5 reasons fans prefer GTA Vice City over GTA 3

Some major differences between GTA Vice City and GTA 3 can explain the reason why some fans prefer the former title over the latter.

Both are old-school classics that did a lot for the GTA series. In fact, both games are among the top five best-selling GTA titles in the entire series. However, there are massive differences between the two entries, which has led to some fans often discussing which of the two games is the better one.

This article will focus more on the arguments in favor of GTA Vice City over its predecessor. That's not to say GTA 3 is a bad game, but GTA Vice City's improvements are noticeable enough that some fans can confidently say that the latter game is the better old-school game.

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Five reasons why GTA Vice City is better than GTA 3

#5 - Music

The GTA series is well-known for its legendary soundtrack, and GTA Vice City plays a large part in that reputation. GTA 3's soundtrack wasn't bad by any means, but it didn't have the oomph that its sequel had, especially when it came to iconic songs.

Of course, fans of 80s music will appreciate GTA Vice City's music over GTA 3 just for the song selection alone.

#4 - Graphics

GTA 3's bad graphics stand out more than GTA Vice City's (Image via Rockstar Games)

GTA Vice City isn't amazing in terms of graphics by any means, but it's still a noticeable improvement over GTA 3 in many ways. The character models look less blocky in terms of polygon count, as well as many characters who have far more aesthetically appealing textures.

Of course, GTA Vice City's brighter atmosphere and colors can make it seem more appealing than GTA 3's dim presentation.

#3 - Location

Vice City and Liberty City feel completely different (Image via GTA Myths Wiki)

On a similar note to the one listed above is the difference in locations between the two games. GTA 3's Liberty City is based off of New York, whereas Vice City is based off of Miami.

It's a small difference on paper, but it makes the two games feel radically different when the player is exploring.

#2 - Characters

A non-silent protagonist goes a long way in making the character cast seem more memorable (Image via Rockstar Games)

The main difference between GTA Vice City and GTA 3 in terms of characterization is how these characters interact with the protagonist. In GTA 3, Claude is a silent protagonist, which means he doesn't add much of anything to the scenes he's a part of.

By comparison, Tommy Vercetti is an iconic protagonist, who can make the scenes he's in more memorable thanks to his interactions with the other characters.

Likewise, his friendships and relationships are more fleshed out, which also makes the cast of GTA Vice City stand out more.

#1 - Newer features

Claude cannot bail out of moving vehicles in GTA 3 (Image via HighSpawN)

Inevitably, the newer title in a video game series is going to have some new features that the older games lacked. Now the GTA series does tend to remove features from game-to-game, but GTA Vice City is largely an improvement over GTA 3 in many ways.

Basic quality of life features like Taxi Rides to ease the burden of failing missions or being able to bail out of a moving vehicle adds a lot to GTA Vice City's favor.

It might seem archaic to modern GTA fans, but it helped introduce a lot of new features to the series that fans know and love today.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.