Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Updated 28 October 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 action-adventure game by Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North. It came out on PSP on 31 October 2006 in North America, with a PS2 port in March 2007. Set in Vice City in 1984, two years before Vice City, it follows soldier Victor "Vic" Vance as he builds a criminal empire.

What is GTA Vice City Stories?

Vice City Stories is the second Stories game, made after Liberty City Stories. It was built for Sony's handheld, the PSP, and later ported to the PlayStation 2. The game returns to Vice City, the series' version of Miami, but goes back to 1984. That makes it a prequel to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which is set in 1986.

Who is the main character in GTA Vice City Stories?

The lead is Victor "Vic" Vance, voiced by Dorian Missick. Vic first showed up as a minor figure in Vice City. Rockstar later confirmed that he is the Vance brother who dies in that game's opening drug deal. His brother Lance, voiced by Philip Michael Thomas, plays a big part in both games.

Story

Vic is an army corporal based in Vice City. He needs money to pay for medicine for his brother Pete, who has asthma. His corrupt sergeant, Jerry Martinez, uses him for side deals and then gets him dishonourably discharged. With nowhere else to turn, Vic starts working for local criminals.

Lance arrives in town and the two brothers start taking over businesses together. Their rise brings them into conflict with the Mendez brothers, Armando and Diego, two drug lords who at one point kidnap them. Familiar faces appear along the way, including gun dealer Phil Cassidy (Gary Busey) and drug baron Ricardo Diaz (Luis Guzmán). In the end Vic kills Martinez and Diego, refuses to go back into the drug trade, and leaves Vice City with Lance so the money can go to Pete.

How does empire building work in Vice City Stories?

The main new system is empire building. Vic takes over properties held by rival gangs and turns them into his own businesses. Wikipedia lists types ranging from protection rackets to smuggling compounds. Each business has its own missions that raise its income. Rival gangs attack Vic's sites until the city is fully under his control. The idea grew out of the gang wars in San Andreas.

The rest of the game will feel familiar to series players. You drive cars, motorcycles, boats, jet skis, planes and helicopters. Combat gained grapples and throws. Side content includes a Beach Patrol job and 99 hidden red balloons to find. The PSP version supports up to six players over ad hoc Wi-Fi, with ten multiplayer modes. The PS2 port has no multiplayer.

When did Vice City Stories come out on PS2?

Take-Two pushed the North American PSP launch back by two weeks, from 17 October to 31 October 2006. The PS2 version is almost a straight port. It adds bloom lighting and a handful of extra jumps, rampages and odd jobs. IGN felt it reused the PSP code without fixing much.

Reception and sales

Reviews were generally favourable. On Metacritic the PSP version scored 86 out of 100 and the PS2 port 75. IGN gave the PSP version 9.0 and the PS2 version 7.5, while GameSpot gave 8.4 and Eurogamer 8 out of 10. Reviewers liked the 1980s mood and how the story tied into missions. The PS2 port drew criticism for changing little from the handheld code.

According to Wikipedia, the game sold about 4.5 million copies by March 2008. It won the Golden Joystick Award for Best Handheld Game in 2007 and earned an ELSPA Platinum award in the UK.

Legacy

Vice City Stories filled in the years before Vice City and gave Lance Vance a fuller backstory. The next handheld entry, Chinatown Wars, moved to the newer Liberty City of GTA IV. Vice City itself returns as the main city of Grand Theft Auto VI, which you can read about on our GTA 6 Vice City page.