5 reasons why GTA Vice City is the GOAT instead of GTA 5

GTA Vice City is one of the most iconic games in the Grand Theft Auto series. While GTA 5 might have advanced features and improved graphics, the game still lacks in some areas that make the older title much more iconic. The release of the Definitive Edition also ensured that fans could enjoy the game with enhanced textures, lighting, and quality-of-life improvements.

However, the vanilla GTA Vice City has its own charm. While it does belong to the 3D graphics era of Grand Theft Auto games, the characters are in no way less charming than the ones in the newer titles. This article lists five reasons that make this game a GOAT instead of Grand Theft Auto 5.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.

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5 reasons why GTA Vice City is superior to GTA 5

1) It captures the 80s vibe perfectly

Since GTA Vice City is set in 1986, it has all the pretty colors and outlandish fashion. Rockstar Games managed to capture the 80's vibe perfectly with the city and character designs along with some amazing songs like Billie Jean by Michael Jackson and Your Love by The Outfield that truly allow the players to immerse themselves into the game.

On the other hand, Grand Theft Auto 5 is set in the regular modern day, which does not offer anything new or exciting for most players in terms of scenery or experience. The city is just another metropolitan concrete jungle along with some countryside scenery that quickly becomes boring. This is a stark difference between both games.

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2) Tommy Vercetti is more charismatic than the trio

Tommy Vercetti, voiced by Ray Liotta, is an iconic protagonist who is ruthless, cold, and completely focused on his goal to become the boss of the drug empire. He does not hesitate to kill but is also mindful not to create unnecessary drama that might hinder his goals.

GTA 5 has three main characters that the players keep switching between while completing missions or during free roam. While Trevor is deranged, yet amusing, he and the others lack a certain charm that Tommy has. They don't feel as compelling as their predecessor, and dividing the screen time between them doesn't help either.

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3) A smaller yet condensed map

The sheer size of Grand Theft Auto 5's map can fit several Vice Cities inside it and still have some more space left. However, size doesn't always matter. While comparatively small, the latter's map is more condensed, with little to no empty or unused space.

A lot of areas in GTA 5 feel empty and barren due to lack of activity. They are just there to fill the space with no real purpose. This is the reason why roaming around Vice City never feels boring compared to Grand Theft Auto 5, where driving to certain mission points can be cumbersome.

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4) A tight-knit plot

GTA Vice City has a relatively small main story that can be completed in around 18 hours. On the other hand, it takes around 30-35 hours to finish Grand Theft Auto 5. however, a lot of missions in the latter feel unnecessary and difficult. They are long and tiring, just running around waiting for the hostile NPC to spawn.

While Vice City does have a lot of similar missions that are unnecessarily difficult, it is very minimal. The game's plot does not stretch just for the sake of increasing the gameplay hour but concludes with a great twist and an epic showdown between the antagonist and protagonist. This also created one of the best all-time classic moments in Grand Theft Auto.

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5) The supporting characters are useful/entertaining

GTA 5 has a plethora of characters that appear throughout the story. however, only a few of them manage to stay memorable and charming. For example, a lot of players liked Wade in Grand Theft Auto 5 and wished to see more of his innocent interactions; however, he never got much screen time and eventually stopped appearing.

Vice City has a smaller cast, but they are both hilarious and useful to the protagonist. Characters like Kent Paul and Cortez are funny, witty, useful, and relevant, allowing the protagonist to grow and develop through missions and tasks, which is not the case in Grand Theft Auto 5.

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The GTA 6 leaks have hinted that the upcoming title in the series might be set in Vice City giving hopes to the fans that they might get to see Tommy Vercetti in action once again. However, Rockstar has not confirmed this information as of yet.