Miami Is Turning Into Vice City Ahead of GTA 6
Parts of Miami are being dressed up as Vice City, the fictional city from Grand Theft Auto VI, weeks before the game's scheduled release on November 19, 2026. The campaign is running on real streets, buses, beaches and a basketball arena.
In the game, Vice City stands in for Miami. The story is set across a fictionalised version of Florida called Leonida, and its lead characters are Jason and Lucia.
The clearest sign is inside Kaseya Center, where the NBA's Miami Heat play. The in-game restaurants Burger Shot and Cluckin' Bell have opened there. The Burger Shot branch is reportedly a rebranded outlet of the local chain Skinny Louie's, and its staff wear GTA 6 uniforms. Video Games Chronicle reported the details.
On November 18, the day before launch, the Heat will play as "Vice City" in an event called "A Night In Vice City". The team will use a specially built "Vice City Court" and wear a reimagined uniform for the night.
Other branding is spread across the city. There is a GTA 6 blimp, murals, Vice City branding on buses and taxis, and digital displays showing in-game adverts. Miami Beach has pink and blue Vice City umbrellas and loungers. A branded blimp has flown over the beach alongside boat-mounted billboards for Vault Nightclub, which is itself a fictional name from the game.
Fictional brands are showing up in the real world too. Adverts have appeared for Weazel News, Chamber 106.6, Fruit, Coil, eCola, Y Hotel, Vault Nightclub and Big Chug. Outside bars, there are ads for the fictional beers Pißwasser and Patriot. Florida-based Tripping Animals Brewing submitted labels for both beers, along with a new Vice City-themed lager.
Cars have joined in as well. Spotted in Miami are a real Coquette with a Vice City wrap and a Lamborghini in the livery of the Vice Beach Police, with Vice City number plates on both.
The campaign has a formal side. Miami approved a discreet GTA 6 marketing campaign in September, and Rockstar Games will pay the city at least $3 million for the logos and branding. IGN reported that the branding will run from October 15 to December 31. The campaign also includes NFL promotions, according to IGN's October coverage.
Not everyone supports it. Fortune reported on October 19 that law enforcement opposes the proposal to turn Miami into Vice City, even as some officials have pushed for a partnership with Rockstar.
Rockstar has also announced a premium collectible set, Grand Theft Auto VI: The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection. It includes matte black Oakley Frogskins sunglasses with Prizm Sapphire lenses and a pink GTA VI logo in Vice City style. The set is sold through Rockstar's online store while supplies last.
For now, the release date is the anchor. The game is scheduled for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, and the Miami streets are filling up with its fictional brands in the weeks before.
