Top 5 GTA Vice City mods for adding realism

There are several ways to add realism with GTA Vice City mods. Players can either give Tommy Vercetti some much-needed gameplay features or adjust the world around him for better immersion. Both solutions can help make this several-decade-old game feel more realistic. This article will highlight five of the best modifications for this type of content.

They'll be ranked from least useful to most helpful. There is a good degree of subjectivity involved, but at least one of these GTA Vice City mods may fulfill your need for more realism in this game.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective.

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80s Billboards, MixSets, and more of the best GTA Vice City mods to use for realism

5) 80s Billboards

Some examples of the custom 80s-themed billboards (Image via majo213)

A GTA Vice City mod that adds billboards representative of the 80s sounds simple, but it adds a good amount of realism for fans of immersion. Remember, this game canonly takes place in 1986. If Tommy Vercetti were driving in the real world, then he would likely see the advertisements offered by this modification.

80s Billboards are merely a visual modification. It's recommended to anybody who isn't fussed about the usual in-game advertisements and would prefer to spice up the game's setting a little bit.

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4) Drivers reacting to weapons

An example of this modification in action (Image via Bryxanov1337)

If you want a simple gameplay modification for better realism, this might appease your appetite. This GTA Vice City mod essentially lets pedestrians react accordingly when you aim your weapon at them while they're driving. Normal NPCs tend to flee while cops try to arrest you. Similarly, gang members may get hostile and attack you.

It is worth mentioning that this modification is planned to get an update for more pedestrian reactions in the future by modder Bryxanov1337. Until then, this modification from LibertyCity.net is still quite good for fans of realism.

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3) MixSets

One of the features of this mod is that upside-down cars don't explode anymore (image via just Gesha)

MixSets is a GTA Vice City mod with several features tied to realism worth noting:

• Cars will no longer explode once they're turned upside down.
• You can use a Pay 'N' Spray on any vehicle.
• Pedestrians and vehicles have to be farther away to despawn.
• Better lighting is now present.
• Vehicle and pedestrian density was adjusted.

There are 74 different features from MixSets, and players can choose which ones they want to enable. Most modifications for GTA titles by Rockstar Games tend to be less customizable, so having the choice in this game is delightful.

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2) Climbing [reVC]

An example of Tommy Vercetti climbing over a wall (Image via CowBoy69)

Some GTA Vice City mods seek to borrow features from later games in the series. In this case, Tommy Vercetti can now climb over walls and other objects like CJ could in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Fans of realism might appreciate this simple gameplay feature since it gives you more mobility.

After all, it's convenient to climb over a high wall by grabbing it via jumping. By comparison, bringing oneself up on a car and jumping over the obstacle is much less smooth.

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1) Stories Style Swimming

You won't instantly drown anymore with this modification installed (Image via Tommy_Vercetti102)

One of the most infamous flaws of Tommy Vercetti is that he cannot swim. As far as Vice City games go, Victor Vance from VCS can swim, as can the new protagonists from Grand Theft Auto 6. To Tommy Vercetti's credit, he was only the second 3D protagonist, so it makes sense why he lacked this feature.

Several GTA Vice City mods allow him to finally swim. The one shown here is based on VCS's swimming mechanic. Tommy Vercetti can now enjoy the beautiful coastline with this modification installed.