7 Best Missions in GTA: Vice City

Vice City is one of the major titles in the GTA franchise, which introduced the infamous Tommy Vercetti to fans. GTA is known for combining elements of greed, betrayal, revenge, and trust in its narrative, and Vice City may be the best example. The game sees Tommy spending more than a decade in jail, having to start from scratch, and ultimately building his criminal empire. There are several good and fun missions in the game, but these seven are some of the best ones in Vice City.

The Party

This is a mission in Vice City where Tommy doesn’t need to fight anyone or complete another difficult task. Ken Rosenberg sends Tommy to a party at Colonel Juan Cortez’s yacht, where he may get information about the drug deal gone wrong. The first task is for Tommy to grab some appropriate threads, and he meets several key individuals at the party. This includes Cortez himself, his daughter, Kent Paul, Ricardo Diaz, and more. Most of the NPCs become part of the story, and some even give Tommy missions.

Diaz may be the most important person Tommy meets at the party, as he is central to the narrative and you complete several missions for him before taking over his empire. The mission isn’t one of the best in Vice City because it’s challenging or rewarding; instead, you get a visually pleasing experience. Everyone is enjoying themselves in 1980s garb, waterfront views, and a soothing soundtrack. This is a major nostalgic theme that GTA fans still remember, and could be why Rockstar Games set GTA 6 in Vice City.

Demolition Man

This mission is given to Tommy by Avery Carrington, who wants to destroy a rival’s construction project using bombs. Tommy controls an RC Goblin helicopter using a Top Fun van and has seven minutes to complete the mission. This is an optional mission, but it’s requested to get 100% completion. The mission is also quite challenging for a number of reasons.

Vice City fans have a complicated relationship with Demolition Man, with some liking it and others claiming it’s too hard. A major reason behind the challenge is that controlling the RC helicopter isn’t easy. The mechanics need some adjusting, and combined with the time limit, the mission becomes frustrating. Despite this, the frustration is still something players remember about the mission, as some retried it multiple times and others aced it easily.

Guardian Angels

This is one of the most iconic missions in Vice City, where Tommy is tasked with protecting Ricardo Diaz during a drug deal with the Cubans. Lance Vance collaborates with Tommy, and the two have to battle it out when the Haitians interrupt the deal and steal the money. You must then recover the money, kill the enemies, and protect both Lance and Diaz.

This mission mirrors the deal that went bad and led to Tommy having to do odd jobs in Vice City, making it a parallel for the protagonist’s own backstory. However, what makes it one of the best missions is that it captures the true essence of the game. Criminals doing criminal things, things going bad, you having to fix things, and getting rewarded by opening up a new location on the map. There is also an opportunity to get a bulletproof car by failing the mission and hauling Diaz’s ride to your garage.

Death Row

This is an emotional mission, as by this time, Tommy has come to think of Lance Vance as a friend rather than just an acquaintance. Diaz’s men capture Lance after he tries to take revenge for his brother’s death. Tommy has to rush to the junkyard, fight Diaz’s men, save Lance, and then rush Vance to the hospital while being chased by more enemies. This mission leads to a series of events which ultimately lead to Tommy killing Diaz and taking over his criminal empire. 

Death Row is one of the best missions in Vice City, as it’s more personal compared to others. Tommy’s main objective in the game is to find out who set him up and take revenge. However, the protagonist unintentionally becomes friends with Lance Vance. This is why it becomes essential for him to save Lance and becomes a turning point for Tommy, where he goes against Diaz.

The Job

This is a heist mission in Vice City, where Tommy teams up with Hilary King, Phil Cassidy, and Cam Jones. The unexpected team plans and conducts a robbery, but things fall apart during the escape. Hilary is shot dead by cops, and Tommy and the others must shoot their way away from the police. The main rewards are money and a proper heist mission that would later become a staple of GTA games.

This mission is distinct from others in Vice City, as the team uses boiler suits and goalie masks similar to Jason Voorhees’ look from Friday the 13th Part III. This makes the visual presentation of the mission fun, and the subsequent robbery feel more elaborate than just stealing money from a target. The mission is also the final mission of the Malibu Club, which gives players who have completed other missions a sense of achievement. 

Rub Out

There are several properties Tommy can buy, which open up new side missions in Vice City, but Vercetti Estate is one of the best because of the story behind how it’s acquired. Tommy ultimately discovers that Ricardo Diaz was the one who set him up and caused his initial drug deal to go wrong. He teams up with Lance Vance, whose brother was killed by Diaz. The two storm Diaz’s Mansion, killing his men, and ultimately confronting the mastermind himself.

This mission changes something fundamental, as Tommy was initially always working for someone else. First it was Sonny Forelli, then Tommy started doing jobs for Cortez before Diaz started ordering him around. Killing Diaz and turning his mansion into Vercetti Estate lays the foundation of Tommy’s own criminal empire. It also helps that Diaz was responsible for both Tommy’s predicament and Lance’s brother’s death.

Keep Your Friends Close…

Vice City’s final mission that highlights a recurring theme in the GTA franchise: betrayal. Sonny Forelli comes to Vercetti Estate and Lance Vance betrays Tommy. This leads to Tommy defending himself while fighting Lance. He then comes face to face with his former boss and has to defeat Sonny, establishing himself as Vice City’s main crime lord.

This mission is one of the best, as it concludes multiple Vice City storylines. Diaz kills Lance’s brother, leading to Tommy helping him get revenge. But Lance stabs Tommy in the back to get ahead. Sonny tries to control and profit from Tommy’s success, which leads to the underling taking down his boss. Both of these feel personal for different reasons. Tommy had come to trust Lance and learned that betrayal comes from those closest to you. His fight with Sonny ended a relationship that started Vice City’s narrative.