Vice City improved on almost every aspect of GTA3. It gave the formula a unique twist with an 80s-inspired aesthetic that sets it apart from every other game in the series.
Few things move people as much as nostalgia. And fans of Vice City are sure to keep playing it for years to come.
A great way to keep the game fresh is by installing mods, and the most exciting part of modding for most GTA games is adding new vehicles to overhaul.
Here I’ll rank 20 of the very best car mods available for Vice City. Granted there are plenty more available, but this should definitely get you started on the right foot!
Rockstar has always made it a point not to use real car brands in their games.
It’s expensive, and it limits their creative freedom.
Lucky for us, modders are not subject to such corporate issues.
Ilya Kostigov’s True Vehicle Car Pack attempts to make Vice City a bit more like the real 80s Miami by replacing eight different cars with their closest real-world equivalent.
Hot rods, vans, and even a Delorean are some of the awesome cars featured in this mod.
GTA: San Andreas is probably the single most well-loved game in the entire series. And it’s considered by many to be one of the best games ever made.
If you find yourself among the hardcore San Andreas fans, this collection of cars ported straight from the 2005 PC version by modder ALMOST610 will pique your interest.
It features some of the most iconic vehicles in the game including the Turismo, the Infernus, and the Cheetah.
There are also direct links to each of the cars if you don’t want the entire pack.
If you liked our previous mod but aren’t sure whether cars from Liberty City would fit the Miami-like atmosphere, get Vice City Stories Vehicles by creator 1Hellen.
This should be a quintessential mod for any VC fan.
Since Vice City Stories is a prequel set a short time before the original Vice City, you don’t have to worry about these cars looking too recent for the 80s.
And like the previous entry, this also includes vehicles such as bikes, helicopters, and even boats.
Just keep in mind, Tommy doesn’t know how to swim. So enter the water at your own risk.
If you’re not especially worried about cars fitting the atmosphere, or even the graphical style of Vice City, you can take it a step further and introduce vehicles from 2008’s GTA IV.
This mod by ToyGT is actually pretty impressive. Rather than using ported models, these were made from scratch to resemble the original GTA IV cars.
Serious work went into this mod pack!
While this was initially done for a San Andreas mod, this Vice City version should work just as well.
If honoring the competition seems like betrayal, I’ve got something sure to make your GTA fanboy heart skip a bit.
Modder ALMOST610 has been hard at work for years re-building cars from Vice City’s beta version by scouring promotional material, concept art, and even trailers for information.
The result is a wealth of unique cars with a distinct Vice City aesthetic, giving us a glimpse into what could have been, while also refreshing the game a bit.
If you dig beta/alpha content from games, this is a must-have mod.
The Lamborghini brand is a staple of modern supercars and GTA mods alike.
And none could be more appropriate for Vice City’s 80s aesthetic as the classic Countach.
The Countach was produced from 1974 to 1990 and is credited with popularizing the angular “Italian Wedge” design.
If there’s going to be a Lambo in the 80s Miami-themed Vice City, it has to be this one.
Despite being an older model, this mod is still just as detailed as you’d expect. It also has custom collision parameters, working front and rear lights, and a sculpted 3D engine.
I first found out about OnePiece’s GTA3 HD Vehicles Tri-Pack while researching mods for GTA III.
I’m happy to share that the mod works for Vice City as well. And you’ll love it.
This pack features enough HD versions of GTA3 vehicles to replace every single one in Vice City.
These models were hand-picked to look coherent among themselves, giving this GTA mod the cohesiveness we’d expect from an official expansion. Which this is not, but damn it looks like one!
Just keep in mind that the pack includes a pair of extra mods meant to work on GTA3, such as an HD version of protagonist Claude, which you’ll have to remove for it to work.
If I were given a choice of what car I want to drive during my everyday life, I’d probably go for an Audi – and the Audi R8 V10 Twin Turbo is among the German brand’s most powerful cars.
This incredible vehicle is hiding the same horsepower as a Lamborghini Huracán under its considerably less avant-garde appearance.
If you want to drive a supercar without everyone in Vice City finding out, this is the one.
This mod by creator Neflection does the real car justice by porting the most detailed model available – courtesy of Forza Motorsport 3 – and outfitting it with custom handling and realistically-damageable parts.
The Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder is the most potent Spyder-type car in the entire Huracán family of vehicles. And now you can drive it in Vice City!
This incredibly detailed mod was initially ported to San Andreas, and then adapted to the older Vice City engine by modder Mr. Rant.
As expected, the model features functional doors, working lights, and custom collision – along with realistic damage on all car parts.
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 SS is famous for holding the title of the Fastest Production Vehicle of all time, which it took from the SSC Ultimate Aero TT back in 2010.
This isn’t the SS, but it’s the highest-quality Bugatti Veyron available for Vice City.
It counts over 80,000 polygons on its intricately detailed body, which includes a fully-modeled 3D engine so you can show it off to… NPCs?
If you’re running a modded version of Vice City with good-enough graphics to make this supercar feel at home, you’ll want to try it out right now.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
