The Grand Theft Auto series is one of the most accomplished crime simulators ever created.

My first contact with the series was when I was still a child and my irresponsible parents got me a copy of GTA: Vice City for PC. To this day I still thank them for never reading ESRB ratings.

Samsung smart view 2.0 macbook. Released back in 2001, the sixth game in Rockstar’s famous franchise was a blast.

It kept the same engine as GTA3, but presented a stylish world of conflicting cultures and criminality in the totally tubular 1980s Miami.

Modding as a whole was still in its infancy back when Vice City came out. But a lot has changed since then, and it seems like now there’s so many mods for Vice City that it’s tough to know where to look!

Luckily I’m here to weed out the good stuff for you.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the fourth main entry in the Grand. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City PS4 - Digital PC - Digital PS3 - Digital Mac - Digital Welcome to the 1980s. From the decade of big hair, excess, and pastel suits comes a story of one man's rise to the top of the criminal pile as Grand Theft Auto returns.

But before we get down to business, I recommend installing the CLEO library first. It’s totally free and it’s a base requirement for most Vice City mods.

30. Custom Radio Station

Mods are all about changing the way the game plays. And while setting up your own custom radio station doesn’t require you to download anything other than your favorite songs, I’d say it’s worth mentioning.

It’s actually one of the game’s base features (although mods do exist too).

But you may not realize this comes with the game if nobody tells you.

To do this, you’ll need songs to be in an mp3 format.

Once you have that just drop them in the “mp3” folder in your main GTA: Vice City directory.

It’s such a simple thing to do, and yet so many games neglect to give users that freedom!

29. HD Radio Icons

Since we’re already messing with the game’s radio stations, consider installing HD Radio Icons by modder Firefly.

A lot of mods here aim to make your GTA: Vice City experience look out of this world. If you’re already going through all that trouble, it makes no sense not to address every little detail – even if it’s just the radio icons.

It’s a short and sweet mod with an easy install that will seamlessly improve your cruisin’ experience.

28. Vice City Hi-Res Loadscreen

Another small but meaningful improvement for your GTA: Vice City is this High-Resolution Loadscreen, created by modder UJibU4.

What’s the point of adding HD effects, particles, and textures when you’ll be met with ugly low-resolution artwork? We can do better.

This HD load screen uses only original artwork from Rockstar, restored from both official wallpapers and high-quality box art scans to keep an authentic Vice City aesthetic.

27. GTA: Vice City Ultimate Trainer

Something I’ll never forget about my formative years is how I’d always buy cheat code lists from my upperclassmen, then hurry home to try them out on my PC games.

Nowadays you can find that everywhere on the Internet.

But why would you waste your time entering cheat codes when you can just set every cheat to a key on your keyboard?

That’s what this Ultimate Trainer by modder LithJoe helps you do.

With it you can control the weather, replenish health and armor, grant yourself awesome weapons, and even manage your Wanted level with a simple press of a button. Nifty!

26. Vice City HD Effects

Vice City HD Effects by Nobeus does exactly what its name suggests.

It adds many new visual effects, such as realistic blood splattering, and also improves others like water, gunshot flashes, and even the traces left by burnt tire rubber.

One of my favorite features is the addition of clouds of smoke from both cars and weapons, which float up into the sky in a really organic manner.

It’s unlike anything seen in games from back in the day.

25. Windowed Mod

Nowadays most games let you start them on windowed mode.

Not only do many games just run better on lower-end PCs this way, but it gives you a bit more freedom regarding which resolution you want to play in.

This mod by ThirteenAG simply adds the feature for GTA: Vice City, which becomes really important when you consider that the base game doesn’t support widescreen aspect ratios.

Other than that, it’s also handy for streamers. And anyone who just likes jumping between programs on the fly without the hassle inherent to fullscreen games.

24. Widescreen Fix

But making the game run in windowed mode isn’t enough to solve all of your resolution issues. Especially if what you’re trying to achieve is a game that runs on a modern 16:9 ratio.

Also made by ThirteenAG (you’ll see that name pretty often in GTA modding), this easy-to-install fix will let you take the resolution up to Full HD and beyond with no problem.

It’s also available for San Andreas and a bunch of other old-timey games, so if you’re ever in a pickle with an outdated aspect ratio, you know exactly where to look.

23. Frame Limit Adjuster

The last of the fundamental adjustments you’ll need to install to get your Vice City up to modern graphical standards is the Frame Limit Adjuster, released by ThirteenAG.

This nifty tool frees your game from its default 30fps cap so it can take full advantage of your modern gaming rig and run in a fluid 60fps.

Granted, this one is a bit harder to install. You’ll need to get the previously mentioned CLEO library and set a couple of things up manually.

But there are countless tutorials on YouTube so you’ll have it up and running in no time.

22. New Vice City 2011

There’s only so much content and detail a single development team can put into a game while keeping up with release dates.

Luckily, modders have no such constraints. And their work can help make our favorite games considerably deeper.

New Vice City 2011 by modding group Modstar goes a long way towards a more realistic city life by introducing a fuel system for all vehicles.

If gas is too expensive for you, there’s also public transportation throughout the map. And you can call taxis to your location too. This is a big overhaul!

With this mod you can even call 911 to get police protection, as long as you’re not the one committing crimes.

There’s too much to cover by myself, so go on and give it a try!

21. Light Saber

GTA: Vice City features a wealth of weapons to impose your superiority over other criminals and police forces.

But can there ever be enough?

One of the most unique options in terms of melee weaponry is RC12’s Light Saber, which lets you wield an energy blade like those featured in everyone’s favorite space-fantasy epic.

With this flashy saber, you’ll feel like a low-poly version of No More Heroes’ Travis.

It really doesn’t get any cooler than this.

20. GTA: State of Liberty

The Grand Theft Auto games all take place in an alternate version of the USA. Most of them in the fictional State of Liberty, where you can find San Andreas, Vice City, and Liberty City.

This massive mod endeavors to bring together the settings from GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas into a single, gigantic, playable map. Complete with iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty.

It’s huge, seriously.

Due to the unpredictable nature of fan-projects, the mod is still in development even after 10 years!

But there are several playable builds with most completed features. Definitely worth a try!

19. GVBP ReShade

The GVBP ReShade injects Vice City with improved lighting, shadows, and other effects that give the game a much more modern look.

It was made by the GTA Vice City Beautification Project (hence the name) for use with several other graphic mods to achieve the best-looking Vice City possible.

If you’re interested in what they’re offering, swing by their website for more information and an easy-to-follow guide!

18. GTA Vice City – Definitive Edition

Generally I’d tell you to stay away from anything calling itself the “Definitive” anything.

But this mod by Qualcom does a lot to justify the self-congratulating title.

It brings together many mods covered in our ranking, such as the Widescreen Fix and Windowed Mode, along with some other tweaks to create an easy-to-install catch-all build.

Gta Vice City