986. It gives the gameplay a layer of melancholy that the rest of the series lacks.
The Empire Building Mechanic Was Ahead of Its Time
Remember how in San Andreas you could take over territories? Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories took that and turned it into a full-blown business simulator. Honestly, it’s one of the most underrated systems Rockstar ever designed.
You don't just kill a rival gang and walk away. You take their building. You decide what goes there. Do you want a Prostitution ring? A Protection Racket? Drugs? Smuggling? You choose the scale—Small-time, Medium Venture, or High Roller.
The cool part is that these businesses actually exist in the game world. You have to go to them to collect your "tribute" (money). If a rival gang like the Cholos or the Bikers gets annoyed, they will physically launch an attack on your site. You’ll be driving to a mission and get a notification that your robbery hub in Downtown is under fire. You have to drop everything and go defend it.
- Business Types: You start with simple protection rackets and work up to high-stakes smuggling.
- The Reputation System: Your empire earns more as you complete "Empire Sites" missions, which are basically mini-games for each business type.
- Visual Evolution: As you upgrade a business from a shack to a high-roller outfit, the building’s exterior literally changes.
This level of management wouldn't really return until the Executives and Other Criminals update in GTA Online, nearly a decade later. For a PSP game to handle this alongside a massive open world was, frankly, a miracle of coding.
Technical Wizardry: How Did the PSP Handle This?
If you play the original Vice City today, the pop-in is rough. The draw distance is like looking through a bowl of soup. Yet, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories managed to increase the draw distance on a handheld. Rockstar Leeds, the studio behind the port, used a custom engine that allowed for more assets on screen than the PS2 version of the previous games.
Swimming was finally added. It seems like a small thing now. Back then? It was huge. In the original Vice City, Tommy Vercetti would drown if he touched a puddle. Vic Vance can actually swim. It changed the way you navigated the islands. You could jump off the Starfish Island bridge to evade the cops and actually survive.
Then there are the vehicles. This game brought in the "Bovver '64," a massive hovercraft. It brought in the "Little Willie," a tiny personal autogyro. The sheer variety of ways to move across the city eclipsed what we had in the "main" console games at the time.
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The Soundtrack: 1984 vs 1986
Music is the soul of Vice City. While the 1986 soundtrack is iconic (Billie Jean, anyone?), the 1984 selection in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is arguably deeper. It leans harder into the New Wave and Synth-pop movements that were peaking in '84.
We’re talking about "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. Not just as a radio track, but as a literal in-game concert. You actually have to defend Phil Collins during a hit attempt while he’s performing on stage. It was the first time a real-life celebrity appeared as themselves in a GTA game to that extent.
The radio stations like Flash FM and V-Rock returned with younger versions of the DJs. Hearing a less-cynical Toni and a more manic Lazlow provides a great bit of fanservice for the hardcore lore nerds.
Why It’s Hard to Play Today
Here is the frustrating part. You can’t just go buy Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the PlayStation Store or Steam right now. It’s essentially "delisted" due to complex music licensing issues. Most of those 80s hits were licensed for a specific window of time. When that window closed, Rockstar couldn't sell the game digitally without stripping the music out—and a Vice City game without the music is like a car without wheels.
If you want to play it legally, you’re hunting down a physical PSP UMD or the rare PS2 port disc. The PS2 version is "fine," but it actually lacks some of the charm of the handheld original. It’s a bit blurrier and feels like a game stretched too thin. The PSP version remains the definitive way to experience Vic’s rise to power.
Actionable Steps for Retrogaming Fans
If you're looking to revisit this classic or experience it for the first time, don't just dive in blindly. The game is significantly harder than its predecessors.
- Prioritize the Protection Rackets. Early in the game, money is tight. Taking over small-time protection sites gives you a steady daily income that makes buying armor and weapons trivial.
- Complete the Air Ambulance Missions. In most GTA games, side missions are optional. In Vice City Stories, completing the Air Ambulance levels (flying the Sea Sparrow) gives you infinite stamina. It is a game-changer for the later, more frantic missions.
- Invest in the "Red Balloon" Hunt. Instead of Hidden Packages, this game has 99 Red Balloons. Shooting them unlocks weapon spawns at your safehouses. It’s worth doing early to get the M249 SAW, which is the most brokenly powerful weapon in the game.
- Watch the Phil Collins Concert. Even if you aren't a fan of the music, the technical achievement of the in-game cinema for "In the Air Tonight" is a landmark moment in 2000s gaming history.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories represents the end of an era. It was the last game to use the "3D Era" engine before GTA IV changed everything with the RAGE engine. It is a polished, difficult, and surprisingly emotional send-off to the neon-soaked streets of the 80s.
Search for a physical copy or dig out your old handheld. The sun hasn't set on Vice City just yet.