GTA San Andreas vs GTA Vice City: Which game has the better storyline?

GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas came out back in the PlayStation 2 days. Thanks to the release of these titles, Rockstar Games made its place in gamers' hearts all over.

Both games were the pinnacle of video game storytelling back in the day.

GTA Vice City takes place in a Miami-based city named after the title. Meanwhile, the story of GTA San Andreas takes place in Los Santos (based on Los Angeles), San Fierro (San Francisco), and Las Venturas (Las Vegas).

Those who have played these offerings will not forget the stories as they both changed the definition of having good plots in a video game.

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A brief look at the stories of GTA San Andreas and GTA Vice City

Those who have played both are familiar with the protagonists of each game.

Tommy Vercetti is the lead of GTA Vice City, and he is a former member of the Forelli Crime Family in Liberty City. Initially in GTA Vice City, he is released from a 15 years sentence in Jail.

His story begins when he goes to Vice City to do a major drug deal with the Vance Brothers, and it all goes wrong. Tommy spends his time trying to find the person responsible for the ambush of the drug deal and eventually works towards becoming the leader of his gang, called the Vercetti Crime Family.

On the other hand, Carl Johnson is the protagonist of GTA San Andreas, and he moves back from Liberty City when he gets news about his mother's death.

CJ is second in command in the Los Santos-based street gang called the Grove Street Families, led by his older brother, Sweet. The plot sees him set his mind to avenge his mother and win back Grove Street Families' power in Los Santos.

Both games have a strong narrative where each character strives and fights to make their gang rule their city.

GTA San Andreas has a more personal storyline with more memorable side characters and villains. It is a story where the protagonist's family is affected by gang violence.

GTA Vice City is a story about a criminal trying to get revenge for being betrayed in a drug deal gone wrong. Tommy Vercetti is a lone soul who doesn't trust anyone and accepts no one pushing him over.

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Verdict: Which plot is better?

GTA San Andreas turns out to be victorious when it comes to storylines, as CJ's struggles and battles have higher stakes than those Tommy Vercetti has to deal with in GTA Vice City.

Although both characters had their lives in their hands, it was CJ who lost his mother in gang violence. GTA San Andreas also has a plot twist in the middle of the story when Cesar tells CJ about Big Smoke and Ryder's betrayal.

Tommy Vercetti was also betrayed in the game by Lance Vance, who ratted him out to Sonny Forelli. Lance told Forelli about Tommy's plan to pay Forelli back in counterfeit cash, but the Forelli Family didn't get anyone from Tommy Vercetti's family to betray him.

For that alone, CJ's arc wins out.

Note: This article reflects the author's views.