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The wait for the GTA 6 trailer release time has begun in earnest, now that Rockstar has marked Tuesday, December 5 at 9am ET / 2pm UK for liftoff. At the time of writing, so much still remains unanswered about the as-yet untitled entry of the long-standing open-world crime simulator series – not least where it will take place. The GTA 6 leaks of last year – whereby over 90 in-development screens and videos were posted into the public domain – suggested the Miami-aping Vice City is where we headed next, and while this still hasn't been officially confirmed either way, the palm trees and sunset hues of this teaser image also suggest the same.
Putting the unprecedented leaks and that image to one side, the Grand Theft Auto series' enduring tendency to visit Liberty City, San Andreas and, indeed, Vice City, of course, lends credence to the suggestion we're sun-bound this time around. And in the spirit of this – not to mention the fact returning to Tommy Vercetti's old stomping ground would be pretty cool – I'd like to speculate on which old-school Vice hotspots should return here in the HD universe's first slant on the fictional 305.
The Malibu Club
Welcome to Grand Theft Advent – a month-long celebration of Rockstar's enduring crime sim series. Be sure to check in on our GTA 6 coverage hub for more every day throughout December.
An easy one to kick off with – The Malibu was one of OG Vice City's most prestigious locales, especially early doors in its story. Centred in Vice Point and inspired by The Babylon Club from Brian De Palma's 1983 gangster movie, Scarface, the nightspot was a hive of nefarious activity and hedonism, adorned with neon lights and filled with body-shaking revellers.
Set in the mid-80s, films like Scarface inspired so much of GTA: Vice City, and while it's still unclear when GTA 6 is set within the HD universe's timeline, I sincerely hope we get the chance to return to the glowing floor tiles of this after hours establishment.
The Ocean View Hotel and surrounding area
The Ocean View Hotel is a beachfront hotel in the heart of Ocean Beach – situated on one of OG Vice City's main thoroughfares, Ocean Drive. It's the first port of call for Vice City protagonist Tommy Vercetti, and it's the base from which you shuttle between many of the 2002 game's earliest missions. With its baby blue and chrome art deco facade, the building is a snapshot of the era, and while its place in time may well have moved on by the time we visit GTA 6's supposed interpretation of VC, I'd nevertheless enjoy retreading old ground given that this was the first safehouse Tommy V frequented, and the first place the series let you change your protagonist's outfits in.
Of course, in front of The Ocean View Hotel runs Ocean Beach and Ocean Drive, both of which are scaled down versions of Miami's real-world tourist traps.
Apartment 3C
Which leads us nicely to our next point: the GTA 6 setting. With the sun piercing the aforementioned diner's windows, and with palm trees lining the concrete thoroughfare outside, the suggestion that GTA 6 unfolds in its universe's pseudo slant on Miami, Vice City, seems credible. Signs adorned with 'Vice' were likewise spotted in the backdrops of the leaked videos and stills by intrepid would-be players at the time; and the teaser image Rockstar posted on social media on Friday, December 1 has the same sunset hues and palm trees associated with the same part of the world.
Against the series' historic tendency to follow the Liberty City (NYC), San Andreas (LA/California), Vice City (Miami) trifecta likewise underlines that likelihood. It's worth noting that the last interpretation of Vice – 2002's GTA: Vice City and its 2006 off-shoot GTA: Vice City Stories – was one of the smallest maps of the series.
The Printworks (and other business ventures)
This is definitely a personal one in that The Printworks in GTA: Vice City made me a lot of money back in the day. Towards the end of the original game's story mode, you're let loose on the map and encouraged to buy up properties in a bid to further grow your criminal empire. With a price tag of $70,000, The Printworks ain't cheap, but it can ultimately bring you in ~$8,000 profit every in-game day.
I'm not overly fussed if The Printworks itself returns in GTA 6 or not, but I do want profitable businesses – akin to what we've seen over the last several years in GTA Online, whereby savvy/untrustworthy entrepreneurs (they're one in the same, right?) can generate passive income across a portfolio of dodgy operations.
The Diaz/Vercetti estate
Another memorable OG Vice City locale, another distinct hat tilt to Scarface. The Diaz estate is perhaps the most iconic location in the whole of Vice City, and it's one which protagonist Tommy Vercetti visits early on. At first working for the eponymous kingpin Ricardo Diaz, and latterly running the estate as his own after things get a little bit hairy, the Diaz/Vercetti estate is a drug lord's paradise that just screams money and ostentatiousness.
Again, if GTA 6 steps out of the '80s timezone, you'd have to imagine this abode's gauche and era-specific Tony Montana-inspired decor likewise shifts – but I really want to see our characters spend like never before this time around. Between nightclubs, penthouse apartments, and luxury villas in the Vinewood Hills, we're hardly limited in GTA Online's Los Santos when it comes to home-building, but if it's faux Miami we're indeed travelling to next, I want to enjoy some proper high-life, Snapmatic-friendly real estate.
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