Regardless of one’s thoughts about their quality, it is hard to argue that the threeGrand Theft Autogames on thePS2 are not some of the most important games ever made.Not only were they absolute sales juggernauts, but they also broke a lot of new ground in open-world game design.
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Fans go back and forth on whetherGrand Theft Auto: Vice Cityis the best of the franchise, or if it isSan Andreas. The following list will point out the strengths of each. At the end of the day, it is easy to see both arguments for which one is the bestGrand Theft Auto.One thing is for sure: they are both fantastic.
Updated July 03, 2025 by Jason Wojnar:The definitive editions of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy released late in 2021 were lambasted for their poor quality. One would think more care would have been put into such a revered set of games. In the months since its release, patches have come out to remedy some of these issues, but many fans still prefer to boot up their PS2 to play these original classics.
The poor reception of this product led to rumors that GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption remasters were canceled. Some gamers might finally feel comfortable jumping into these remasters, however, in which case they might be interested to read about how Vice City and San Andreas stack up against each other. Read the updated version of this list to find out.
12Vice City: Soundtrack
This one is entirely subjective, butVice City’ssoundtrack is special for how much it contributes to its aesthetic.San Andreasdoes its share of this too, though it’s diluted by some of the classic rock stations that don’t reflect the characters and mood of the west coast in the early 90s.
Regardless of which station players turn on inVice City, every song feels absolutely appropriate for whatever players might be doing at the time. In this way, the older game’s soundtrack takes the cake even if someone prefers the songs inSan Andreas.
11San Andreas: Characters
Vice City’s writing is leaps and bounds aboveGrand Theft Auto 3, but the series still had a way to go. The characters all feel like cartoons and are one-dimensional.San Andreastakes a big leap with its cast.
The protagonist, CJ, is reluctantly pulled back into the world he left behind, which alone makes him more interesting than Tommy Vercetti. There is also a compelling family dynamic. Even the villains are more entertaining, even if they still have a mustache-twirling vibe to them.
10Vice City: The Setting
Even though the technical limitations of both games show nowadays, there is still something special aboutVice City’sdepiction of the 1980s. The character models are quaint, and other parts of the world definitely look like they weremade in 2002, but players still feel like they walked through a time portal upon booting up the game. It goes to show that graphics are not everything.
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One could say the same aboutSan Andreas, but it loses some of that 1990s sheen once the story progresses to San Fierro and Las Venturas.Vice Cityreally immerses the players in the location and time period.
9San Andreas: The Gameplay
Vice City’sgameplay is too similar toGrand Theft Auto 3for most to consider it a major step above its predecessor. Playing it today reveals many flaws in the way Tommy Vercetti moves and jumps.San Andreas,on the other hand, does a lot to push the series forward.
Players can aim freely, walk while prone, climb objects in the environment, and much more. Movement and driving simply feel smoother overall. More missions involve shootouts, and they actually play well.Shooting and aiming feels wonky inVice City, while gameplay is much smoother inSan Andreas.
8Vice City: It’s Still The Best Version Of The City
Grand Theft Auto 3’sLiberty City is made worse purely because ofGrand Theft Auto 4,which improved upon the setting. The same goes for Los Santos inSan Andreasbeing recreated inGrand Theft Auto 5. Even though the fifth numbered entry is only Los Santos, it contains desert and temperate forest environments similar toSan Andreas.
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There is no HD recreation ofVice City’smap to make the original look worse by comparison, which works toVice City’sadvantage. Maybe fans will get one in the future, but until then, the Vice City from 2002 is still the best faux Miami sandbox players have.
7San Andreas: The Story
Vice Cityis a relatively simple tale about a criminal building up an empire. It is compelling from a gameplay perspective, but there is nothing really interesting or unique in the meat of the story.San Andreas, on the other hand, is anepic crime story with dozens of characters.
Players are led to believe the game will be about one thing before the whole story is turned on its head and players are sent down a whole other path. Along the way, the main character, Carl Johnson, grows and changes, keeping players engaged. Vice City has basically one major twist that comes at the end of the game.
6Vice City: More Open-Ended
Vice Cityis uniquely structured for aGrand Theft Autogame. After a certain mission, the game lets players acquire property and complete missions for each of them in any order. WhileSan Andreashas assets and side missions, they are not directly tied to progression.
Reaching the credits inSan Andreasis still just a linear series of missions. There are a lot of them, about 100 to be exact, but they follow a typical path. The level of choice inVice Citymakes players feel like they have more control.In fact, players don’t even have to do all the missions to reach the credits inVice City.
5San Andreas: More Interesting Missions
With about 100 story missions in all,the objectives had better be interesting for players to remain engaged until the very end. The missions cover a wide range of gameplay mechanics like shootouts, car chases, on-foot chases, and even flying to Liberty City.
Vice Cityhas fewer missions by comparison, and they offer less variety. As previously stated, shootouts are not as fun, and movement does not feel as tight as it does inSan Andreas.
4Vice City: The Definitive Edition Looks Better
There has been a lot of controversyaround the definitive editions of the trilogy released recently. The graphics have come under a lot of criticism, and there are numerous technical issues.San Andreassuffers the most of the three. Some argue that certain aesthetic choices destroy the PS2 game’s unique vibe.
On the other side of the coin isVice City, which fares better with the upgrades. Character models still look strange at times, but the overall look of the city is improved.San Andreasat least looks improved now with theseries of patchesthe developer has released.
3San Andreas: RPG Mechanics
San Andreasforces players to pay close attention to CJ’s stats. If he goes too long without eating, he grows weaker. But if players feed him too much he will gain weight and won’t be as agile. Additionally, certain stats like stamina, muscle, and lung capacity increase as players do certain activities.
CJ gets better at driving cars, bikes, and motorcycles the more he engages with them. He also gets better with certain weapons as he uses them.These RPG mechanicsmake players feel like everything they do counts and has an effect on their game.
