GTA Vice City: The Definitive Edition

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an open-world action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games in 2002. It was released at a time when computers, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles were not as widely used as they are today, and there were several glitches, bugs, and technical limitations that were never fully addressed. Years later, due to the game’s massive popularity, Rockstar decided to enhance the experience by improving the graphics, items, and overall features while adopting modern game engines. As a result, GTA Vice City: The Definitive Edition was released on November 11, 2021, bringing multiple additions and improvements to the original game.

This game contains mature content, and violence which is inappropriate for children.

Key Improvements

• Now added Audio and Weapon switch wheel (inspired by GTA 5).
• Improve lighting, shadows, and reflections, and add more detail to make it more realistic.
• Enhance game graphics, now vehicles are clearly visible when you watch from a height (e.g, tower).
• Added GPS navigation, which automatically draws a path on the road to your destination, just like Uber’s app.
• Add more physics to vehicle explosions and shooting in water.

This is not a full list. You can download and play the game to observe changes.

Gameplay

Gameplay stays true to the original experience while introducing modern improvements that make it smoother and more accessible. Players once again step into the role of Tommy Vercetti and explore the open-world city of Vice City, taking on story missions, side activities, or freely roaming the map at their own pace.

The Definitive Edition features updated controls inspired by later GTA titles, improving movement, shooting, and driving. Combat feels more responsive, with better aiming mechanics and refined animations. Players can still access a wide range of classic weapons, from handguns to heavy explosives, while vehicles now offer more consistent handling across cars, bikes, boats, and aircraft. The roll animation when you jump from a high-speed car is slightly improved. If there are vehicles and Tommy hits with them, the bounce and hitting feel realistic.

Visual upgrades play a big role in the gameplay experience. Enhanced lighting, higher-resolution textures, improved character models, and a more detailed environment make Vice City feel more alive than before. Gameplay elements like property ownership, business management, and side missions return, allowing players to earn money and unlock additional content. These upgrades preserve the core gameplay while making this Edition feel more polished and enjoyable for modern players.

The most important thing is that most cheat codes remain the same, but Rockstar has removed a few of them. One new cheat has also been added to the game:

• Big Head Mode – EXPANDDOME

The cheats given below no longer work, so do not waste your time trying them out.

• Invisible Cars – WHEELSAREALLINEED
• Big Wheels – LOADSOFLITTLETHINGS
• Smoke a Cigarette – CERTAINDEATH
• Fat Skin – DEEPFRIEDMARSBARS
• Skinny Skin – PROGRAMMER
• Buy All Properties – FULLCITYPEOPLEMINES
• Mass Bike Spawn – FREEWAYFORANGELJOY
• Hilary King – LOOKLIKEHILARY
• Peds get in your car – HOPINGIRL

Supported Languages

The audio is only in English, while the interface and subtitles will be translated. Check out the table below for full details:

Language	Interface	Subtitles	Audio
English	Yes	Yes	Yes
French	Yes	Yes	No
Italian	Yes	Yes	No
German	Yes	Yes	No
Spanish (Spain)	Yes	Yes	No
Spanish (Latin America)	Yes	Yes	No
Portuguese (Brazil)	Yes	Yes	No
Polish	Yes	Yes	No
Russian	Yes	Yes	No
Japanese	Yes	Yes	No
Korean	Yes	Yes	No
Simplified Chinese	Yes	Yes	No
Traditional Chinese	Yes	Yes	No

Comparison: Original vs Definitive Edition

Feature	Original Vice City	Definitive Edition
Navigation	Basic map, no GPS	Full GPS waypoint routing
Combat	Static/Scrolled selection	GTA V-style Weapon Wheel
Mission Failure	Drive back to start	Instant restart/Checkpoints
Reflections	Static textures	Real-time lighting & reflections
Water	Flat surface	3D ripples and splash physics

Conclusion

Rockstar did a solid job with the new release. Before this, many players depended on unofficial remastered versions and mods, which sometimes carried malware and put personal data at risk. The official release is much safer and more stable.

The game now takes up around 9.24 GB and requires decent RAM and a capable processor to run smoothly. I tested it on my HP EliteBook G2 and experienced noticeable lag, especially during heavy scenes. Players can also download the Definitive Editions of GTA III and GTA San Andreas, which include similar improvements, such as rotating restaurant logos and other visual enhancements.