5 mind-blowing GTA Vice City secrets that still hold up

Despite being smaller than other games in the franchise, GTA Vice City holds many secrets that are worth exploring. These gameplay features were added before the game’s release in 2002, and most of them are still surprising to date. If you have completed that game or don’t want to play missions for the time being, you should check out these secret elements.

This article lists five of the mind-blowing secrets in GTA Vice City that are still fun to explore.

Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.

5 surprising GTA Vice City secrets that are worth exploring

1) Vice City has marine life

The waters of Vice City are not empty (Image via Rockstar Games)

While Rockstar bars Thomas “Tommy” Vercetti from swimming in the waterbodies, this does not mean they are empty. The oceans across the GTA Vice City map are filled with sharks that you can spot occasionally. You can also find a few dead bodies with cement shoes at various points on the map. Moreover, a submarine can sometimes be spotted underwater.

These signify that GTA Vice City has a marine life that players cannot explore freely. You can check it out from the shore or by using a boat. However, going into deep waters will kill Tommy within seconds.

2) Jibe at the moon-landing scene

Secrets like the fake moon-landing setup inside the InterGlobal Studios are one of the reasons why GTA Vice City is still popular in 2025. You can find a movie set in-game that depicts a moon-landing scenario. While Rockstar Games did not explain its purpose, it is widely believed that the setup is a jibe at conspiracy theories that claim America’s moon landing was fake and recorded inside a studio.

You can also find an M4 gun behind the setup. InterGlobal Studios is located in Prawn Islands, and you can visit it by gradually completing the story missions.

3) Change the moon’s size

While the moon-landing setup in GTA Vice City is amusing, the game offers something more interesting: you can change the size of the moon in the sky. The best part is that it does not affect the gameplay and can be done without any cheats or mods. Simply acquire a sniper rifle and shoot at the moon. It will change its shape with each shot.

If you like to customize the gameplay experience to your liking, you should try this secret hack that still works today. However, do not fire any weapons near the cops, as it can alert them.

Also read: GTA Online update: 6 new vehicles that Rockstar has added

4) Change Tommy’s appearance

One of the game's secret features is that you can change how Tommy Vercetti looks. While Rockstar Games lets you change his clothes, cheats allow you to change his entire physique. There are 11 cheat codes in GTA Vice City that let you change the protagonist’s skin to Ricardo Diaz, Lance Vance, Mercedes, Sonny Forelli, and many other in-game characters.

However, activating the cheat codes disables the trophies and achievements. If you do not care about them, you can continue playing the missions as Mercedes or other characters.

5) Weapons can be acquired for free

Collecting free weapons saves money (Image via Rockstar Games)

Collecting free weapons is one of the best things you can do in GTA Vice City. Rockstar Games offers 33 weapons in the game and four Ammu-Nation stores to purchase them. However, there are 57 spots on the map where you can find free weapons. E.g., a minigun can be found near the Vercetti Mansion in Starfish Island.

While these weapons are available for the entire gameplay, you must wait some time after collecting one for it to spawn again.

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About the author

Mridul completed his post-graduation in Mass Communication, Journalism, and Media Studies. His career as a journalist began at Sportskeeda, and he has been associated with the Esports & Gaming division for over 1.5 years. He has produced 1600+ articles on Grand Theft Auto, his favorite gaming franchise of all time.

Mridul writes detailed and well-researched articles, relying solely on official sources and reputable insiders for credible information. His immense love for the GTA series shines through in his work, which resonates with readers, with five of his articles having crossed the 100,000 reads mark each. Overall, his reads count stands at close to 8 million.

GTA: Vice City served as Mridul's introduction to Rockstar Games, and he has dedicatedly made his way through the publisher's catalog since then. If given a chance, he would love to drop into the world of Bully and relive his school days. However, he would like to recommend Grand Theft Auto 4 to beginners due to the depth of its narrative and in-game mechanics.

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Edited by Adarsh J Kumar