5 things GTA 6 should take from GTA Vice City Stories

GTA Vice City Stories is an often overlooked title in the Grand Theft Auto series and GTA 6, which is due to launch in 2025, could take inspiration from it. Although the 2006 PSP (PlayStation Portable) title is the second best-selling game on the console, fans of the series today don't talk about it as much as other games, like Vice City or San Andreas.

It was the last 3D Universe title released before GTA 4 came out in 2008, and as such, it had some of the most advanced features at that time. Of course, the limitations of the PSP meant that it couldn't be as ambitious or feature-rich as San Andreas, but it had some innovative features.

With that in mind, here's a list of things GTA 6 should adapt from GTA Vice City Stories.

Note: This article is subjective and only reflects the writer’s opinion.

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5 things from GTA Vice City Stories that should inspire GTA 6

1) Empire Building

Empire Building is a revolutionary feature in GTA Vice City Stories that sets the game apart from anything else in the series. It was actually part of the content removed from GTA San Andreas that Rockstar decided to reimplement in their next title. This feature deserves to be brought back to Grand Theft Auto VI.

The world would feel much more immersive if players were allowed to buy plots and develop properties in them. This would also provide them with a steady source of income in single player.

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2) A gritty plot

There are many reasons why you should play GTA Vice City Stories before GTA 6 comes out. The first and most important is that the story is unlike any other. Although GTA 4 is frequently cited as a turning point in Rockstar's narrative evolution, it was GTA Vice City Stories that first showcased this new style of storywriting.

Despite being in the 3D Universe, known for its hilarious and over-the-top action, and larger-than-life characters, Vice City Stories presents a more relatable protagonist. Victor Vance is often considered one of the most noble protagonists in the series, and his tragic tale of survival is a foreshadowing of Niko's story in Grand Theft Auto 4. One of the key themes is that actions have consequences, something that wasn't seen before in the previous games.

Many fans want Rockstar to go back to this gritty and dark storytelling in GTA 6, so it's only natural that they should look back at Vice City Stories.

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3) A deuteragonist

GTA 6 is expected to have two protagonists — Jason and Lucia. Although GTA Vice City Stories featured only one playable character, Victor, his brother Lance was present throughout the story as a deuteragonist. The kind of dynamic these brothers had naturally impacted the story, and this is what GTA 6 should be looking up to for inspiration.

Although not much is known about the protagonists apart from the fact that they seem to be in a relationship, Rockstar could show conflicts between these two to give more depth to the plot.

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4) Vice City lore

When introducing the new Vice City in GTA 6, Rockstar should preserve some of the lore they built for their fictional depiction of Miami from the earlier Vice City games. The GTA Vice City Stories map was different from that of Vice City, but not in a major way.

The two-year time difference made for several architectural differences, with some buildings not even existing in the 2006 game and others added later.

Rockstar could pay homage to these games by including references to some of the buildings seen in these games, or include some of the locations themselves.

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5) Side missions

As noted in the first point, one of the key factors that makes GTA Vice City Stories so enjoyable is the Empire Building mechanic. However, this is just one of many different types of side-missions that you can undertake in the game.

There are vehicles that you can impound, different races you can partake in, beach patrol missions where you become a lifeguard, and even air rescue missions using an air ambulance.

Some of these diverse side missions haven't returned in the series, and GTA 6 needs to bring some of them back. The Vigilante side missions are a prominent example, which were last seen in GTA 4.

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