GTA 5 vs GTA Vice City: 5 ways in which Rockstar evolved the GTA series

GTA 5 and GTA Vice City are poles apart in every way. The only common link is that they both belong to the same series and hence, share the same universe. Fans still like to compare them to see how far the franchise has advanced.

GTA Vice City was released in 2002, while GTA 5 came out in 2013. The gap between the two games is of more than 10 years. The evolution of these games reflects how far video games have progressed over the last few decades.

While GTA Vice City may feel graphically and technologically inferior to modern games, it was revolutionary when it came out. GTA 5, on the other hand, may be the newer game, but it isn't better than its predecessor in every aspect.

This article compares and contrasts the two games to show how far the GTA series has progressed.

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5 ways in which the GTA series has evolved between GTA Vice City and GTA 5

1) Change in narrative structure

GTA Vice City was set in Miami in the 80s. It had a movie-like narrative inspired by Scarface and Miami Vice. Therefore, the story was quite fast-paced and did not have much drama to it.

GTA 5, on the other hand, is set in a modern-day world. The story is a personal and dramatic one, and it unfolds quite slowly.

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2) Number of protagonists

Up until GTA 5, all the GTA games have had a single playable protagonist. GTA Vice City is no exception. It follows Tommy Vercetti and his rise to power in the Vice City underworld.

GTA 5 has three different characters with distinct personalities, stories, and aspirations. It is vastly different from earlier games since it provides three conflicting perspectives.

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3) Graphics

While this is an obvious difference, it is critical when comparing the evolution of the series. Graphically, GTA Vice City did not improve much upon its predecessor, but the little tweaks it did were vital. However, it wasn't the best-looking game of 2002 because of hardware limitations.

GTA 5, on the other hand, like its immediate predecessor, was revolutionary at its time. The graphics were a big improvement over GTA 4, and they have aged quite well.

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4) Maps - Size and Quality

Another obvious distinction between the two games is their maps. Vice City is tiny compared to the map of San Andreas in GTA 5. The experiences are quite different too. Vice City has few interactable buildings, but the overall flavor of the 80s is omnipresent.

GTA 5 has a massive map with miles of countryside to explore. However, the map feels empty sometimes, with tons of filler areas and a lack of interiors.

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5) Multiplayer

Multiplayer has been the most game-changing aspect of GTA 5. The game itself broke sales records and became more popular than Tetris. However, Rockstar has been earning massive profits continuously thanks to GTA Online.

GTA Vice City, on the other hand, had no multiplayer feature. The game was solely focused on its single-player story mode, and it took almost a decade to finally implement online play.

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Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of its writer.