The game takes place in the fictional city of Vice City, in which the features of Miami, Florida are easily guessed. Set in 1986, the game's visual style, especially clothing, music, and transportation, reflects this, sometimes with subtle parody elements.
Unlike the overtly urban Liberty City of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City appears to the player as a largely clean and prosperous city with inviting beaches, swaying palm trees, and bright sunshine. Of course, there are squalid neighborhoods, abandoned mansions and a military base, but this only adds to the game's sense of reality.
Vice City can be considered a prequel to the previous game in the series (GTA III), the events of which unfold "in our days" (that is, in 2001 [3], when the game was released). But the game can be considered a prequel only by years, since the plot is completely different, and only sometimes echoes the plot of GTA III.
To win back the family's trust, Tommy travels to Vice City at the behest of local boss Sonny Forelli to make an important deal with drug dealers, but in reality to give Forelli the opportunity to take over the city. At the airport, Tommy meets Ken Rosenberg, and they, along with two assistants, go to the docks where the deal is to take place. Unexpectedly, the plans are frustrated: during the deal, armed masked men hired by Diaz kill assistants (Harry and Lee) and Victor Vance (the protagonist of GTA Vice City Stories), Tommy dodges bullets and jumps into Ken's car; Victor's brother, Lance, who did not get out of the helicopter, flies away unharmed. The bandits go into hiding, taking with them the drugs and money that Tommy was responsible for. Vercetti miraculously manages to survive, and he tells Sonny about everything. Sonny demands that Tommy return the "merchandise" and the money.
Further events of the game describe the formation of the Vercetti criminal empire: The player progresses through the story by completing various tasks (missions), most of which involve committing illegal acts. Gradually, Vercetti turns from a pawn in an unfamiliar city into the main criminal figure of Vice City; but Sonny's patience is not endless - after all, he personally comes to collect what belongs to him. In the last task of the game, you need to defend the main character's estate, which is attacked by Sonny and his gang. If successful, Tommy Vercetti becomes the most powerful mafia boss in Vice City and remains in the city of the sea and the sun.