Lance Vance

Updated 29 October 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

Lance Vance is a drug dealer from Vice City who appears in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) and Vice City Stories (2006). He is the brother of Victor Vance. After Victor dies in an ambushed drug deal, Lance teams up with Tommy Vercetti for revenge, but he later betrays Tommy to Sonny Forelli and is killed. Philip Michael Thomas voiced him.

Who is Lance Vance?

Lance Vance is one of the best-known supporting characters of the 3D era. He is a flashy, talkative dealer who lives in Vice City, the series' version of 1980s Miami. He first appeared in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which launched on PlayStation 2 in North America on 29 October 2002, according to Wikipedia. He returned as a lead character in the prequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

The GTA Wiki describes him as loud, cheerful and very sure of himself, with a habit of talking about himself in the third person. It also paints him as short-tempered and insecure, always trying to prove he matters. He is fiercely loyal to his family, and he loves his white Infernus sports car.

Is Lance Vance Victor Vance's brother?

Yes. Lance is the brother of Victor "Vic" Vance, the hero of Vice City Stories. The GTA Wiki lists a third brother, Pete, who suffers from asthma. Their mother, Janet, struggled with addiction, and the GTA Wiki says an aunt did much of the work of raising the boys.

Lance in Vice City Stories (1984)

Vice City Stories came out on PSP in North America on 31 October 2006 and on PlayStation 2 in March 2007, according to Wikipedia. It is set in 1984, two years before Vice City. Lance turns up in town and helps Vic take over rival rackets and turn them into businesses. The two brothers end up running their own criminal operation.

Wikipedia's plot summary says the brothers steal a large drug shipment and are then caught by the Mendez brothers. Lance saves their skins with a lie, blaming the dealer Jerry Martinez and claiming he is an undercover DEA agent. The Vances then work with the Mendez cartel for a time. The partnership turns violent: Vic's girlfriend Louise is taken and later dies of her injuries. Vic kills the Mendez brothers and Martinez, though Lance arrives too late to help in the final fight.

At the end, Lance tries to pull Vic into one more drug deal. Vic says no, and Lance accepts it. The brothers leave Vice City for a while to get money to Pete for his medicine.

How does Lance meet Tommy Vercetti?

Vice City opens in 1986 with a cocaine deal that goes wrong. Wikipedia explains that Lance helped set up the deal, and that his brother was killed when it was ambushed. The GTA Wiki adds the detail that Lance flew Vic to the meeting and escaped in the helicopter. The other survivor is Tommy Vercetti, sent by the Forelli family of Liberty City to buy the drugs.

The two men agree to find out who was behind the ambush. They take jobs for the drug lord Ricardo Diaz, until Lance learns that Diaz set up the attack. Against Tommy's advice, he tries to kill Diaz alone and is captured. Tommy rescues him, and together they storm Diaz's mansion and kill him. Tommy takes over Diaz's empire, and Lance becomes his right-hand man.

Why does Lance betray Tommy?

Lance grows bitter as Tommy rises. Wikipedia says he feels inadequate next to his partner, and the GTA Wiki notes he resents being treated like a junior. When Sonny Forelli arrives in Vice City to collect his money, Lance secretly tells the Forellis about Tommy's plan to cheat Sonny. He sides with Sonny during the attack on Tommy's mansion and explains the switch as simple business.

How does Lance Vance die?

In the final mission, Sonny's men attack the Vercetti estate. Tommy fights his way through the house and kills Lance in the shootout, before facing Sonny himself. Because Vice City Stories is a prequel, its ending is shadowed by the player's knowledge of how both Vance brothers end up.

Who voices Lance Vance?

Lance is voiced by Philip Michael Thomas, the actor who played Ricardo Tubbs in Miami Vice. Wikipedia notes that the developers modelled the bond between Lance and Tommy on the Crockett and Tubbs partnership from that show, which suited a game so heavily styled on 1980s Miami. Thomas returned for the role in Vice City Stories.

Lance is not in any later story, but the GTA Wiki lists small nods in San Andreas, such as an action figure in a toy shop. He also appears in the remastered Vice City inside Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.