GTA Vice City Easter Eggs, Secrets and Myths

Two decades on, players are still finding new layers in Rockstar North's 1986 crime epic. The best GTA Vice City easter eggs aren't glitches or cheat codes: they're the film references baked into its buildings, the in-jokes on its radio stations, and the little nods to other GTA games that most people drive straight past. This guide rounds up the GTA Vice City secrets that are well documented, then separates the popular myths from reality.

You can check almost everything here yourself, because you can play GTA Vice City in your browser on SchoolBros with no installer. And if you're after collectibles rather than trivia, we've already covered those in depth: see the hidden packages guide, the complete cheats list, the rampages and 100% completion checklist, and our map and districts guide.

What Are the Scarface Easter Eggs in GTA Vice City?

Vice City was never an official Scarface game, but Brian De Palma's 1983 film is all over it. Tommy Vercetti's rise from outsider to drug kingpin in 1980s Miami-style Vice City follows a very similar arc to Tony Montana's, and Rockstar leaned into it with some unmistakable visual nods.

The Vercetti Estate is Tony Montana's mansion

The mansion on Starfish Island, which Tommy takes over after the Ricardo Diaz storyline ends, is the most famous reference in the game. Its grand entrance hall, sweeping staircase, and upstairs office overlooking the lobby are clearly modelled on Tony Montana's home in Scarface. Walk in and stand at the top of the stairs and the resemblance is hard to miss.

The chainsaw bathroom

One of the game's darker jokes is a bathroom in one of the apartment safehouses, splattered with blood and with a chainsaw left behind. It's widely recognised as a nod to the infamous chainsaw scene in Scarface. It's a small detail that many players only notice on a second playthrough.

The final shootout

The last story mission, "Keep Your Friends Close", has enemies storming Tommy's mansion while he fights them off through the house. Fans have long pointed out how closely this mirrors the climax of Scarface, although Rockstar gives Tommy a rather different outcome than Tony.

Miami Vice, Carlito's Way and Other Movie References

Scarface gets the headlines, but Vice City borrows from a whole shelf of 1980s and 1990s crime stories.

Miami Vice

• Lance Vance is voiced by Philip Michael Thomas, who played detective Ricardo Tubbs in the TV series Miami Vice. The white suits, pastel colours, and speedboats of the whole game owe a lot to that show too.
• The Cheetah sports car looks a lot like the Ferrari Testarossa, the car Sonny Crockett drove in later seasons of Miami Vice. Our vehicles and fastest cars guide covers where to find one.
• Even the city's name is a wink: "Vice" in Vice City points straight at the show that defined Miami on screen in the 1980s.

Carlito's Way and Heat

• Ken Rosenberg, Tommy's jittery, out-of-his-depth lawyer, is often compared to David Kleinfeld, the lawyer played by Sean Penn in Carlito's Way (another De Palma crime film).
• "The Job", the mission where Tommy's crew robs El Banco Corrupto Grande, is widely seen as a tribute to the bank heist in Heat. Even the bank's name is a joke: it roughly translates as "The Big Corrupt Bank".

Want the full story behind these characters? Our breakdown of GTA Vice City's story, characters and ending covers who betrays whom and why.

The Hollywood Cast Hiding in Plain Sight

Vice City was one of the earliest big-budget games to fill its cast with recognisable film actors, and part of the fun is realising who you're listening to. Some of the best-known voices:

• Ray Liotta as Tommy Vercetti - fitting, given his most famous role was a gangster in Goodfellas.
• Burt Reynolds as property tycoon Avery Carrington.
• Dennis Hopper as film director Steve Scott.
• Gary Busey as Phil Cassidy, the hard-drinking arms dealer.
• Danny Trejo as Umberto Robina of the Cuban gang.
• Tom Sizemore as Sonny Forelli, the Liberty City mob boss who sends Tommy south.
• Luis Guzmán as Ricardo Diaz. A fun overlap: Guzmán also appeared in Carlito's Way.
• William Fichtner as Ken Rosenberg.

Radio Gags, Fake Ads and Talk Shows

Vice City's radio is famous for its licensed 1980s music, but the talk stations and adverts are where Rockstar hid a lot of its best jokes. Our soundtrack and radio stations guide lists every station; here are the gags worth tuning in for.

• VCPR's "Pressing Issues" - a public radio debate show hosted by Maurice Chavez, where a panel of wildly mismatched guests argue about morality and get nowhere. It's a sharp parody of serious talk radio.
• Fernando Martinez - the smooth-voiced host of Emotion 98.3 also turns up on VCPR with a relationship advice show, so the same character crosses between stations.
• Lazlow on V-Rock - Lazlow, a long-running presence in GTA radio, hosts the rock station. Love Fist, the fictional Scottish glam-metal band from the story missions, are part of the station's world too.
• K-Chat - a celebrity interview station that pokes fun at 1980s fame culture.
• Degenatron - one of the most quoted fake ads, promoting a laughably primitive home games console. Coming from a video game studio, the self-mockery is the whole joke.

Tip: talk radio is easier to follow in a slow vehicle or while parked. Sit in a car outside a safehouse and let a full segment play.

GTA Vice City Hidden Locations and Interiors

Compared with modern open worlds, Vice City has relatively few enterable buildings, which makes the ones you can walk into feel like secrets in their own right. These are the interiors and GTA Vice City hidden locations worth seeking out, without spoiling collectible spots covered in our other guides.

• North Point Mall - a multi-level shopping centre in Vice Point you can walk through. It's a great place for a chaotic chase on foot.
• The Malibu Club - the Vice Point nightclub with a working dance floor. Fans often compare its neon interior to the Babylon Club from Scarface.
• The Pole Position Club - an Ocean Beach club that Tommy can later buy as a business.
• El Banco Corrupto Grande - the Little Havana bank's interior comes into play during "The Job", one of several interiors tied to specific missions.
• Hyman Memorial Stadium - home to the Hotring, Bloodring and Dirtring driving events.
• InterGlobal Films on Prawn Island - a film studio lot tied to Steve Scott's storyline, where you can wander around the studio grounds.

Many of these double as properties. If you want to know what each business earns and which missions it unlocks, read our businesses and asset missions guide.

Secret Links to Other GTA Games

Vice City sits inside Rockstar's 3D-era GTA timeline, and it quietly connects to the games around it.

• The Forelli family - Sonny Forelli belongs to the same Liberty City Mafia family whose name GTA III players will recognise.
• Phil Cassidy - the arms dealer also appears in GTA III, set years later, and Vice City shows how he ended up with only one arm.
• Donald Love - the media tycoon from GTA III turns up in Vice City as a younger man connected to Avery Carrington's property deals.
• Kent Paul and Ken Rosenberg - both characters return in GTA: San Andreas.
• Vice City Stories - the 2006 PSP prequel returns to the city two years earlier, in 1984, and centres on Lance Vance's brother Victor.
• GTA VI - at the time of writing (September 2026), GTA VI is set for release on November 19, 2026, taking the series back to a modern Vice City in the fictional state of Leonida. Our comparison of GTA 6's Vice City vs the original looks at what's changed.

GTA Vice City Myths vs Reality

Every classic GTA picks up rumours in school corridors and forums. Here are the most common GTA Vice City myths, checked against what's actually in the game.

Myth	Reality	Verdict
There's a secret 101st hidden package	There are 100 hidden packages. Rewards unlock at set milestones, all listed in our packages guide.	False
Tommy can swim if you find the right spot	Tommy can't swim at all. Falling into deep water is fatal. Swimming arrived in GTA: San Andreas.	False
There's a jetpack cheat	Vice City has no jetpack. The jetpack is a San Andreas feature.	False
You can fly the airliners at Escobar International	The big planes aren't flyable. You can fly helicopters, the Skimmer seaplane, and the remote-control models.	False
You can travel to Liberty City	The story starts with Tommy arriving from Liberty City, but the playable map is Vice City only.	False
There's a secret ending where Lance survives	The story has a single ending, whatever order you do side content in.	False
Vice City has a hidden multiplayer mode	The original game is single-player only. Multiplayer on PC came later from fan-made mods, not Rockstar.	False
A ghost or Bigfoot haunts Vice City	No evidence has ever been shown. Most famous GTA ghost and Bigfoot rumours belong to San Andreas.	Unproven rumour
Tommy Vercetti returns in GTA VI	Not confirmed. GTA VI's announced protagonists are Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval.	Unconfirmed

Why these myths spread

Most Vice City rumours started in the early 2000s, before wikis and video walkthroughs were everywhere. A friend's "cousin" had seen a secret, a blurry screenshot got passed around, and features from other GTA games got mixed up with this one. The easiest way to settle an argument today is simply to launch the Vice City player and look.

If you enjoy digging through the history of GTA, our honest guide to which GTA games work unblocked in a browser explains why Vice City is the one you can actually play in a tab. For something different afterwards, try our list of the best unblocked games to play at school, play DOOM unblocked, or browse the full games library on SchoolBros. As always, keep gaming to breaks and free time.

GTA Vice City Easter Eggs FAQ

What is the most famous easter egg in GTA Vice City?

The Vercetti Estate on Starfish Island is the best-known reference. Its entrance hall, staircase, and office are clearly modelled on Tony Montana's mansion in the 1983 film Scarface.

Is GTA Vice City based on Scarface?

It is not an official Scarface game, but it is heavily inspired by Scarface and other 1980s crime stories such as Miami Vice. The mansion, a chainsaw bathroom, and the final shootout are all widely recognised nods to the film.

Can Tommy Vercetti swim in GTA Vice City?

No. Tommy cannot swim, and falling into deep water is fatal. Swimming was added to the series in GTA: San Andreas.

Is there a jetpack in GTA Vice City?

No. There is no jetpack or jetpack cheat in Vice City. The jetpack first appeared in GTA: San Andreas.

What are the best hidden locations in GTA Vice City?

Good interiors to explore include North Point Mall, the Malibu Club, the Pole Position Club, the Vercetti Estate, and the InterGlobal Films studio lot. Some interiors, like the bank in "The Job", are tied to specific missions.

Can I find these secrets in the browser version on SchoolBros?

Yes. The SchoolBros player runs the reVC engine in your browser, so the city, missions, and radio stations are there to explore. Saves are stored in your browser's local storage, so use the same browser to pick up where you left off.