Grand Theft Auto Vice City is set in 1986. Vice City is based on the city of Miami Beach, Florida. The game’s look, particularly the clothing and vehicles, reflects the 1980s setting. Many themes in it are borrowed from the major films Scarface, Carlito’s Way, Goodfellas and Blow, along with the hit 1980s television series Miami Vice.
Ricardo Diaz’s mansion and the climactic battle which takes place in it are very similar to their counterparts in the movie Scarface. Another reference is the game’s overall storyline, as it is highly similar to the film, as is the design of the final mission. There are also more subtle references, such as an apartment hidden within the game with blood on the bathroom walls and a chainsaw (in a nod to the film’s “chainsaw torture” scene), or the pair of detectives who come chasing Tommy in a car resembling the Ferrari Testarossa after a three-star wanted level is attained, who look like characters portrayed by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas in Miami Vice.