ORIGINAL GAME PREVIEW / GAME OPENS ON CREATOR'S SITE
ACTION / SINGLE PLAYER
GTA: Vice City (browser port)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the 2002 original, in a browser tab: start a new game and Tommy Vercetti lands in 1986 Miami. Nothing to install.
GTA in your browser: GTA III and Vice City, which to play, and GTA VI's date →
OUR TAKE / EDITORIAL
Why it's on the wall
The real Vice City, neon and Hawaiian shirts and all, a click away in a tab. Give it a minute or two to load, and cap the frame rate at 30 if a mission acts up.
Written by Neon Gamewall. An opinion, not a player rating.
GAME BRIEF
What's the game?
A browser build of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City made from reVC, the community's reverse-engineered version of the game's code, ported to WebAssembly by the DOS Zone team; its main menu still reads 'Vice City by DOS Zone Team'. Quenq, a site that keeps web ports and old software playable, hosts it with the game's own data, so there is nothing to supply. Its setup screen has PLAY GAME, a Save Manager (upload .b save files from the PC or PS2 game, or download backups), a Mod Manager and a frame-rate limit. Press PLAY GAME, wait for CLICK ANYWHERE TO START, and the original menu appears. We chose Start Game, New Game: the opening cutscene played at Sonny Forelli's card table, then Tommy Vercetti stepped out into a sunny Vice City. From there it is the 2002 game, the city, the cars and the missions, which Quenq says are all there.
BEFORE YOU PLAY
What to expect
Unofficial and for grown-ups: Vice City was made by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games (Take-Two Interactive), and it is rated M for violence, crime, drugs and sexual content. Take-Two had DOS Zone's own copy taken down with a DMCA request, and DOS Zone's version now asks for your own game data; Quenq's copy includes it, so it could disappear. Quenq's page carries ads and a Disqus comment thread around the game frame. Since October 24 those ads include big blue 'Play: With Windows Extension' and 'Download' boxes above the game that install browser extensions: skip them. The game's own PLAY GAME button is inside the dark frame. About 130 MB downloaded before CLICK ANYWHERE TO START and about 140 MB by the time Tommy reached Vice City in our test, with more as you drive. Quenq recommends capping the frame rate at 30 if a mission breaks, since the original game was built for 30 fps. Quenq says it works on phones with touch controls and with a gamepad; we played it in Chrome on a computer. No account. No AI build claim.
Controls: The PC game's keyboard and mouse controls, which you can change in the game's Options; Enter selects in the menus. Quenq says touch controls appear on phones and gamepads work; we have not tested either.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
Common questions
Can you play GTA Vice City in a browser?
Yes. Quenq hosts a browser build of the full 2002 game at quenq.com/apps/vice-city, made from the reverse-engineered reVC code and DOS Zone's WebAssembly port. Press PLAY GAME, wait for the download (about 130 MB in our test), click to start and choose New Game. Nothing to install and no account. It is unofficial, not a release from Rockstar.
Is it the full game?
Quenq says every mission from the 2002 release is there. We started a new game: the opening cutscene played and Tommy arrived in Vice City. The Save Manager takes .b save files from the PC or PS2 game and lets you download backups.
How big is the download?
About 130 MB before the CLICK ANYWHERE TO START screen and about 140 MB by the time Tommy reached Vice City, measured in Chrome; more of the city streams in as you drive.
Why is there a frame-rate limit?
The original game was designed for 30 frames a second. Unlocked, it runs smoother, but the physics can go wrong and missions can get stuck; Quenq suggests setting the limit to 30 if that happens, or if your phone gets hot.
Is it official?
No. Rockstar and Take-Two did not make or license it, and Take-Two had DOS Zone's own copy of this port taken down. We link to the copy Quenq hosts; we do not host it.
SOURCE & CREDIT
Meet the maker
The game's AI build is not independently verified. Visit the creator's game page for current details.
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